Wondering where Fort Lauderdale's insiders are eating and drinking? It's easy to spot lines out the door, but some underlying trends are harder to see.
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which eateries have been getting extra notice this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Fort Lauderdale businesses on Yelp by category and counted how many reviews each received. Rather than compare them based on number of reviews alone, we calculated a percentage increase in reviews over the past month, and tracked businesses that consistently increased their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance.
Read on to see which spots have the momentum heading into springtime.
Fuzzy's Taco Shop
Open since late 2018, this bar and Mexican restaurant that opens early seven days a week is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw new reviews increase by a median of 1.9 percent over the past month, but Fuzzy's Taco Shop saw a 26.8 percent increase, with a slight downward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to three stars today.
Located at 854 W. Cypress Creek Road, Fuzzy's Taco Shop offers a wide selection of Mexican-inspired fare. Find tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, greens and more. Look for the shredded brisket quesadilla with cheese, pico de gallo and garlic sauce.
Good Spirits Fifth & Fed
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Victoria Park's Good Spirits Fifth & Fed, the cocktail bar, sushi bar and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp increased their review counts by a median of 2.2 percent over the past month, Good Spirits Fifth & Fed bagged a 10.8 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a healthy four-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Fort Lauderdale's New American scene: Toast has seen an 8.6 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 476 N. Federal Highway since early 2018, Good Spirits Fifth & Fed offers meat-focused entrées like steak and pork tenderloin. There are also seafood plates, specialty burgers and a wide selection of sushi. On the drink list, look for classic cocktails.
Rooftop
Downtown Fort Lauderdale's Rooftop is also making waves. Open since 2017 at 1 W. Las Olas, Suite 700, the well-established cocktail bar, which offers tapas and more, has seen a 7.8 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 3.2 percent for all businesses tagged "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 240 percent.
Rooftop offers small plates and hand-crafted cocktails. On the menu, expect to find updated bar snacks like Buffalo chicken empanadas and goat cheese-stuffed dates. For a heartier meal, there's short rib grilled cheese or sirloin skewers. Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy four-star rating among Yelpers.
This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
