Wondering where San Diego's insiders are 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 discover which restaurants have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at San Diego 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.
The Original 40 Brewing Company
Open since May, this brewery is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breweries" on Yelp.
Citywide, breweries saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, but The Original 40 Brewing Company saw an 84.4% increase, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 3117 University Ave. (between 31st and Iowa streets) in North Park, the brewpub offers more than a dozen of its own beers, including Schlock Purist (a German-style pilsner) and Let's Brew Tomorrow, a hazy IPA. If brews aren't your thing, the pub also offers wine and a menu of sharable plates, burgers, salmon and steaks.
The Original 40 Brewing Company is open from 1 p.m.–midnight on weekdays, 10 a.m.–midnight on Saturday and 10 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday.
Ciccia Osteria
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Barrio Logan's Ciccia Osteria, the Italian spot is a hot topic, according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, Ciccia Osteria bagged a staggering 106.4% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a terrific five-star rating.
Open at 2233 Logan Ave. (between 26th and Sampson streets) since mid-June, Ciccia Osteria is the creation of chefs Francesca Penoncelli and Mario Casineri and offers such specialties as mafalde ragu dell’aia (farmhouse white stew), branzino (Mediterranean sea bass filet) and sombreri (sombrero-shaped pasta with bell pepper sauce and sausage).
Ciccia Osteria is open from 4:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m. on Monday, Thursday and Friday, noon–2:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.–9:45 p.m. on Saturday and noon–2:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.)
3Ten Churrobar
Mira Mesa's 3Ten Churrobar is also making waves. Open since early June at 8111 Mira Mesa Blvd., Suite B (between Target Driveway and Reagan Road), the spot to score desserts, coffee, tea, ice cream and frozen yogurt has seen a significant 131% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.2% for all businesses tagged "Desserts" on Yelp.
3Ten Churrobar specializes in ice cream-churro treats, including the Campfire, which consists of vanilla ice cream, chocolate drizzle, chocolate flakes, mini marshmallows, Graham cracker and toasted marshmallow with a churro of chocolate drizzle and Graham cracker.
3Ten Churrobar is open from noon–10 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday and noon–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Matcha Cafe Maiko
Kearny Mesa's Matcha Cafe Maiko is currently on the upswing in the coffee and tea category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp saw a median 3.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, this spot to score coffee, tea, ice cream, frozen yogurt and shaved ice increased its new reviews by a formidable 134.2% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Open for business at 8072 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. since July, the eatery specializes in a variety of matcha goodies, including ice cream, shaved ice, lattes and frappes.
The cafe is open from noon–10:30 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday and noon–11:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
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.
