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 discover which local businesses have been most discussed 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 on a hot streak, right now.
Kotija Jr. Taco Shop
Open since August, this Mexican spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.
Citywide, Mexican spots saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Kotija Jr. Taco Shop saw an imposing 177.8% increase, maintaining an outstanding 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 6695 Mira Mesa Blvd. in Sorrento Valley, Kotija Jr. Taco Shop offers a slew of burritos, tacos, tortas and bowls, as well as breakfast dishes like huevos rancheros and chilaquiles.
Kotija Jr. Taco Shop is open from 7 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
Malandrino
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Hillcrest's Malandrino, the Italian spot, which offers pizza and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, Malandrino bagged a 63% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating.
Open at 3650 Fifth Ave. since July, Malandrino offers a variety of wood-fired pizzas made with San Marzano tomato sauce, as well as housemade pasta and specialty dishes like eggplant parmesan and chicken piccata.
Malandrino is open from 4 p.m.–9 p.m. on Tuesday-Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Bali' Coffee+
East Village's Bali' coffee+ is also making waves. Open since April at 722 11th Ave. (between G and F streets), the breakfast and brunch spot, which offers coffee, tea and sandwiches, has seen a 44.4% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.3% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Bali' Coffee+'s review count increased by more than 240%.
Bali' Coffee+ offers espresso drinks, milk teas, wellness lattes and specialty drinks like ginger tonic, coffee soda and matcha mojitos. When it comes to food, the cafe serves a variety of grilled sandwiches as well as avocado toast, acai bowls and croissants with add-ons like butter, jam, cream cheese and Nutella.
Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating improve from 4.5 stars to five stars.
Bali' Coffee+ is open from 7 a.m.–7 p.m. daily.
Sign of the Whale
The Gaslamp's Sign of the Whale is the city's buzziest bar by the numbers.
The bar and New American spot, which opened at 672 Fifth Ave. in July, increased its new review count by 26.2% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1% for the Yelp category "Bars."
Sign of the Whale offers Californian cuisine with international influences. The menu features small bites like ahi poke tartare, Baja fish tacos and pulled pork Kettle chip nachos. The eatery also offers flatbreads, burgers and sandwiches.
Sign of the Whale is open from 11:30 a.m.–2 a.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m.–2 a.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m.–2 a.m. on Sunday.
Roma Mia
The Gaslamp's Roma Mia is currently on the upswing in the wine bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Wine Bars" on Yelp saw a median 0.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, this wine bar and Italian spot increased its new reviews by 22.1% — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 300% on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 825 Fourth Ave. (between East and F streets) since May, Roma Mia offers a menu that features dishes made with locally grown and seasonal ingredients. Look for asparagus risotto, chicken fettuccine and spaghetti carbonara.
Roma Mia is open from noon–3 p.m. and 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, noon–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and noon–10 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
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.
