Unsure where Honolulu's in-the-know crowd is 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 uncover which eateries have been getting outsized attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Honolulu 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 this autumn.
Sharetea
Open since April, this spot to score bubble tea and coffee and tea is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp.
Citywide, coffee and tea spots saw a median 2.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Sharetea saw a 27.5% increase, with a slight upward trend from a three-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today.
Located at 4618 Kilauea Ave., Suite 7 in Waialae-Kahala, Sharetea offers fruit tea, cream tea and milk tea, as well as ice-blended drinks, tea desserts and more.
Sharetea is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Poké Bar
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Waikiki's Poké Bar, the spot to score poke and seafood is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, Poké Bar bagged an 8.7% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 4.3 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Honolulu's seafood scene: FISH Honolulu has seen a 7.3% increase in reviews, and Zigu and Kamana Indian Cuisine have seen 6.5 and 6.4% increases, respectively.
Open at 226 Lewers St., Suite L106 since 2017, Poké Bar offers create-your-own poke bowls with ingredients like white rice, scallops, spicy tuna, pineapple, masago, avocado and more.
Poké Bar is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
Le Crepe Cafe
Manoa's Le Crepe Cafe is also making waves. Open since 2016 at 2752 Woodlawn Drive, the popular creperie, cafe and breakfast and brunch spot has seen a 7.6% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.9% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Le Crepe Cafe's review count increased by more than 550%.
Le Crepe Cafe offers sweet and savory crepes, alongside waffles, açaí bowls, smoothies, pasta and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a sound 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Le Crepe Cafe is open from 9 a.m.–8 p.m. on weekdays, 8:30 a.m.–8 p.m. on Saturday and 8:30 a.m.–7 p.m. on Sunday.
Tony Roma's
Waikiki's Tony Roma's is the city's buzziest traditional American spot by the numbers.
The well-established steakhouse and traditional American spot, which offers barbecue and more and opened at 1972 Kalakaua more than a decade ago, increased its new review count by 5.6% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.3% for the Yelp category "American (Traditional)."
It's not the only trending outlier in the traditional American category: IHOP has seen a 4.3% increase in reviews.
Tony Roma's offers signature steak dishes, which can be served with wild mushrooms or caramelized onions. It also offers a variety of seafood dishes, including fried shrimp, pineapple Mahi Mahi and grilled salmon.
Tony Roma's is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. daily.
Liko's Tap & Table
The well-established Liko's Tap & Table is currently on the upswing in the New American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, this bar and New American spot increased its new reviews by 8.6% — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars.
There's more abuzz in the world of Honolulu New American: Deck. has seen a 7.2% increase in reviews, and Basalt has seen a 6.6% bump.
Open for business at 377 Keahole St., Suite C2 since 2018, Liko's Tap & Table offers dishes like bacon mac and cheese and crab cakes in a waterfront setting. The eatery also serves up chicken nachos, fish tacos and a blackberry and goat cheese salad.
Liko's Tap & Table is open from 8 a.m.–midnight daily.
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.
