Want the scoop on San Diego's buzziest local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which local businesses have been getting extra attention 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 this autumn.
Semola
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Little Italy's Semola, the pasta shop and Italian spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp saw a median 1.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, Semola bagged a notable 250% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a terrific five-star rating.
There's more that's trending on San Diego's Italian scene: RoVino The Foodery has seen a 27.7% increase in reviews.
Open at 550 W. Date St., Suite B (between India and Columbia streets) since the end of September, Semola specializes in build-your-own pasta dishes in a variety of noodle configurations, sauces and cheese or oil finishes.
Semola is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Empanada Kitchen
North Park's Empanada Kitchen is also making waves. Open since Sept. 23 at 2855 El Cajon Blvd., Suite 3 (between Kansas and Utah streets), the Argentine breakfast and brunch spot has seen a substantial 118.2% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.4% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Empanada Kitchen's specialty comes in 10 styles, including beef, chicken, corn with basil, lamb, mushroom and veggie. Over the past month, it's maintained an excellent five-star rating among Yelpers.
Empanada Kitchen is open from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. on Monday-Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
Bay Hill Tavern
Bay Park's Bay Hill Tavern is the city's buzziest traditional American spot by the numbers.
The traditional American spot and cocktail bar opened at 3010 Clairemont Drive (between Iroquois Avenue and Burgener Boulevard) in mid September. It increased its new review count by 77.8% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.2% for the Yelp category "American (Traditional)."
Bay Hill Tavern's menu includes salads, pizzas, burgers and other sandwiches.
The spot is open from 11 a.m.–1:30 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.–1:30 a.m. on weekends.
Pure Project - Balboa Park
Park West's Pure Project - Balboa Park is currently on the upswing in the beer bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Beer Bar" on Yelp saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, this beer bar and garden increased its new reviews by 38.2% — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars.
Open for business at 2865 Fifth Ave. since early August, Pure Project - Balboa Park's draft-beer offerings include its Rain, Sunset Crush, DDH Moonlight Summit, Raspberry Magic and Hazelsauraus labels.
Pure Project - Balboa Park is open from 3 p.m.–9 p.m. on Monday, noon–9 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, noon–10 p.m. on Thursday-Saturday and noon–8 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.
