Curious where Honolulu'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 uncover which local businesses have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Honolulu businesses on Yelp by category and counted how many reviews each received. Rather than compare them based on the 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 sizzling hot this summer.
Rocky Japanese Steak Teppan Restaurant
Open since November 2018, this steakhouse and teppanyaki spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Steakhouses" on Yelp.
Citywide, steakhouses saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Rocky Japanese Steak Teppan Restaurant saw an 18.9% increase while experiencing a slight decrease to a 3.5-star rating. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Rocky Japanese Steak Teppan Restaurant's review count increased by more than 180%.
Located at 2005 Kalia Road in Waikiki, Rocky Japanese Steak Teppan Restaurant serves grilled hibachi meals and authentic Japanese fare, such as noodle bowls, gyoza, edamame and ahi tuna poke for lunch and dinner.
‘Ōlena by Chef Ron Simon
Kalihi-Palama's ‘Ōlena by Chef Ron Simon is also making waves. Open since 2017 at 1933 Republican St., the New American spot, which offers poke, fish and chips and more, has seen a 25% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.9% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, ‘Ōlena by Chef Ron Simon's review count increased by more than 160%.
‘Ōlena by Chef Ron Simon specializes in gourmet, healthy and delicious grab-and-go meals, such as lemongrass tofu, pulled pork, poke bowls and chicken salad sandwiches. Over the past month, it's maintained an excellent five-star rating among Yelpers.
Basalt
Is Waikiki's popular Basalt on your radar? According to Yelp review data, the bar and New American and breakfast and brunch spot is seeing plenty of action.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp increased their media new review count by 1.7% over the past month, Basalt nabbed a 7.4% increase in reviews within that time frame, maintaining a superior four-star rating.
Located at 2255 Kuhio Ave., Basalt has been serving breakfast, lunch and dinner since 2017. The ever-changing, seasonal menu of small plates features international cuisine such as steak, lamb chops, roasted chicken, fresh seafood, soups, salads and charcuterie.
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.
