Phoenix/ Food & Drinks
Published on March 20, 2019
Get these trending Phoenix restaurants on your radar todayPhoto: Taphouse Kitchen-Phoenix/ Yelp

Wondering where Phoenix's in-the-know crowd is 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 analyze which eateries have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.

To find out who made the list, we looked at Phoenix 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 are getting plenty of attention this spring.

Squarz Bakery & Cafe

Photo: SQUARZ BAKERY & CAFE/Yelp

Open since last December, this bakery and cafe, which offers coffee and tea and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp.

Citywide, coffee and tea spots saw a median 2.6 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Squarz Bakery & Cafe saw a 59 percent increase, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating throughout.

Located at 13802 N. Scottsdale Road in Paradise Valley, Squarz Bakery & Cafe offers croissant sandwiches, baked pies, breakfast pastries, pasta and more.

Look out for the caramelized onion, bacon and brie sandwich, which come stuffed with crispy bacon, caramelized onions and brie cheese, served on a house-made croissant bun. Or, try one of its many baked pies like the shepherd’s pie with seasoned ground beef, mashed potatoes, carrots and corn. If you're going the sweet route, snag a red velvet croissant or a double chocolate cookie.

Taphouse Kitchen

Photo: TAPHOUSE KITCHEN-PHOENIX/Yelp

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Paradise Valley's Taphouse Kitchen, the New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.

While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 2.3 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Taphouse Kitchen bagged a 26.2 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating.

There's more that's trending on Phoenix's New American scene: Tastybox has seen a 11.5 percent increase in reviews, and The Hatter and Hare has seen an 8.1 percent bump.

Open at 3131 E. Shea Blvd. since January, Taphouse Kitchen offers steaks, salads, burgers, sandwiches, pizza and more. Order the organic pan-seared Scottish salmon with warm baby kale, organic arugula, hydro watercress, lemon fennel and red chimichurri; Or grab a Cubano sandwich with roasted pork, shredded ham, Swiss cheese, Dijon mustard and pickles.

Bobby Q 

PHOTO: BOBBY Q – BILTMORE/YELP

Camelback East's Bobby Q is also making waves. Open since 2017, at 3154 E. Camelback Road, the popular steakhouse and cocktail bar, which offers barbecue and more, has seen a 14.8 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.4 percent for all businesses tagged "Steakhouses" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Bobby Q's review count increased by more than 320 percent.

There's more than one hotspot trending in Phoenix's steakhouse category: Mancuso's Restaurant has seen a 6.8 percent increase in reviews.

Bobby Q offers an array of burgers, sandwiches, barbecue platters and more. Sample a one-third order of baby back ribs, served with barbecue sauce or try a pulled pork sandwich with barbecue-smothered smoked pork on a bun.

Vegetarian options like the Sonoran Q bowl, a concoction of black beans, guacamole, mango salsa, soyrizo, coconut rice, cashew cream, toasted pepitas and julienned romaine, are also on offer.

Over the past month, it's maintained a strong 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.

JL Smokehouse

PHOTO: JOYCE W./YELP

South Mountain's JL Smokehouse is the city's buzziest barbecue spot by the numbers.

The smokehouse, which offers barbecue, sandwiches and more, and opened at 1712 E. Broadway in June of 2017, increased its new review count by 11.8 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 3 percent for the Yelp category "Barbeque." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.8 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.

JL Smokehouse offers Southern comfort food in the form of meaty sandwiches with fixings of pulled pork, smoked sausage, brisket and more. Pair your meal with a side of macaroni and cheese, coleslaw or barbecue beans.

Mimi Forno Italiano

PHOTO: R B./YELP

Laveen's Mimi Forno Italiano is currently on the upswing in the pizza category on Yelp.

While businesses categorized as "Pizza" on Yelp saw a median 2.9 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this Italian spot, which offers pizza and more, increased its by 15 percent—and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars.

Open for business at 3624 W. Baseline Road, Suite 174 since last October, the business offers traditional Italian cuisine, including an authentic Neapolitan pizza topped with tomato sauce, garlic, oregano and anchovies filets.

Also on the menu is a home-made pappardelle pasta made with short tagliatelle, traditional meat sauce and parmesan. Finish your meal with a panna cotta cappucino or a chocolate-filled orange cannoli.


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.