As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending at this very moment?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which local businesses have been in the spotlight 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 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 sizzling hot, right now.
Garrison Tavern
Open since April, this cocktail bar, sports bar and brunch spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 5.4 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Garrison Tavern saw a 90.9 percent increase, maintaining a solid four-star rating throughout.
Located at 700 S. Florida Ave. in Channel District, Garrison Tavern offers bar foods like tacos, nachos, burgers and more.
Whiskey Cake
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Whiskey Cake, the popular New American breakfast and brunch spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 2.7 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Whiskey Cake bagged a 21.5 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Tampa's New American scene: Oak and Ola has seen a 15.8 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 2223 N. Westshore Blvd. since March, Whiskey Cake offers dishes made with locally sourced ingredients; menu highlights include deviled eggs, pulled pork sliders and the local cheese board (it comes with black truffle havarti, black forest ham, local honeycomb and house-made pimento). The whiskey cake, a coffee torte with bourbon anglaise, spiced pecans and housemade vanilla whipped cream, is a must try.
The Local
Golf View's The Local is also making waves. Open since July 2018 at 3701 W. Henderson Blvd., the Southern breakfast and brunch spot has seen a 6.4 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.3 percent for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis The Local's review count increased by more than 220 percent.
The Local offers a mix of Southern and Mexican eats that will take you from brunch to dinner. Popular items range from watermelon salad to comfort foods like jalapeño cornbread, bread pudding and shrimp and grit cakes. Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy four-star rating among Yelpers.
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.
