Want the intel on San Diego's most talked-about local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which local businesses have been getting outsized attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at San Diego 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 riding a trend this summer.
Bibigo Kitchen Fashion Valley
Open since May, this bar and Korean spot, offering barbecue and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Bibigo Kitchen Fashion Valley saw a substantial 121.2% increase, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 7007 Friars Road in Mission Valley West, Bibigo Kitchen Fashion Valley offers grill items, shareable small plates and mandu (Korean dumplings), as well as curated beers and wines.
Rhythm’s Chicken and Waffles
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Pacific Beach's Rhythm’s Chicken and Waffles, the New American spot is a hot topic, according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, Rhythm’s Chicken and Waffles bagged a 48.8% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating.
Open at 1136 Garnet Ave. (between Everts and Dawes streets) since May, this walk-up eatery (you can't miss its bright-red exterior) features fried chicken and waffle sandwiches, burgers, chicken tenders, hot dogs and fries.
Morning Glory
Little Italy's Morning Glory is also making waves. Open since April at 550 W. Date St., Suite C (between India and Columbia streets), the breakfast and brunch spot has seen a 69% bump in new reviews over the last month. That compares to a median review increase of 1.8% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Morning Glory's eclectic menu offers such staples as classic flapjacks and ham and cheese omelets, as well as specialties including "carbs with culture" dishes, such as biscuits and gravy featuring red-eye sausage. Over the past month, it's maintained a convincing four-star rating among Yelpers.
Sushi Kuchi
Kearny Mesa's Sushi Kuchi is the city's buzziest Japanese spot by the numbers.
The Japanese spot and sushi bar, which opened at 4637 Convoy St., Suite 104 (between Opportunity Road and Dagget Street) in April, increased its new review count by 22% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.6% for the Yelp category "Japanese." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.2 times more reviews than expected based on past performance while maintaining a solid four-star rating.
Sushi Kuchi's specialties include the About Classic, a prix-fixed offering that includes tuna sashimi; albacore, salmon, yellowtail, saba, hirame and tamago sushi; and toro and crab hand rolls.
Roma Mia
The Gaslamp's Roma Mia is currently on the upswing in the Italian category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp saw a median 1.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Italian spot increased its new reviews by 42.4%—with its Yelp rating declining slightly from five stars to 4.5 stars.
Open for business at 825 Fourth Ave. (between East and F streets) since May, the business is the brainchild of two Italian-born restaurateurs, Alessandro Massi and Sergio Torrisi, and offers such main courses as braised veal with saffron risotto and grilled sea bass with spaghetti.
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.
