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 most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at San Francisco businesses on Yelp by category and counted how many reviews each received. Rather than compare them based on number of reviews alone, we calculated their 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 on a hot streak right now.
Palette Tea House
Open since March, this Cantonese spot specializing in seafood and dim sum is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw a median 1.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Palette Tea House saw a 63.6 percent increase, maintaining a convincing four-star rating throughout.
Located at 900 N. Point St., Suite B-201A in Ghirardelli Square, Palette Tea House offers dim sum, seafood, rice and noodles. On the menu, look for Sichuan seafood dumplings, smoked pork belly from the grill and black pepper-seared jumbo scallops. Find the rest of the menu here.
Death by Taco
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Mission Bay's Death by Taco, the Mexican eatery and cocktail bar is a hot topic, according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.7 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Death by Taco bagged a 55.4 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a four-star rating.
Open at 301 King St., Suite B since April, Death by Taco offers 16 kinds of tacos, with quirky monikers like Catch Me Asada (carne asada, guacamole, pico de gallo, shredded cabbage, pinto beans and cotija cheese) and Listen to Your Al Pastor (al pastor pork, guacamole, cilantro, pico de gallo, pinto beans).
The bar also serves up more than 75 varieties of tequila and mezcal, alongside a hefty selection of cocktails and draft beers. Pair them with an order of chips and guac or smoky chipotle queso.
FK Frozen Custard
The Lower Haight's FK Frozen Custard is also making waves. Open since 2017 at 791 Haight St. (between Pierce and Scott streets), the frozen treat parlor has seen a 27.8 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.7 percent for all businesses tagged "Desserts" on Yelp.
Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, FK Frozen Custard's review count increased by more than 380 percent. And over the past month, it's maintained a strong 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
FK Frozen Custard specializes in what it calls "West Coast-style" frozen custard. Look for scoops, sandwiches, bars and bites in flavors like cookie butter, white rabbit (Asian milk candy), alcohol-infused Thai tea and more. Check out every available flavor here.
Golden State Grill
Mission Terrace's Golden State Grill is the city's buzziest traditional American spot by the numbers.
The traditional American spot, which opened at 4448 Mission St. (between Cotter and Francis streets) in February, increased its new review count by 25 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1 percent for the Yelp category "American (Traditional)."
At Golden State Grill, menu standouts include the grilled octopus appetizer, as well as entrees like grilled lamb chops and Mediterranean sea bass. If you've still got room, there's apple pie for dessert.
Niku Steakhouse
Niku Steakhouse is currently on the upswing in the steakhouse category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Steakhouses" on Yelp saw a median 1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this Japanese steakhouse specializing in Wagyu beef increased its new reviews by 20 percent — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars.
Open since February at 61 Division St. in the Design District, the upscale eatery offers a wide array of steakhouse classics with a Japanese twist. Yelpers recommend starting with the crispy potatoes, then moving on to the beef tartare and Niku reserve caviar on buckwheat blinis.
Celebrating something big, or just looking to splurge? Order the imperial Wagyu tomahawk steak. The full menu can be viewed 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.
