As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right now?
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 Miami 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 closing the summer out strong.
Ember
Open since May, this smokehouse and New American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 2.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Ember saw a 74.1% increase, maintaining a healthy four-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Ember's review count increased by more than 150%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: Whiskey Joe's- Biscayne has seen a 4.2% increase in reviews.
Located at 151 N.E. 41st St., Unit 117, Paradise Plaza in Little Haiti, Ember's Chef Brad Kilgore offers his takes on stroganoff, lasagna, smoked fried chicken, salmon fillets and steaks, as well as hand-crafted cocktails and desserts.
Ember Miami is open from 6 p.m.–10:30 p.m. on Tuesday-Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Sala'o Cuban Bar & Pescaderia
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Little Havana's Sala'o Cuban Bar & Pescaderia, the Cuban spot, which offers seafood and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, Sala'o Cuban Bar & Pescaderia bagged a 58.1% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating.
Open at 1642 S.W. Eighth St. since May, Sala'o Cuban Bar & Pescaderia offers home-style Caribbean seafood including ceviche, fish croquettes and a fried curry swordfish.
Sala'o Cuban Bar & Pescaderia is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.–midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Brickell's Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is also making waves. Open since March 2018 at 600 Brickell Ave., Suite 150, the steakhouse and wine bar, which offers seafood and more, has seen a 9.8% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.7% for all businesses tagged "Steakhouses" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar's review count increased by more than 190%.
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar offers lobster bisque soup, locally sourced striped bass, lamb chops with peach chutney and a summer salad with spinach, arugula, berries and sugar-glazed walnuts. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is open from 11:30 a.m.–midnight on Monday-Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.–1 a.m. on Thursday and Friday, 5 p.m.–1 a.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday.
Mora Pizza
Allapattah's Mora Pizza is the city's buzziest pizza spot by the numbers.
The Italian and vegan spot, which offers pizza and more and opened at 3201 N.W. Seventh Ave. on March 2019, increased its new review count by 76.9% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 4.4% for the Yelp category "pizza."
Mora Pizza offers vegan, NY-style pizza. Try the GuapaMole, made with a guacamole base and topped with pico de Gallo, or the fried chicken and waffles pie.
Mora Pizza is open from noon–2 p.m. and 5 p.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, noon–2 p.m. and 6 p.m.–midnight on Friday and Saturday and noon–2 p.m. and 6 p.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday.
The Deck at Island Gardens
Watson Island's The Deck at Island Gardens is currently on the upswing in the bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 4.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, this bar and Mediterranean spot, which offers pizza and more, increased its new reviews by 21.2% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Open for business at 888 MacArthur Causeway, The Deck at Island Gardens offers a Turkish and Mediterranean-inspired menu, as well as signature cocktails, a twist on the classics, champagne and wine.
Try the White Martini made with vodka, chambord, lychee juice and white cranberry juice, or the My Mai Tai made with rum, Triple Sec, lime juice, orgeat syrup and garnished with mint, black cherry and orange.
The Deck at Island Gardens is open from 6 p.m.–midnight on Thursday and Friday and noon–midnight on weekends. (It's closed Monday-Wednesday.)
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.
