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 discover which restaurants have been getting a significant increase in attention 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 closing the summer out strong.
Bird Box
Open since June 2019, this traditional American spot, which offers chicken wings, comfort food and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
Citywide, traditional American spots saw a median 2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Bird Box saw a considerable 215% increase, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Bird Box's review count increased by more than 370%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the traditional American category: Denim The Eatery has seen an 87.9% increase in reviews.
Located at 12460 Oxnard St. in Valley Glen, Bird Box offers chicken sandwiches, boneless chicken wings and chicken tenders, with choice of sauces like spicy barbecue, lemon pepper and mango habanero. View the menu here.
Bird Box is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Saturday.
Fishbone Seafood
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Fishbone Seafood, the Southern spot, which offers seafood, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 2.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, Fishbone Seafood bagged a 37.1% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a healthy four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 13 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 8522 S. Western Ave., Suite B since August 2018, Fishbone Seafood offers grilled shrimp salad, catfish po'boy sandwich and choice of fish by the pound, from Cajun catfish filet to red snapper to filet of sole.
Fishbone Seafood is open from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. on Monday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Tuesday-Saturday.
Grandi Italiani
Canoga Park's Grandi Italiani is also making waves. Open since June 2019 at 21730 Sherman Way, the Italian spot, which offers pizza and more, has seen a 74.5% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.7% for all businesses tagged "Italian" on Yelp.
Grandi Italiani offers eggplant rollatini, spaghetti and ravioli combo, chicken parmigiana and meat tortellini. Check out the full menu. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Grandi Italiani is open from 11:30 a.m.–8 p.m. daily.
Strikezon
Koreatown's Strikezon is currently on the upswing in the sports bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Sports Bars" on Yelp saw a median 2.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, this sports bar increased its new reviews by 43.2% — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 950% on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 3377 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 205-208 since Jan. 2019, Strikezon offers loaded nachos, bulgogi cheesesteak, popcorn chicken, fried calamari and whole rotisserie chicken.
Strikezon is open from 1 p.m.–2 a.m. on Monday-Wednesday and 11 a.m.–2 a.m. on Thursday-Sunday.
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.
