Want the intel on San Diego's buzziest local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which local businesses have been in the spotlight 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 have the momentum heading into back-to-school season.
55 Thai Kitchen
Open since late July, this spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Thai" on Yelp.
Citywide, Thai spots saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but 55 Thai Kitchen saw a noteworthy 566.7% increase, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 1564 Garnet Ave. (between Haines and Ingraham streets) in Pacific Beach, this is the fourth 55 Thai Kitchen location. The house specialty is massaman chicken curry, and it also offers such noodle dishes as pad Thai and curry or stir fry plates.
55 Thai Kitchen is open from 4 p.m.–10 p.m. on Monday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Saturday and noon–10 p.m. on Sunday.
CAVA
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Carmel Valley's CAVA, the Mediterranean spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Mediterranean" on Yelp saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, CAVA bagged a staggering 414.3% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.6 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 3722 Paseo Place, Suite 1400 since July 25, the newest CAVA (one of the brand's 80-plus locations across 12 states) offers a "build it" menu of bases such as pita or grain bowls, followed by dips and spreads and anchored by a choice of proteins that includes braised lamb, falafel and grilled chicken.
CAVA is open from 10:45 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
North Italia
Carmel Valley's North Italia is the city's buzziest Italian spot by the numbers.
The Italian spot, which offers pizza and more and opened at 3715 Caminito Court, Suite 680 in early June, increased its new review count by 50.4% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.3% for the Yelp category "Italian."
North Italia's most popular offering include a chef's board that serves two or three and consists of prosciutto di parma, pecorino toscano, crescenza, grilled piquillo pepper, pesto zucchini and grilled bread, along with entrees such as chicken pesto and strozzapeti.
North Italia is open from 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–10:30 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.–10:30 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Luca Restaurant
Core-Columbia's Luca Restaurant is currently on the upswing in the New American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, this New American spot increased its new reviews by 50% — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 150% on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 500 W. Broadway (between 5th Avenue and India Street) in the Guild Hotel since early June, Luca Restaurant offers Chef Justin Vaiciunas’ takes on such items as the Smokey Bear burger and the Cali club sandwich. Seating options include patio dining.
Luca Restaurant is open from 7 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 7 a.m.–10 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.
