Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right this minute?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which local businesses have been in the spotlight this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Las Vegas 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 worth exploring this summer.
Ben'zaa Cantina De Oaxaca
Open since April, this Mexican spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.
Citywide, Mexican spots saw a median 3.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Ben'Zaa Cantina de Oaxaca saw a substantial 238.5% increase, maintaining a healthy four-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Mexican category: Leticias Cocina & Cantina has seen a 65.4% increase in reviews, and El Burrito Mexican Restaurant has seen a 9.7% bump.
Located at 7585 Norman Rockwell Lane in Centennial Hills, Ben'Zaa Cantina de Oaxaca offers traditional Oaxacan molé and homemade tortillas and salsas alongside enchiladas, fried fish, slow-roasted pork shoulder and more. When it comes to desserts, this spot serves up prickly pear flan and banana churros.
Rachel's Kitchen
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Centennial Hills' Rachel's Kitchen, the well-established breakfast and brunch spot, which offers juice, smoothies and sandwiches, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 2.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, Rachel's Kitchen bagged a 2.8% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a convincing four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining three times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Las Vegas' breakfast and brunch scene: Eureka! Discover American Craft has seen a 7.3% increase in reviews.
Open at 7010 N. Durango Drive, Suite 140, since 2013, Rachel's Kitchen, which has eight locations throughout the Las Vegas valley, offers all-day breakfast items, sandwiches, wraps, burgers, pasta and fresh-squeezed juices. Dig into a handcrafted veggie burger with hummus and cucumbers, or opt for a smoked turkey and avocado sandwich with chipotle mayo.
Americana
Desert Shores' Americana is also making waves. Open since 2016 at 2620 Regatta Drive, Suite 118, the well-established New American spot has seen a 5.3% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Americana's review count increased by more than 260%.
Chef Stephen Blandino, who worked for celebrity chef Charlie Palmer on the Strip for many years, offers signature dishes like lobster ravioli with sea scallops and blood oranges, as well as Australian wagyu beef, prepared at the table.
Over the past month, Americans has maintained a sound 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
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.
