Wondering where Phoenix's insiders are eating and drinking? It's easy to spot lines out the door, but some underlying trends are harder to see.
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which restaurants have been seeing especially high review volumes 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 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 on a hot streak, right now.
Angry Crab Shack
Open since 2018, this seafood spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw a median 1.5 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Angry Crab Shack saw a noteworthy 128.6 percent increase, with a slight upward trend from a three-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today.
Located at 3227 E. Bell Road in Paradise Valley, Angry Crab Shack offers sandwiches, soup, salad and a classic Cajun seafood boil that includes shrimp, both snow and king crab, lobster, clams, crawfish, mussels and veggies. There are also baskets of Alaskan cod, chicken tenders, gator nuggets, soft shell crab and more, each served with potato salad, coleslaw or beans.
View the full menu here.
Anhelo Restaurant
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Central City's Anhelo Restaurant, the wine bar and New American and breakfast and brunch spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Anhelo Restaurant bagged a 43.5 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a sound 4.5-star rating.
Open at 628 E. Adams St. since February, Anhelo Restaurant offers a menu that features pan-seared chicken with a risotto of potato and seasonal veggies; scallops with sweet potato puree; and roasted bronzini with tomatoes, white wine, onions and garlic.
Meat the Ball
Camelback East's Meat the Ball is also making waves. Open since March at 2502 E. Camelback Road, Suite 148 A AND B, the Italian spot has seen a 37.5 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.3 percent for all businesses tagged "Italian" on Yelp.
On the menu, you'll find meatball dishes like the Rustica (western grass-fed beef and Niman ranch pork with Parmigiano sauce and Kennebec shoestring fries) and the eggplant parmigiana (filled with mozzarella, tomato sauce and ricotta cheese with cheesy garlic focaccia). Over the past month, it's maintained a sound four-star rating among Yelpers.
Mimi Forno Italiano
Laveen's Mimi Forno Italiano is the city's buzziest pizza spot by the numbers.
The Italian spot, which offers pizza and more and opened at 3624 W. Baseline Road, Suite 174 in December, increased its new review count by 10.1 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.9 percent for the Yelp category "Pizza."
It's not the only trending outlier in the pizza category: Giordano's has seen a 7.1 percent increase in reviews.
Mimi Forno Italiano has a menu full of signature pizzas — try the Carina (baby arugula, prosciutto and shaved parmigiano), the Capricciosa (ham, artichokes, mushrooms, olives and mozzarella cheese) or the Abruzzo (sliced rosemary potatoes, caramelized onions and mozzarella cheese).
The Buffalo Spot
North Mountain's The Buffalo Spot is currently on the upswing in the traditional American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this traditional American spot, which offers chicken wings and more, increased its new reviews by 8.8 percent—with its Yelp rating improving from three stars to 3.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 1,200 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 2080 W. Northern Ave., Suite 100 since 2017, the business serves wings and buffalo fries topped with chicken, potatoes, cheese and a choice of sauce like honey barbecue or chipotle. Also look for salads, wraps and shakes.
View the full menu 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.
