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 deduce which local businesses have been getting outsized notice 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 worth exploring, right now.
Warner Center Cafe
This cafe and traditional American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Warner Center Cafe saw a 24.5 percent increase, maintaining a stellar five-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Warner Center Cafe's review count increased by more than 430 percent.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Mimi's Cafe has seen a 16.8 percent increase in reviews, and Loupiotte Kitchen and Bru's Wiffle have seen 34 and 26.4 percent increases, respectively.
Located at 20970 Warner Center Lane in Woodland Hills, Warner Center Cafe offers breakfast burritos, smoked salmon avocado toast and eggs ranchero.
Chulita
Venice's Chulita is also making waves. Open since November 2018 at 533 Rose Ave., the Mexican spot and cocktail bar has seen a 25.9 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.1 percent for all businesses tagged "Mexican" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Chulita's review count increased by more than 140 percent.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Los Angeles's Mexican category: Tocaya has seen a 23.4 percent increase in reviews.
Chulita offers guacamole, ceviche, fish tacos, grilled cactus and skirt steak. View the menu here. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong four-star rating among Yelpers.
Chicks N Cows
Tujunga's Chicks N Cows is currently on the upswing in the burger category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Burgers" on Yelp saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this chicken shop and street vendor, which offers burgers and more, increased its new reviews by 29.9 percent — and kept its rating consistent at five stars.
Open for business at 7233 Foothill Blvd. since March 2019, the business offers burger combos with two or three three-ounce beef patties, served with American cheese, ketchup, mustard, onions and pickles. View the menu here.
Hill Street Bar & Restaurant
Is downtown Los Angeles' Hill Street Bar & Restaurant on your radar? According to Yelp review data, the New American spot is getting plenty of attention.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp increased their media new review count by two percent over the past month, Hill Street Bar & Restaurant nabbed a 26.2 percent increase in reviews within that time frame, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating.
Located at 200 S. Hill St., Hill Street Bar & Restaurant offers barbecue chicken wings, buttermilk crispy chicken sandwich, braised short ribs and eggplant parmesan.
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.
