As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right now?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which restaurants have been seeing especially high review volumes 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 extra cool, right now.
& Waffles
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Woodland Hills' & Waffles, the breakfast and brunch spot, which offers waffles and sandwiches, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, & Waffles appeared on Yelp relatively recently. Many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, but it has seen a surge of interest.
"At &Waffles you can now experience the world’s most delicious waffles. But that’s just the beginning. They put the same love into all of their other breakfast favorites so the only hard part is deciding what to order," according to its Yelp page.
Open at 21028 Ventura Blvd. since November 2019, & Waffles offers country fried steak and eggs, Cajun fried chicken and waffles, Nutella waffle and chorizo burrito. View the breakfast menu here.
& Waffles is open from 6 a.m.–3 p.m. daily.
Grub House
Studio City's Grub House is also making waves. Open since August 2019 at 4143 Lankershim Blvd., the New American spot, which offers pizza and burgers, has seen a notable 157.1% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.1% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Grub House's review count increased by more than 550%.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Los Angeles' New American category: The Stanton DTLA has seen a 118.2% increase in reviews.
Grub House serves up spicy braised pork banh mi; pepperoni, bacon and caramelized onion pizza; or fried padron peppers. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating improve from 4.5 stars to five stars.
Grub House is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. daily.
South LA Cafe
Exposition Park's South LA Cafe is currently on the upswing in the cafe category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Cafes" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, this cafe and cultural center, which offers coffee, tea and more, saw a surge in new reviews despite being relatively new to Yelp.
"We specialize in creating community through coffee, culture and connection. We exist to serve and honor the long-term residents [of] South Central LA," according to its page on Yelp.
Open for business at 3991 S. Western Ave., 12C since November 2019, South LA Cafe features double espresso, cold brew and matcha latte to drink and items like croissant and French toast to eat.
South LA Cafe is open from 7 a.m.–4 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m.–2 p.m. on weekends.
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.
