As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right now?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which restaurants have been on the tips of diners' tongues 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 on a hot streak, right now.
Oyabun
Open since May 2019, this izakaya and sushi bar, which offers seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Sushi Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, sushi bars saw a median 1.6 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Oyabun saw a 48.5 percent increase, with a slight upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to four stars today.
Located at 3060 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 150 in Harvard Heights, Oyabun offers salmon sashimi, red snapper sashimi with truffle oil and yuzu paste, baked salmon roll, shrimp tempura roll and more.
Layali LA
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Sawtelle's Layali LA, the hookah bar, tapas bar and Mediterranean spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Mediterranean" on Yelp saw a median three percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Layali LA bagged a 34.1 percent increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight upward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to its current five stars. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining five times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 11906 Wilshire Blvd., B10 since January 2018, the Layali LA menu features hummus, chicken kabob and lamb shank tajine.
Mogumogu
Sawtelle's Mogumogu is the city's buzziest noodle spot by the numbers.
The spot to score ramen and noodles, which opened at 11555 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite B in April 2019, increased its new review count by 50.7 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.1 percent for the Yelp category "Noodles."
Mogumogu serves spicy miso ramen, soy-marinated diced chashu and poached egg mazemen (a no-broth ramen) and spicy minced pork and poached egg mazemen with Japanese curry powder. View the menu here.
HomeState
Playa Vista's HomeState is currently on the upswing in the breakfast and brunch category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.9 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this Tex-Mex spot, which offers tacos and more, increased its new reviews by 55.9 percent—and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Open for business at 12105 W. Waterfront Drive, Suite B since May 2019, the business offers egg, chorizo and cheddar tacos; egg whites, mushrooms and monterey jack tacos; and egg, bacon, potato and cheddar tacos. See what else is on the 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.
