Want the inside word on San Diego's most happening local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which local businesses have been seeing especially high review volumes this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at San Diego 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 getting plenty of attention this summer.
Tender Greens
Part of a 27-unit chain founded in 2006, the Carmel Valley locale of this New American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, such spots saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Tender Greens saw an 81.8% increase, with a slight upward trend from a three-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today.
Located at 3745 Paseo Place, Suite 0840, Tender Greens' plates include buttermilk fried chicken, grilled salmon and falafel.
Son of a Toast
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about North Park's Son of a Toast, the fast-casual cafe which offers specialty food, coffee and tea and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Cafes" on Yelp saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, Son of a Toast bagged a 67.6% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a sterling five-star rating.
Open at 3066 University Ave. (between Grim Avenue and Illinois Street) since March, Son of a Toast's signature dishes include savory toasts such as the Mexa (avocado, radish, corn, tajin, cilantro and queso) and sweet toasts like Holy Berry (strawberries and blueberries over vanilla Greek yogurt).
Tocaya
University City's Tocaya is also making waves. This chain of about 15 locales in California and Arizona was founded in 2016, and its location 4301 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 2003 (between Executive Way and Bus Access Road) has seen a 25.6% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2% for all businesses tagged "Gluten-Free" on Yelp.
Tocaya offers Mexican, vegan and gluten-free dishes. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Dough Nations
Barrio Logan's Dough Nations is the city's buzziest pizza spot by the numbers.
The Italian spot, which began offings pizza and more in 2018 at 1985 National Ave., Suite 1101 (between State Highway 75), increased its new review count by 39.4% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.3% for the Yelp category "Pizza." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.6 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
In addition to its signature pizza, Dough Nations offers pasta, sandwiches and salads, along with craft beers and spirits.
Smitty's Taste Of The Bayou
North Park's popular Smitty's Taste Of The Bayou is currently on the upswing in the barbecue category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Barbeque" on Yelp saw a median 2.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Cajun/Creole spot, which offers barbecue and more, increased its new reviews by 10.9%—and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 1,050% on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 3604 30th St., North Park, since 2013, its menu includes barbecue pork ribs, chicken leg quarters, jambalaya, crawfish étouffée and catfish.
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.
