Want the intel on Tampa's buzziest local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which restaurants have been in the limelight this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Tampa 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 on a hot streak this summer.
Gen X Tavern
Open since April, this bar and New American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw a median 2.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Gen X Tavern saw a 61.2% increase, with a slight upward trend from a 2.5-star rating a month ago to three stars today.
Located at 103 E. Jackson St. in downtown Tampa, Gen X Tavern offers craft cocktails and late-night bites. Notable items include drinks like the Tang margarita or the Pump Up The Jam cocktail with rum, lemon, raspberries and blueberries, topped with Sprite. Hungry? Try the build-your-own MacGyver burger or the Abe Froman hoagie with Italian sausage, peppers, onions and provolone—nods to '80s and '90s pop culture.
The Mill
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Courier City's The Mill, the New American breakfast and brunch spot, which also offers tapas and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 5% increase in new reviews over the past month, The Mill bagged a 52% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a healthy four-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Tampa's breakfast and brunch scene: Whiskey Cake has seen a 28.4% increase in reviews.
Open at 2500 W. Azeele St. since March, The Mill offers selections like a cinnamon roll with lemon icing and banana jam, a pickled peach barbecue chicken club sandwich and a sweet cornbread waffle with breakfast sausage and fried green tomatoes.
Harpoon Harry's Crab House
Channel District's Harpoon Harry's Crab House is also making waves. Open since January at 225 S. Franklin St., the seafood spot and sushi bar, which also offers soups and more, has seen a 10.8% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.4% for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp.
Harpoon Harry's Crab House serves up seafood bites, steak and sushi; notable items include the blue crab quesadilla, short rib carnitas, conch fritters and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Thee Tree House
Courier City's Thee Tree House, a jungle-themed restaurant, is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.
Open at 1809 W. Platt St. since December 2018, Thee Tree House increased its new review count by 21.7% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 4.1% for the Yelp category "American (New)." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.5 times more reviews than expected based on past performance while maintaining a strong four-star rating.
Thee Tree House's brunch menu - one of four menus including main, late night and happy hour menus - offers yummy comfort foods with a twist like the Waffle Gravlax, an everything waffle with smoked salmon and dill cream cheese, bacon-banana pancakes with bourbon maple syrup and doughnut sushi with strawberries, bananas and Nutella.
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.
