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 local businesses have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at San Jose 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 extra cool this spring.
7 Leaves Cafe
Open since January, this coffee and tea spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp.
Citywide, coffee and tea spots saw a median 3.5 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but 7 Leaves Cafe saw an impressive 297.2 percent increase, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to four stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the coffee and tea category: Buddy Teahouse has seen a 23.3 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 1743 Berryessa Road in North Valley, 7 Leaves Cafe offers a variety of tea drinks, like sea cream jasmine, taro milk, mung bean milk tea and Japanese matcha soy.
Ginza Sushi
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about the Cambrian Park's Ginza Sushi, the sushi bar, Japanese and Asian fusion spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Sushi Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.3 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Ginza Sushi bagged a 26.5 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a healthy four-star rating.
Open at 3153 Meridian Ave. since November 2018, Ginza Sushi offers an assortment of classic rolls, nigiri and sashimi, and appetizers like gyoza, oysters and scallop tiradito.
Küsan Uyghur Cuisine
North San Jose's Küsan Uyghur Cuisine is also making waves. Open since August 2018 at 1516 N. Fourth St., the halal and Asian fusion spot, which offers kebabs and more, has seen a 13.2 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.4 percent for all businesses tagged "Asian Fusion" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Küsan Uyghur Cuisine's review count increased by more than 140 percent.
There's more than one hotspot trending in San Jose's Asian fusion category: Mosaic Restaurant has seen a 3.1 percent increase in reviews.
Küsan Uyghur Cuisine offers dishes like sliced beef with sauce, eggplant with mashed garlic, lamb kebab and more. Over the past month, its maintained a strong 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Claw Shack
Evergreen North's Claw Shack is the city's buzziest seafood spot by the numbers.
The Cajun/Creole spot, which offers chicken wings and seafood and opened at 2847 S. White Road in October 2018, increased its new review count by 15.7 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.4 percent for the Yelp category "Seafood."
Claw Shack offers seafood by the pound or in combinations, dressed with is signature sauces, such as garlic butter and the house special, Shackie's.
Bill's Cafe
Alum Rock's Bill's Cafe is currently on the upswing in the traditional American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 1.8 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this bar, breakfast, brunch and traditional American spot increased its by 7.1 percent — and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 180 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 1700 Newbury Park Drive, Suite 10 since December 2017, the business offers an array of traditional breakfast dishes, sandwiches, burgers and more.
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.
