Curious where Long Beach's in-the-know crowd is 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 deduce which eateries have been getting outsized notice this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Long Beach 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.
Ola Mexican Kitchen
Open since mid December, this Mexican spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.
Citywide, such spots saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Ola Mexican Kitchen saw a 61.4% increase, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Mexican category: Joliza's Tacos has seen a 20.3% increase in reviews, and Plancha Latin Kitchen has seen a 23.8% bump.
Located at 6420 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 230, in Long Beach, Ola Mexican Kitchen says its dishes "fuse authentic Mexican comfort food with elevated, south of the border influences," including such dishes as ribeye enchiladas, seafood stew and Baja fish burritos.
Mexican Kitchen is open from 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday.
Waters Edge Winery of Long Beach
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Long Beach's Waters Edge Winery of Long Beach, the wine tasting room 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, Waters Edge Winery of Long Beach bagged a 14.1% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating.
Interested in more about this business? We found this in its Yelp history section: "Located in downtown Long Beach on historic Pine Avenue. Globally sourced, locally crafted wines. Enjoy the Edge experience! Good food, good wine, perfect service every time."
If you're curious about specialties, "Long Beach's First Winery! Crafting over 50 different wines from all over the world in historic downtown Long Beach. Our culinary delights are definitely something to talk about with our wines." — that's also from its Yelp page.
There's more that's trending on Long Beach's New American scene: Rose Park Roasters has seen a 12.5% increase in reviews, and The Carvery and Portuguese Bend Distillery have seen 7 and 6.5% increases, respectively.
Open at 217 Pine Ave. since early November, Waters Edge Winery of Long Beach is open from 1–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 1–11 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.–8 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Vibes Beach Cafe
Long Beach's Vibes Beach Cafe is also making waves. Open since January 2019 at 76½ 62nd Place, the cafe and breakfast/brunch spot, which also offers beer, wine and spirits and more, has seen an 8.5% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.5% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Vibes Beach Cafe's review count increased by more than 140%.
Curious about the business owner? Here's more on that from the eatery's Yelp profile: "Cindy and Makenzie are the mother-daughter duo of Vibes Beach Cafe! We are excited to serve the community and open our doors to guest, neighbors, friends and family!"
What does the business specialize in? "Vibes Cafe is a neighborhood focused, fast-casual cafe on the Long Beach Peninsula. It's been an important aspect for us that our food matches the vibrancy of our guests, which is why our menu is Coastal-Californian inspired. We chose to have a specific focus toward locally harvested ingredients, paired with specialty roasted coffee, and many other artisanal food and beverage varieties. Being only strides away from the Southern California coastline, sandy feet will always be welcomed." — that's also courtesy of its Yelp page.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Long Beach's breakfast and brunch category: Panini Kabob Grill has seen a 7.9% increase in reviews, and Waffle Love - Long Beach and Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles have seen 4.3 and 0.4% increases, respectively.
Over the past month, the cafe has maintained a healthy 4.5-star rating among Yelpers. It's open daily from 7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
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.
