Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending at this very moment?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which restaurants have been getting an outsized notice 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 the number of reviews alone, we calculated a percentage increase in reviews over the past month, and tracked businesses that consistently increased their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance.
Read on to see which spots are riding a trend this summer.
Three Bowls and a Burro
Open since February, this New American, Asian fusion and Mexican spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Three Bowls and a Burro saw a 58.8 percent increase, maintaining a sound 4.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Three Bowls and a Burro's review count increased by more than 250 percent.
Located at 18440 N. Seventh St. in Deer Valley, Three Bowls and a Burro allows customers to customize a bowl, burrito, salad or soup with one of five combinations: The Southwest-inspired chile lime cilantro option comes with green chiles, Monterrey cheese and tortilla strips, while the Mexican-inspired chipotle combination is served with tomatoes, jalapeños, cotija cheese and spiced pepitas.
Rott n' Grapes
Central City's Rott n' Grapes is also making waves. Open since September 2018 at 1001 N. Third Ave., Suite 1, the wine bar and Italian spot has seen a 10.2 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2 percent for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Rott n' Grapes' review count increased by more than 1,200 percent.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Phoenix's breakfast and brunch category: My Gal Sal Bakery & Cafe has seen a 12.3 percent increase in reviews.
Rott n' Grapes offers starters like Brussels sprouts, meatballs and mixed olives alongside specialty entrees like the wild mushroom risotto with sherry and grass-fed beef bolognese and the Guido panini with prosciutto, pepperoni pickles and provolone. Over the past month, it's maintained a sound 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Tocaya
Paradise Valley's Tocaya is the city's buzziest Mexican spot by the numbers.
The popular Mexican, vegan and gluten-free spot, which opened at 7012 E. Greenway Parkway, Suite 100 in November 2018, increased its new review count by 17.1 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.5 percent for the Yelp category "Mexican."
Tocaya offers health-conscious salads, bowls, burritos, quesadillas and tacos like the Zuma taco with watermelon radish citrus slaw, vegan chipotle crema, tomatillo shrimp and queso fresco.
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.
