Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which restaurants have been getting extra notice this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Los Angeles 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 hot this spring.
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
Open since February, this wine bar and steakhouse, which offers seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Steakhouses" on Yelp.
Citywide, steakhouses saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse saw an 80.6 percent increase, with a slight upward trend from a three-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today.
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse has 16 locations across the country. This location, at 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 1700 in Century City, offers soup, salad, chicken, fish, steaks, sides and more.
Yelpers recommend ordering the habanero grapefruit margarita at the bar while you wait to be seated. Then order the lobster macaroni and cheese to start, which goes nicely with the 45-day dry-aged prime ribeye. Or go for the shrimp cocktail to start and the broiled lobster tail as the main course. Save room for butter cake from the dessert menu.
Check out the entire menu here.
Pikoh
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Sawtelle's Pikoh, the bar and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.9 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Pikoh bagged an 88.2 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a strong four-star rating.
Open at 11940 W. Pico Blvd. since February, Pikoh offers salad, sides, pasta, chicken, beef and more.
The dinner menu features dishes like pork tonkatsu, baby kale salad, kimchi fried rice, salmon miso and chorizo and lamb ragu. The eatery has a full separate breakfast, lunch and brunch menu as well.
Here's the entire menu.
La Esquina
Palms's La Esquina is also making waves. Open since January at 8905 Venice Blvd., the Mexican spot has seen an imposing 125 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.2 percent for all businesses tagged "Mexican" on Yelp.
La Esquina offers traditional Mexican food such as tacos, enchiladas, burritos, soups, salads and more. Yelpers recommend trying the carne asada burrito, (with rice, beans, onions and cilantro) or the al pastor tacos.
Early risers can order the Chilaquiles con Huevo (fried tortilla chips simmered in your choice of red or green salsa topped with two fried eggs, sour cream, cheese, and avocado) from the breakfast menu.
Over the past month, La Esquina has maintained an impressive five-star rating among Yelpers. The rest of the menu can be found here.
Golden State
Downtown Los Angeles's Golden State is the city's buzziest beer bar by the numbers.
The beer bar, which offers burgers and more and opened at 241 S. San Pedro St. in December, increased its new review count by 50 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.4 percent for the Yelp category "Beer Bar."
This the the second location for the L.A.-based chain. Golden State serves salads, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, ice cream and daily specials, all made from ingredients sourced in California.
The menu offers dishes like The Burger (Harris Ranch beef, Fiscalini Farms cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, arugula, aioli, ketchup), The Lamb Burger ( lamb patty, gruyere, arugula, roasted red peppers, yogurt-dill sauce, curry ketchup) and Jalapeño Cabbage Slaw (shredded cabbage, carrots, jalapeño, onion, red wine vinaigrette, aioli.) The spot also serves craft beer exclusively made in California.
Save room for the popular beer float (one scoop of ice cream and Old Rasputin Stout on draft.) Find the entire menu here.
Myungrang Hot Dog
Koreatown's Myungrang Hot Dog is currently on the upswing in the hot dog category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Hot Dogs" on Yelp saw a median 1.5 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this hot dog spot increased its by 41.4 percent—and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars.
Open for business at 450 S. Western Ave., Suite 313 since December, the business offers Korean-style deep fried hot dogs on a stick.
On the menu, look for the squid-Ink & mozzarella hot dog (batter made with squid-ink, a layer of mozzarella cheese and a layer of sausage), cheddar cheese & sausage hot dog or the rice cake hot dog (with a chewy traditional Korean rice cake.)
Explore the entire menu here.
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.
