As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which eateries have been in the limelight 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 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 this summer.
Sisters Pizza
Open since 2019, this pizza spot, which offers desserts, salads and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Pizza" on Yelp.
Citywide, pizza spots saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Sisters Pizza saw a dramatic 151.5 percent increase, maintaining a sterling five-star rating throughout.
Located at 3603 Fourth Ave. in Hillcrest, Sisters Pizza offers East Coast-style pizza, alongside a variety of salads, sandwiches and Italian entrees.
The Butchery Quality Meats
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Carmel Valley's The Butchery Quality Meats, the butcher and meat shop, which offers sandwiches and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Sandwiches" on Yelp saw a median 2.3 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, The Butchery Quality Meats bagged a 50 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on San Diego's sandwich scene: Earl of Sandwich has seen a 36.4 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 3720 Caminito Court, Suite 200 since 2019, The Butchery Quality Meats offers T-bone steaks, ribeyes and prime rib, as well as artisan cheeses, craft beer and more.
Son of a Toast
North Park's Son of a Toast is also making waves. Open since 2019 at 3066 University Ave. (between Grim Avenue and Illinois Street), the cafe and specialty food and coffee and tea spot has seen a 31.2 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.8 percent for all businesses tagged "Cafes" on Yelp.
Son of a Toast offers savory and sweet toasts, as well as cold brew coffee cocktails in varieties like creamsicle, mai tai and ginger mojito. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating tick down from five stars to 4.5 stars.
Supernatural Sandwiches
Little Italy's Supernatural Sandwiches is the city's buzziest seafood spot by the numbers.
The seafood spot, which offers sandwiches and salads and opened at 2171 Kettner Blvd. (between Hawthorn and Ivy streets) in 2018, increased its new review count by 22.7 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.6 percent for the Yelp category "Seafood." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.4 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
It's not the only trending outlier in the seafood category: Blue Water Seafood Market & Grill - Ocean Beach has seen a 20.2 percent increase in reviews.
Supernatural Sandwiches offers an array of seafood sandwiches, including the Hydra with blackened fish, avocado and chili aioli and the Poseidon with spicy smoked ahi tuna, grilled cheese, chipotle aioli and pickled onions.
Tocaya
University City's Tocaya - La Jolla is currently on the upswing in the vegan category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Vegan" on Yelp saw a median 1.7 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this Mexican, vegan and gluten-free spot increased its new reviews by 18.1 percent—and kept its rating consistent at 3.5 stars.
Open for business at 4301 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 2003 (between Executive Way and Bus Access Road) since 2019, the business offers salads, Mexican-style rice bowls, burritos, tacos and more.
Jaunt Coffee Roasters
Open since 2018, this coffee roastery and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers empanadas and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" saw a median 1.7 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Jaunt Coffee Roasters saw a 17.4 percent increase, maintaining an outstanding five-star rating throughout. It gained 0.7 times more reviews than expected based on past performance, significantly outperforming the previous month.
Located at 8680 Miralani Drive, Suite 134 (between Camino Ruiz and Cabot Drive) in Miramar, Jaunt Coffee Roasters offers honey cappuccinos, sea salt caramel lattes, lavender lattes, pastries and more.
Menya Ultra
Is Mira Mesa's popular Menya Ultra on your radar? According to Yelp review data, the spot to score ramen and noodles is getting plenty of attention.
While businesses categorized as "Ramen" on Yelp increased their media new review count by 2 percent over the past month, Menya Ultra nabbed a 13.6 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a convincing four-star rating.
Located at 8141 Mira Mesa Blvd. (between Target Drwy and Reagan Road), Menya Ultra offers tonkatsu ramen, miso ramen, tan tan men and more.
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.
