Curious where Las Vegas' 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 getting a notable uptick in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Las Vegas 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.
Kaizen Revolving Sushi
Open since June, this sushi spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Sushi Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, sushi bars saw a median 3% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Kaizen Revolving Sushi saw an impressive 328.6% increase, with a slight upward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the sushi bar category: Sushi Wabi has seen a 9.5% increase in reviews.
Located at 7450 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite 2, in the Summerlin Gateway Plaza, Kaizen Revolving Sushi features a revolving conveyor belt that winds through the restaurant that features an array of traditional and Japanese fusion dishes, including grilled shishito peppers and calamari tempura, in addition to soups and salads.
No. 1 Boba Tea
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about No. 1 Boba Tea, the bubble tea and coffee spot, which offers juices, smoothies and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp saw a median 2% increase in new reviews over the past month, No. 1 Boba Tea location bagged a 41.7% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.7 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 735 N. Nellis Blvd. since January, the coffee and tea spot, which has several locations in Las Vegas, offers flavored teas, including taro milk tea and lychee black tea, as well as coffee milk boba tea.
Strat Café & Wok
Strat Café & Wok on the Strip is the city's buzziest traditional American spot by the numbers.
The diner and traditional American and breakfast and brunch spot, which opened at 2000 S. Las Vegas Blvd. in the Stratosphere Casino in 2018, increased its new review count by 18.9% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.3% for the Yelp category "American (Traditional)."
Strat Café & Wok offers burgers, shakes and house-made fruit pies in a 1950s-style diner atmosphere. On the menu, look for red velvet pancakes; a bacon, avocado and cheese omelet; eggs Benedict, pan-fried Hong Kong-style noodles; and spicy peppered prawns.
7th & Carson
Downtown's 7th & Carson is currently on the upswing in the New American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 2% increase in new reviews over the past month, this cocktail bar and New American and breakfast and brunch spot increased its new reviews by 5.4% —and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 260 percent on a month-to-month basis.
There's more abuzz in the world of Las Vegas New American: Flower Child has seen a 6.2% increase in reviews, and Hamptons has seen a 6.1% bump.
7th & Carson, named Restaurant of the Year in 2018 by the Nevada Restaurant Association, has been open at 616 E. Carson Ave., Suite 110, since 2017. Menu options include white truffle toast, tandoori carrots, lamb sausage pizzetta, charred octopus and a variety of specialty cocktails and wines.
Santos Guisados Tacos & Beer
Open since February, this bar, which offers tacos and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, businesses tagged "Bars" saw a median 2.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Santos Guisados Tacos & Beer saw an 8.6% increase, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 616 E. Carson Ave., Suite 140, in downtown, Santos Guisados Tacos & Beer offers a variety of tacos, including slow-cooked brisket, shredded chicken in mole negro, fried pork slow-cooked in salsa verde and wild mushrooms slow-cooked with herbs. Beer, wine and sangria are also on offer.
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.
