Want the inside word on Sacramento's most happening local spots?
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 analyze which local businesses have been in the spotlight this month.
To find out who made the list, we first 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. Then we analyzed foot traffic data from SafeGraph to validate the trends.
Read on to see which spots have the momentum heading into springtime.
Saigon Alley Kitchen + Bar
Open since December 2019, this bar and Vietnamese spot, which offers noodles and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month. Saigon Alley Kitchen + Bar only recently appeared on Yelp, but while many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, it has seen strong initial popularity.
It's not the only trending outlier in the bar category: Kodaiko Ramen & Bar has seen an 11.5% increase in reviews, and Zocalo has seen a 4.1% bump.
Located at 1801 L St., Suite 50 in Midtown, Saigon Alley Kitchen + Bar offers banh mi sandwiches, vegan vermicelli, pho and summer rolls, as well as a variety of cocktails.
Saigon Alley Kitchen + Bar is open from 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.–midnight on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.–2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Camden Spit & Larder
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Sacramento's Camden Spit & Larder, the brasserie and British 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% increase in new reviews over the past month, Camden Spit & Larder bagged a 6.7% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a convincing four-star rating.
Open at 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 100 since November 2018, Camden Spit & Larder offers prime rib sliders, salt and vinegar fries, wagyu burgers, chili chicken wings and more.
Camden Spit & Larder is open from 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
Woodlake Tavern
Old North Sacramento's Woodlake Tavern is also making waves. Open since 2017 at 1431 Del Paso Blvd., the popular breakfast and brunch and traditional American spot, which offers comfort food and more, has seen a 2.3% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.2% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, Woodlake Tavern saw visits more than double over the past month.
Woodlake Tavern offers brunch items like eggs Benedict, smoked brisket hash, biscuits and gravy, frittatas, mimosas and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Woodlake Tavern is open from 4 p.m.–9 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 4 p.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.–2 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.) According to SafeGraph, foot traffic is heaviest at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., and it attracts a quarter of its total visitors during those hours, 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.
