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 deduce which local businesses have been seeing especially high review volumes 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 extra hot this autumn.
Spoiled Vegans Cafe
Open since early August, this pop-up shop, breakfast/brunch and vegan spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Spoiled Vegans Cafe saw an impressive 400% increase, maintaining a stellar five-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Morning Glory has seen a 24.5% increase in reviews.
Located at 440 16th St., within the Red Hat Coffee (between Island Avenue and J Street) in East Village, Spoiled Vegans Cafe's brunch menu is centered on omelettes and stacked waffle dishes.
Spoiled Vegans Cafe is open from 8 a.m.–2 p.m. on weekends. (It's closed on weekdays.)
Side Bar Nightclub & Lounge
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about the Gaslamp's Side Bar Nightclub & Lounge, the cocktail bar, which offers tapas and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, Side Bar Nightclub & Lounge bagged a 39% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 5.3 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 536 Market St. (between 6th Ave and Fifth Avenue) since last September, Side Bar Nightclub & Lounge offers small bites (sliders, pizzas and more) and craft cocktails such as the ahi poke martini.
Side Bar Nightclub & Lounge is open from 6 p.m.–2 a.m. on Wednesday-Saturday and 9 p.m.–2 a.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday and Tuesday.)
Cruisers Gourmet Subs
The La Jolla's Cruisers Gourmet Subs is also making waves. Open since late May, at 637 Pearl St. (between Cuvier Street and Draper Avenue), the sandwich spot has seen a 32.3% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.6% for all businesses tagged "Sandwiches" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Cruisers Gourmet Subs's review count increased by more than 330%.
Sandwiches at the shop include club, Cuban, ranch and more, as well as tuna, bacon and avocado toasties. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Cruisers Gourmet Subs is open from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and Sunday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m.–7 p.m. on Saturday.
There's more than one hot spot trending in San Diego's sandwich category: Gaya Gaya SD has seen a 23.3% increase in reviews.
Il Dandy
Park West's Il Dandy is the city's buzziest Italian spot by the numbers.
The Italian and modern European spot, which opened at 2550 Fifth Ave., Suite 120, in mid May, increased its new review count by 21.5% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.3% for the Yelp category "Italian."
The casual modern dishes at Il Dandy include risotto, fusilli, gnoche and spaghetti, as well as sea bass, chicken and filet entrees.
Il Dandy is open from 4–9 p.m. on Monday and Sunday, 4–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday; and 4–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Euphoria XIX Grill
Point Loma Heights's Euphoria XIX Grill is on the upswing in the salad category on Yelp.
While businesses whose offerings include greens on Yelp saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, this spot to score burgers, salads and sandwiches increased its new reviews by 23.9% — and kept its rating consistent at five stars. Review counts increased by more than 140% on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 3944 W. Point Loma Blvd., Suite A-B (between Sports Arena Boulevard and Groton Street), since mid March, Euphoria XIX Grill's salads include Greek, gyro and Caesar.
Euphoria XIX Grill is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday and Sunday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday and 11 a.m.–midnight 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.
