Want the intel on San Diego's most talked-about local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which eateries have been on the tips of diners' tongues 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.
Soda & Swine UCSD
Open since mid-September, this traditional American, breakfast/brunch and beer bar is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
Citywide, such spots saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Soda & Swine UCSD saw a staggering 333.3% increase, maintaining a superior four-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the traditional American category: Bay Hill Tavern has seen a 200% increase in reviews.
One of three locations bearing the Soda & Swine brand, this latest one at 105 Eucalyptus Grove Lane in Torrey Pines specializes in a variety of sliders stuffed with either beef, chicken, chorizo pork or quinoa. Dessert offerings include doughnuts and "hard core soft serve."
Soda & Swine UCSD is open from 9 a.m.–9 p.m. daily.
Belgian Beer & Waffle
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about North Park's Belgian Beer & Waffle, the beer bar, which also offers waffles, ice cream and frozen yogurt and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Beer Bar" on Yelp saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, Belgian Beer & Waffle bagged a substantial 225% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight upward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to its current 4.5 stars.
There's more that's trending on San Diego's beer bar scene: Pure Project Balboa Park has seen a 56.8% increase in reviews.
Open at 2899 University Ave. (between Kansas and 29th streets) since mid September, the spot's Belgian beer offerings include lagers, pale ales, IPAs and more.
Belgian Beer & Waffle is open from 8 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday-Wednesday and 8 a.m.–11 p.m. on Thursday-Saturday.
55 Thai Kitchen
Pacific Beach's 55 Thai Kitchen is the city's buzziest Thai spot by the numbers.
The spot, which opened at 1564 Garnet Ave. (between Haines and Ingraham streets) in early August, increased its new review count by 25.9% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1% for the Yelp category "Thai."
55 Thai Kitchen's entrees include such noodle dishes as pad Thai, as well as a variety of plates with yellow or green curry and either chicken or beef.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and noon–10 p.m. on 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.
