Wondering where Long Beach'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 eateries have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Long Beach 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 extra hot, right now.
Portuguese Bend Distillery
Open since June 2019, this distillery, cocktail bar and New American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median two percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Portuguese Bend Distillery saw a dramatic 458.3 percent increase, with a slight downward trend from a five-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: Taste Wine-Beer-Kitchen has seen a 4.7 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 300 The Promenade North in Long Beach, Portuguese Bend Distillery offers tempura battered green beans, fig and blue cheese salad, Nashville hot chicken sandwich and cast iron vegan shepherd's pie. View the menu here.
Baja Cali Fish & Tacos
Long Beach's Baja Cali Fish & Tacos is also making waves. Open since September 2018 at 940 Pine Ave., the Mexican spot, which offers seafood and more, has seen a 13.5 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.5 percent for all businesses tagged "Mexican" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Baja Cali Fish & Tacos's review count increased by more than 230 percent.
There's more than one hotspot trending in Long Beach's Mexican category: El Torito has seen a 5.1 percent increase in reviews.
Baja Cali Fish & Tacos serves shrimp tacos, shrimp and carne asada burrito, crab ceviche tostada and cheese quesadilla. See what else is on the menu. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid four-star rating among Yelpers.
Vibes Beach Cafe
Long Beach's Vibes Beach Cafe is currently on the upswing in the breakfast and brunch category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median two percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this cafe increased its new reviews by 11.8 percent—and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars.
There's more abuzz in the world of Long Beach breakfast and brunch: Plunge has seen a 4.4 percent increase in reviews.
Open for business at 76 1/2 62nd Place since December 2018, the brunch menu features avocado tartine, pancakes with bourbon berry syrup and breakfast tacos with sunny side up eggs, soy chorizo and potato mash. Check out the full menu.
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.
