Pizza and more: What's trending on Los Angeles' food scene?

Pizza and more: What's trending on Los Angeles' food scene?Photo: Pizza Sociale/Yelp
Hoodline
Published on December 02, 2019

Want the scoop on Los Angeles' buzziest local spots?

We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which eateries have been getting outsized notice 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 riding a trend, right now.

Conference Room

Photo: Lisa W./Yelp

Open since October 2019, this gastropub and New American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Gastropubs" on Yelp.

Citywide, gastropubs saw a median 0.6% increase in new reviews over the past month. Conference Room only recently appeared on Yelp, but while many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, it has seen strong initial popularity.

Located at 12181 Bluff Creek Drive in Playa Vista, Conference Room offers lamb meatballs, mussels and veal and pork ragu pasta. View the menu here.

Conference Room is open from 9 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekdays, 5 p.m.–11 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday.

Pizza Sociale

Photo: Pizza Sociale/Yelp

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Los Angeles' Pizza Sociale, the pizza spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.

While businesses categorized as "Pizza" on Yelp saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, Pizza Sociale appeared on Yelp relatively recently. Many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, but it has seen a surge of interest.

Open at 448 W. Olympic Blvd. since October 2019, Pizza Sociale's menu features mozzarella, basil and tomato pizza and ricotta, fig, tomato, basil and honey pizza. Here's the full menu.

Pizza Sociale is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Thursday-Saturday.

Black Star Burger

Photo: Black Star Burger/Yelp

Melrose's Black Star Burger is the city's buzziest burger spot by the numbers.

The burger spot, which has been open at 351 N. Fairfax Ave. since September 2019, increased its new review count by an imposing 114.7% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.6% for the Yelp category "Burgers." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 4.3 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.

Black Star Burger serves up signature burgers, including The Classic with bacon and aged cheddar, and The Hawaiian with bacon, mozzarella and a grilled pineapple ring.

Black Star Burger is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.

Relentless Brewing & Spirits

Photo: Relentless Brewing & Spirits/Yelp

Eagle Rock's Relentless Brewing & Spirits is currently on the upswing in the New American category on Yelp.

While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, this brew pub, cocktail bar and New American spot increased its new reviews by 47.6% — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 250% on a month-to-month basis.

"Relentless Brewing + Spirits is a passionate, family owned distillery, bar and restaurant," states the business' Yelp page. "The Eagle Rock location specializes in craft cocktails, locally sourced beers and obsession-worthy food."

Open for business at 2133 Colorado Blvd. since June 2019, Relentless Brewing & Spirits offers pad thai brussels sprouts, Nashville hot chicken sandwich and poutine with smokey bacon beef and beer gravy. See what else is on the menu.

Relentless Brewing & Spirits is open from noon–midnight on Wednesday and Thursday, noon–2 a.m. on Friday, 11 a.m.–2 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–11 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday and Tuesday.)


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.