Want the intel on Los Angeles's buzziest 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 eateries have been in the spotlight 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 are sizzling hot, right now.
Game Over Pizza
Open since January 2020, this bar and arcade, which offers pizza and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month. Game Over Pizza only recently appeared on Yelp, but while many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, it has seen strong initial popularity.
Located at 7065 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, Game Over Pizza offers beer, natural wine and pizza in an arcade bar setting.
Game Over Pizza is open from noon–11 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday and noon–3 a.m. on Thursday-Saturday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Marcelino's Italian Kitchen
Sherman Oaks' Marcelino's Italian Kitchen is also making waves. Open since October 2013 at 12910 Magnolia Blvd., Suite G, the popular Italian spot, which offers pizza and sandwiches, has seen a 1.6% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.6% for all businesses tagged "Pizza" on Yelp. According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, Marcelino's Italian Kitchen saw visits more than triple over the past month.
Marcelino's Italian Kitchen serves New York-style thin crust pizza, Chicago thick crust pizza, and wheat crust and gluten-free pizza. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Marcelino's Italian Kitchen is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 8 p.m., 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., and people visit Marcelino's Italian Kitchen most on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with a slowdown on Fridays.
Tom's Watch Bar
Downtown Los Angeles' Tom's Watch Bar is the city's buzziest sports bar by the numbers.
The sports bar and New American spot, which has been open at 1011 S. Figueroa St., Suite B 101 since December 2019, increased its new review count by 92.9% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.3% for the Yelp category "Sports Bars."
"You haven't seen a game until you've seen one at Tom's," reads its page on Yelp. "Our 360° wall-to-wall state-of-the-art screens is better than a front row seat at the game. Pair the game with inventive cocktails, endless beer options, plus a chef-inspired menu with unexpected hospitality and you'll discover Tom's is the only place to watch the game."
Tom's Watch Bar features cocktails, beers on draft and wine, as well as food offerings such as crispy dill pickles, deep dish nachos and chicken wings. Check out the menus here.
Tom's Watch Bar is open from 11 a.m.–midnight daily.
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.
