As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which local businesses have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Los Angeles 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 closing the year out strong.
Ko Ryu Ramen
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Ko Ryu Ramen, the ramen spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Ramen" on Yelp saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, Ko Ryu Ramen bagged a dramatic 350% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight downward trend from a five-star rating a month ago to its current 4.5 stars.
Open at 362 W. Sixth St. since October 2019, Ko Ryu Ramen features Garlic Bomb Ramen, with deep fried garlic, fresh garlic, deep fried green onions, green onions and chashu pork, and Ko Ryu Spicy Ramen, with Japanese spicy miso, Korean hot pepper paste and American habanero pepper. View the menu here.
Ko Ryu Ramen is open from 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
Kalaveras
Kalaveras is also making waves. Open since October 2019 at 383 W. Fifth St., the bar and Mexican spot has seen a massive 208.3% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.1% for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp.
Kalaveras serves domestic and imported beer, margaritas, mezcal cocktails, tequila cocktails and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Kalaveras is open from 11 a.m.–midnight on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–2 a.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.–2 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–11 p.m. on Sunday.
Berkshire House
Melrose's Berkshire House is currently on the upswing in the cocktail bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, this sports bar and cocktail bar increased its new reviews by a massive 170% — and kept its rating consistent at five stars.
Open for business at 143 N. La Brea Ave. since October 2019, Berkshire House features specialty cocktails like Cherry Blossom, with sake, vodka, cherry juice, vanilla syrup, lemon juice and champagne, and Vermont's Finest, with whiskey, lemon, maple syrup, egg white and aromatic bitters.
Berkshire House is open from 5 p.m.–2 a.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m.–2 a.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m.–2 a.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.
