Curious where Sacramento'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 uncover which local businesses have been seeing especially high review volumes this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Sacramento 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 sizzling hot this spring.
Gaspachos
Open since February, this specialty Mexican spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.
Citywide, Mexican spots saw a median 2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Gaspachos saw a 90.9 percent increase, maintaining a sterling five-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Gaspachos's review count increased by more than 170 percent.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Mexican category: Maya Traditional Mexican Cuisine has seen a 11.6 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 5385 Franklin Blvd., Suite L in North City Farms, the trending spot offers unique and traditional gaspacho offerings complete with ingredients like mango, jicama, black chili, Mexican cheese and more. (You can check out the full menu here.)
Bacon and Butter
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about East Sacramento's Bacon and Butter, the New American breakfast and brunch eatery is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast and Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.4 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Bacon and Butter bagged a 35.1 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, with a slight upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars.
Open at 3839 J St. since January, Bacon and Butter offers early morning eats such as pear and pecan French toast, smashed fries with bacon gravy and the Kitchen Sink — a breakfast staple with lardon (bacon), eggs, caramelized onions, crispy potatoes, mushrooms and spinach. (See the full menu here.)
Railroad Fish and Chips
Old Sacramento's Railroad Fish and Chips is also making waves. Open since 2011 at 1100 Front St., the popular spot to score seafood, fish and chips and burgers has seen a 3.5 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.3 percent for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Railroad Fish and Chips's review count increased by more than 180 percent.
There's more than one hotspot trending in Sacramento's seafood category: The Boiling Crab has seen a 5.4 percent increase in reviews.
Railroad Fish and Chips offers seafood specialties like clam chowder and fish tacos. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior 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.
