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 eateries have been getting outsized 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 increased their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance.
Read on to see which spots are extra cool this summer.
L'antica Pizzeria Da Michele
Open since May, this pizza and Italian spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp.
Citywide, Italian spots saw a median 1.7 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele saw a significant 209.5 percent increase, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Italian category: Vito's Pizza has seen a 31.6 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 1534 N. McCadden Place in Hollywood, L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele offers authentic Italian eats, from seared calamari and spaghetti pomodoro to burrata and margherita pizza. (You can view the full menu here.)
STARK'S
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about STARK'S, the New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, STARK'S bagged a substantial 182.9 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a solid four-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Los Angeles's New American scene: Five Leaves LA has seen a 90.3 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 13181 Mindanao Way since May, STARK'S offers specialties like smoked salmon flatbread; skillet corn cake with sweet peppers; and double-cut pork chops with tangerine whiskey glaze, sweet potato fries and housemade pickles. (You can view the full menu here.)
Thai By Trio
University Park's Thai By Trio is also making waves. Open since April at 2700 S. Figueroa St., Suite 101, the Thai spot has seen a 50 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2 percent for all businesses tagged "Thai" on Yelp.
Thai By Trio offers classic Thai cuisine in the form of papaya salad, Thai boat noodle soup and pineapple fried rice. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating tick down from 4.5 stars to four stars. (See the full menu here.)
Fun-Diggity Funnel Cakes
Broadway-Manchester's Fun-Diggity Funnel Cakes is the city's buzziest dessert spot by the numbers.
The street vendor and caterer spot, which offers desserts and more and opened at 222 E. 120th St. in 2016, increased its new review count by 35.1 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.9 percent for the Yelp category "Desserts." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.2 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Fun-Diggity Funnel Cakes offers hot and fresh funnel cakes complete with flavors like red velvet, peach cobbler and banana split.
Dudley Market
Venice's Dudley Market is currently on the upswing in the seafood category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this wine bar and seafood spot increased its new reviews by 68.6 percent—with its Yelp rating declining slightly from five stars to 4.5 stars.
Open for business at 9 Dudley Ave. since April, the business offers fresh and seasonal seafood fare, from Baja white shrimp and clam chowder to oysters on the half shell and Alaskan halibut.
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.
