Wondering where San Francisco'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 and SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to uncover which restaurants have been getting extra attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at San Francisco 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. Then we analyzed foot traffic data from SafeGraph to validate the trends.
Read on to see which spots are on a hot streak, right now.
Noosh
Open since January 2019, this popular Mediterranean spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mediterranean" on Yelp.
Citywide, Mediterranean spots saw a median 1.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Noosh saw a 5.5% increase, maintaining a solid four-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Noosh's review count increased by more than 180%. As for foot traffic, the number of visitors to Noosh more than tripled over the past month, according to SafeGraph data.
Located at 2001 Fillmore St. (at the corner of Pine Street) in the Western Addition, this elevated Mediterranean bar and restaurant serves up small plates like falafel, lamb meatballs and an assortment of classic spreads and dips. The menu also features pita sandwiches filled with chicken, fried calamari or hummus; Turkish flatbreads with sujuk sausage; and kebabs with pork, beef and lamb shoulder. This cashless spot also offers a full list of beer, wine and specialty cocktails, as well as private dining and catering services.
Noosh is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, it usually gets busy on Mondays and Sundays, and it attracts a quarter of its total visitors over those two days. If you’re planning your visit, you may want to try its slower periods on Tuesdays.
Great Gold
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about the Mission's Great Gold, the Italian spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp saw a median 0.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, Great Gold bagged a 15.9% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a solid four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.2 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open in the former Foxsister space at 3161 24th St. (between Shotwell Street and Van Ness Avenue) since last August, Great Gold offers guests "modern American Italian comfort food paired with incredible wines in a casual environment," according to its Yelp page. Stop by for classic pasta dishes like stuffed shells with house-made ricotta and butternut squash ravioli with sage brown butter sauce, or for spreads of antipasti, orders of chicken or eggplant parm, and traditional meatballs (there are vegan-friendly Impossible meatballs, too). Great Gold's selection of Californian and Italian wines are available by the glass and by the bottle, and the restaurant also offers a prix-fixe, family-style feast for $49 per person.
Great Gold is open from 5–10 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and 5–9 p.m. on Sunday.
Gioia Pizzeria
Hayes Valley's Gioia Pizzeria is also making waves. Open since June at 579 Hayes St. (between Octavia and Laguna streets), this New York-style pizzeria has seen a 13.5% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 0.6% for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Gioia Pizzeria's review count increased by more than 250%.
Gioia Pizzeria opened up shop in Berkeley back in 2004. In addition to Gioia's full run of classic and specialty thin-crust pies, this new outpost, Gioia's second, slings slices and subs, too. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Gioia Pizzeria is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
Bamboo Asia
The Financial District location of Bamboo Asia is the city's buzziest Asian fusion spot by the numbers.
Open at 311 California St. (at California and Battery) since last spring, this outpost of the Bay Area fast-casual mini-chain increased its new review count by 20% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.2% for the Yelp category "Asian Fusion." It outperformed the previous month by gaining twice as many reviews as expected based on past performance. As for foot traffic, Bamboo Asia saw visits almost double over the past month, according to SafeGraph data.
Bamboo Asia offers salads, sandwiches and bowls inspired by the cuisines of Japan, India and Vietnam. Check out the Tokyo Trouble bowl (teriyaki chicken, tempura shrimp, seaweed salad and avocado), the Tandoori Roti sandwich (with tandoori chicken and eggplant chips), the Sari Salad (topped with palak paneer and tamarind chutney) and the barbecue pork banh mi. This counter-service spot also boasts games like full-sized Connect Four and a foosball table.
Bamboo Asia is open from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m.–7 p.m. on Friday. (It's closed on weekends.) According to SafeGraph, foot traffic is heaviest at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and on Mondays and Tuesdays, so go on Wednesdays if you want to avoid the rush.
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.
