Want the scoop on San Diego's most happening local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which restaurants 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 cool right now.
Ma's House
Open since early September, this Chinese and halal spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw a median 1.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Ma's House saw a striking 225% increase, maintaining a sound 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 5537 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. in Clairemont Mesa East, Ma's House seafood offerings include shrimp with chow mein and salt-and-pepper scallops and sweet and sour sole.
Ma's House is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Friday-Sunday.
Zinqué
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Little Italy's Zinqué, the cocktail bar and French spot, 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 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, Zinqué bagged a massive 371.4% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.2 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 2101 Kettner Blvd. (between Hawthorn and Ivy streets) since mid August, Zinqué's aperitifs and cocktails include spicy margaritas, mimosas and Champagne.
Zinqué is open from 7 a.m.–midnight on Sunday-Thursday and 7 a.m.–2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Spoiled Vegans Cafe
East Village's Spoiled Vegans Cafe is also making waves. Open since early August at 440 16th St. (in Red Hat Coffee), the breakfast, brunch and vegan spot has seen a 68.8% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1% for all businesses tagged "Vegan" on Yelp.
Spoiled Vegans Cafe specializes in waffles with toppings, including strawberries, bacon, turkey and an assortment of veggies, as well as a waffle dog. Over the past month, it's maintained a sterling five-star rating among Yelpers.
Spoiled Vegans Cafe is open from 8 a.m.–2 p.m. on weekends. (Weekday hours are coming soon, according to its website.)
Pressed Juicery
Miramar Ranch North's Pressed Juicery is the city's buzziest ice cream and frozen yogurt spot by the numbers.
The spot to score juices, smoothies, ice cream and frozen yogurt opened at 10625 Scripps Poway Parkway, Suite A (between Spring Canyon Road and Ivy Hill Drive) in early September. It increased its new review count by a significant 166.7% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2% for the Yelp category "Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt."
Pressed Juicery offers cold-pressed juices in bottles and freezes in a cup. The latter treats come in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, as well as seasonal specials.
The juicery is open from 7 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
Mizukiyama Sushi
Finally, Carmel Valley's Mizukiyama Sushi is currently on the upswing in the Japanese category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Japanese" on Yelp saw a median 1% increase in new reviews over the past month, this sushi bar and Japanese spot, which offers seafood and more, increased its new reviews by 25.5% — with its Yelp rating improving from three stars to 3.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 160% on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 3705 Caminito Court, Suite 540, since early April, the eatery offers sushi and sashimi, as well as entrees such as beef, chicken or salmon teriyaki.
Mizukiyama Sushi is open from 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday and 11:30 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.
