Wondering where Los Angeles's in-the-know crowd is 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 deduce which local businesses have been getting a significant uptick in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Los Angeles 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.
Jeje Chicken
Open since March, this Mediterranean and halal spot, which offers kebabs and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Halal" on Yelp.
Citywide, halal spots saw a median 3.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Jeje Chicken saw a 74.2 percent increase, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 5230 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, Jeje Chicken offers beef gyro, chicken shawarma, falafel, beef lule kebab and more. (View the menu here.)
Yours Truly
Venice's Yours Truly is also making waves. Open since March at 1616 Abbot Kinney Blvd., the New American spot has seen a 45.2 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.9 percent for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp.
Yours Truly offers avocado hummus, Nashville hot shrimp, crispy octopus and roasted chicken. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Tocaya
Downtown Los Angeles's Tocaya is the city's buzziest Mexican spot by the numbers.
The Mexican vegan spot, which opened at 801 S. Olive St., Suite B on April 2019, increased its new review count by 34.7 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.3 percent for the Yelp category "Mexican."
It's not the only trending outlier in the Mexican category: the Tocaya Westwood location has seen a 30 percent increase in reviews.
Tocaya offers a seasonal menu with a gluten-free burrito and coconut churro bites. Its year-round menu has tacos, burritos, bowls, salads, soups and more. (View the menu here.)
Burgerlords
Highland Park's Burgerlords is currently on the upswing in the fast food category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Fast food" on Yelp saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this vegan spot, which offers burgers and fast food, increased its new reviews by 30 percent — and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Open for business at 110 N. Ave. 56th since March, the business offers both beef and vegan burgers, as well as tofu nuggets and french fries.
Halo Top Scoop Shop
Is Century City's Halo Top Scoop Shop on your radar? According to Yelp review data, the spot to score ice cream is riding a wave.
While businesses categorized as "Desserts" on Yelp increased their media new review count by 2.3 percent over the past month, Halo Top Scoop Shop nabbed a 23.6 percent increase in reviews within that time frame, with a modest upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars.
Located at 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 2815, Halo Top Scoop Shop offers low-calorie soft serve and ice cream scoops, with a variety of cones and toppings. Flavors include peanut butter and blueberry crumble soft serve and sea salt caramel and cookie dough ice creams. (View the 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.
