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 local businesses have been getting extra notice 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 getting plenty of attention this summer.
Tea Stop
Open since January, this spot to score coffee, juice, smoothies and bubble tea is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp.
Citywide, coffee and tea spots saw a median 2.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Tea Stop saw a 93.9% increase, with a slight downward trend from a five-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Tea Stop's review count increased by more than 280%.
Located at 4015 E. Bell Road, Suite 132 in Paradise Valley, Tea Stop offers 13 flavors of milk tea as well as fruit tea, iced tea, smoothies and more.
The Sicilian Baker
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Paradise Valley's The Sicilian Baker, the bakery and Italian spot, which offers sandwiches and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp saw a median 1.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, The Sicilian Baker bagged a 27.7% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a healthy four-star rating.
Open at 15530 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite 140 since March, The Sicilian Baker offers a build-your-own cannoli bar, traditional Italian pastries like cassatina and torta della nonna, cookies and an espresso bar.
Pomelo
North Central's Pomelo is also making waves. Open since 2016 at 7100 N. 12th St., Bldg One, the well-established New American breakfast, brunch and Italian spot has seen a 4% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.9% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Pomelo's review count increased by more than 600%.
Pomelo offers egg Benedicts, breakfast pizza, omelets, French toast and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong four-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.
