Want the intel on Los Angeles' 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 uncover which local businesses have been getting a significant uptick in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we first 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. Then we analyzed foot traffic data from SafeGraph to validate the trends.
Read on to see which spots have the momentum heading into springtime.
Poseidon Hot Chicken
Open since January, this New American spot, which offers sandwiches, salads and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month. Poseidon Hot Chicken 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 New American category: Grub House has seen a 38.3% increase in reviews, and The Stanton DTLA and Abernethy's have seen 32.5 and 28.6% increases, respectively.
Located at 9310 Reseda Blvd. in Northridge, Poseidon Hot Chicken specializes in Nashville-style hot chicken meals, including tenders on toast and in sliders or chopped up in the eatery's signature potato salad.
Poseidon Hot Chicken is open from noon–midnight daily.
Patxi's Pizza
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Los Angeles' Patxi's Pizza, a franchise of the famous chain, the spot to score pizza, soups and piadina sandwiches is a hot topic, according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Sandwiches" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, Patxi's Pizza bagged a 53.8% increase in new reviews within that time frame, and maintained its three-star rating.
Open at 1011 S. Figueroa St., Suite B115, since last December, Patxi's Pizza offers more than just thin crust, pan, deep dish and dessert pizzas. Chicken wings, salads, sausage rolls and meatballs are also on the menu.
Patxi's Pizza is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The Hermosillo
Highland Park's The Hermosillo is also making waves. Open since at 5125 York Blvd. since 2008, the popular wine bar, brewery and gastropub has seen a 1.1% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 0.7% for all businesses tagged "Gastropubs" on Yelp. As for foot traffic, The Hermosillo saw visits more than triple over the past month, according to SafeGraph data.
What does this business focus on? "The Hermosillo specializes in craft beers and boutique wines. Plenty of space to have your party here. Secluded booths great for a first date." — that's courtesy of its page on Yelp.
The Hermosillo offers a small, internationally-inspired menu of starters, snacks and entrees, such as pork belly tacos, Indian coconut curry, crab cake slider and cheese/charcuterie boards. Over the past month, it's maintained a convincing four-star rating among Yelpers.
The Hermosillo is open from 5 p.m.–2 a.m. on Monday-Wednesday and noon–2 a.m. on Thursday-Sunday. According to SafeGraph, it usually gets busy at 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., and on Fridays and Wednesdays, with a slowdown on Mondays.
Pilot
Downtown Los Angeles' Pilot is the city's buzziest bar by the numbers.
The Mediterranean restaurant and bar, which opened at 1060 S. Broadway last November, increased its new review count by 41.9% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.3% for the Yelp category "Bars."
It's not the only trending outlier in the bar category: Pig 'n Whistle has seen a 0.4% increase in reviews.
Pilot's food menu features fresh seafood, pastas and entrees, such as braised lamb neck and roasted chicken. Happy Hour runs daily from 3–6 p.m., and you can check out the beer, wine and cocktail menu here.
Pilot is open from 1–11 p.m. on Monday- Thursday and Sunday and 1 p.m.–2 a.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.
