As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, 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 a notable uptick in attention 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 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 worth exploring right now.
The Win-Dow at American Beauty
Open since April 2019, this burger spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Burgers" on Yelp.
Citywide, burger spots saw a median 1.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, but The Win-Dow at American Beauty saw an 88.4% increase, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 425 Rose Ave. in Venice, The Win-Dow at American Beauty offers cheeseburgers and vegetarian burgers, as well as fried chicken sandwiches, french fries, shaved kale salad and ice cream sandwiches.
Kai Ramen At Joseph's Cafe
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Hollywood's Kai Ramen At Joseph's Cafe, the ramen spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Ramen" on Yelp saw a median 2.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, Kai Ramen At Joseph's Cafe bagged a 27.5% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a healthy 4.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.8 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 1777 Ivar Ave. since March 2018, Kai Ramen At Joseph's Cafe features signature pork broth ramen, chicken broth ramen and vegetable broth ramen options. On the menu, look for the Kai's White ramen with pork broth and garlic butter, the Buttercorn ramen with chicken meat and corn and the Popeye ramen with spinach noodles and tofu.
Birrieria San Marcos
Van Nuys' Birrieria San Marcos is also making waves. Open since November 2018 at 14420 Friar St., the Mexican food truck has seen a 64.3% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.0% for all businesses tagged "Mexican" on Yelp. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior four-star rating among Yelpers.
Birrieria San Marcos offers tacos, vampiros, mulitas, burritos and more.
LN2 Restaurant
Melrose's LN2 Restaurant is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.
The New American spot and cocktail bar, which opened at 7212 Melrose Ave. on January 2019, increased its new review count by 34.8% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.7% for the Yelp category "American (New)." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.3 times more reviews than expected based on past performance while holding on to its stellar five-star rating among Yelpers.
LN2 Restaurant offers small plates, pizzas, salads and entrees. On the dinner menu, look for the 36-hour pork belly with kimchee puree and hen egg; a crispy jidori chicken sandwich with russels slaw, pickles and wasabi dynamite sauce; and duck confit pizza with goat cheese, butternut squash, basil and roasted plum hoisin.
Chicken Maison
Harbor City's Chicken Maison is currently on the upswing in the Mediterranean category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Mediterranean" on Yelp saw a median 2.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Mediterranean and Greek spot increased its new reviews by 60.6% — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars.
Open for business at 26640 S. Western Ave. since March 2019, the restaurant serves up rotisserie chicken, kabobs, gyro and falafel plates 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.
