#Trending: What's heating up Miami's food scene this month

#Trending: What's heating up Miami's food scene this monthCasa Tua Cucina. | Photo: Yanessa E./Yelp
Hoodline
Published on February 11, 2019

As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right now?

We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which eateries have been most discussed this month.

To find out who made the list, we looked at Miami 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 increase 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.

Casa Tua Cucina

Photo: emily h./Yelp

Open since 2017, this popular Italian and Mediterranean spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp.

Citywide, Italian spots saw review counts increase by a median of 3.6 percent over the past month, but Casa Tua Cucina saw a 10.6 percent increase, maintaining a solid four-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 220 percent.

Located at 70 S.W. Seventh St. in Brickell, Casa Tua Cucina offers 10 unique dining stations, according to Miami Eater. Look for stations serving pizza, pasta, Italian baked goods, charcuterie plates, coffee and tea. The 30-seat bar also offers wine, beer and cocktails, juice and a salad bar, flower shop and more. 

Mason Eatery

Photo: sheila p./Yelp

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Mason Eatery, the breakfast and brunch and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.

While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 2.8 percent over the past month, Mason Eatery bagged a 14.6 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a healthy 4.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.5 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.

Open at 3470 N. Miami Ave. since June 2018, Mason Eatery offers a brunch, lunch and dinner menu. For a light meal, expect to find smoked hamachi or salmon tartare. For a heartier dish, look for mac and cheese, short ribs, duck or its signature Mason burger. There's also a selection of vegetable plates for veggie lovers. Satisfy your sweet tooth with its Miami cheesecake or tiramisu.  

EDUKOS

Photo: Leng Leng y./Yelp

Little Havana's EDUKOS is also making waves. Open since May 2017 at 1701 W. Flagler St., Suite 101, the beer bar and Venezuelan and New American spot has seen an 8 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.4 percent for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 1,000 percent.

This gastropub offers a diverse lunch and dinner menu. Look for Venezuelan-style cheese sticks, dumplings, bao buns, beef and veggie burgers, octopus and more. Check out its rotating beer menu and specialty cocktails like its cinnamon and apple-infused sake cocktail with cardamon. Over the past month, it's maintained a sterling five-star rating among Yelpers.

Lost Boy

Photo: angelo r./Yelp

Downtown Miami's Lost Boy is the city's buzziest cocktail bar by the numbers.

The cocktail bar, lounge and beer bar, which opened at 157 E. Flagler St. in summer 2018, increased its review count by 19.6 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 2.7 percent for the Yelp category "Cocktail Bars."

Lost Boy offers specialty cocktails, beer, wine and coffee. Look for the Junglebird, a cocktail with dark rum, Campari, lime and pineapple. Feast on bar snacks like beef jerky or a vegan German pretzel. There's also a selection of sandwiches, including Cajun turkey and curry chickpea wrap.