Wondering where Sacramento'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 uncover which eateries have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Sacramento 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.
Polanco Cantina
Open since October 2019, this bar and Mexican spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Polanco Cantina saw a 50.9% increase, maintaining a solid four-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the bar category: Tiger has seen a 6.7% increase in reviews.
Located at 414 K St., St 240 in downtown Sacramento, Polanco Cantina offers a variety of main dishes, including chile relleno, roasted mole chicken and pork carnitas. Tacos, soups and salads are also available, as well as desserts like leche flan, churros and sweet corn cake.
Polanco Cantina is open from 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Hoppy's Railyard Kitchen & Hopgarden
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Old Sacramento's Hoppy's Railyard Kitchen & Hopgarden, the brewpub and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, Hoppy's Railyard Kitchen & Hopgarden bagged an 8.5% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight downward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to its current three stars.
There's more that's trending on Sacramento's New American scene: Solomon's Delicatessen has seen a 7.4% increase in reviews.
Open at 1022 Second St. since November 2018, Hoppy's Railyard Kitchen & Hopgarden offers a slew of traditional American fare, serving up Italian subs, braised bison short rib and pan-seared salmon. Sweet treats include apple pie cheesecake, berry bread pudding and a chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla bean ice cream.
Hoppy's Railyard Kitchen & Hopgarden is open from 11 a.m.–midnight on Monday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.–1 a.m. on Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.–1 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–midnight on Sunday.
Aji Dori Restaurant
Southside Park's Aji Dori Restaurant is also making waves. Open since June 2019 at 1100 R St., the sushi bar and Japanese and breakfast and brunch spot has seen a 9.4% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.1% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Sacramento's breakfast and brunch category: Huckleberry's has seen a 6.8% increase in reviews.
Aji Dori Restaurant offers breakfast items like avocado toast and steak and eggs, as well as mimosas and iced matcha. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Aji Dori Restaurant is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Allora
East Sacramento's Allora is the city's buzziest seafood spot by the numbers.
The well-established wine bar and Italian spot, which offers seafood and more and opened at 5215 Folsom Blvd. in February 2018, increased its new review count by 6.3% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.3% for the Yelp category "Seafood." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.9 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Allora offers a menu of internationally inspired fare featuring housemade pasta, seasonal fish and meat dishes and small plates. Catering services are also available.
Allora is open from 5 p.m.–9 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
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.
