Wondering where Las Vegas' in-the-know crowd is eating and drinking? It's easy to hear about popular spots, but some underlying trends are harder to see.
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which restaurants have been getting extra notice this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Las Vegas 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 worth exploring, right now.
Ramen Noodle
Open since 2017, Ramen Noodle, which also offers sushi, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Sushi Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, sushi bars saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Ramen Noodle saw a 19.7% increase, with a slight upward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Ramen Noodle's review count increased by more than 480%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the sushi bar category: Sushi Neko has seen a 3.6% increase in reviews.
Located at 3350 Novat St., Suite 135, the restaurant features a variety of sushi rolls, including house specialties such as spicy tuna and shrimp tempura. It also offers deep-fried rolls, nigiri, sashimi rice bowls and a variety of ramen noodles.
Ramen Noodle is open from noon-8 p.m. daily.
Big B's Texas BBQ
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Big B's Texas BBQ, the spot to score barbecue, salads and sandwiches is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Barbecue" on Yelp saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, Big B's Texas BBQ bagged a 22.1% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a healthy 4.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.2 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 6115 S. Fort Apache Road, Suite 110, since August 2019, Big B's Texas BBQ features beef brisket, and notes on its website that most of the meats it serves are are seasoned with the house dry rub and slow-smoked using mesquite and oak. Chicken, hot links, tri tip and pulled pork can be found on the menu.
Big B's Texas BBQ is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily.
Kapuna Cafe
Kapuna Cafe is also making waves. Open since 2018 at 3231 N. Decatur Blvd., Suite 122, the popular Hawaiian, breakfast and brunch and Asian fusion spot has seen a 6% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 0.6% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Kapuna Cafe's review count increased by more than 700%.
What's the business known for? "Our specialities are our mochi pancakes with coconut syrup. ... We also have our Kapuna signature drink that is perfect for any day," the business's Yelp page says.
Kapuna Cafe's menu offers eggs and Spam, baked manapua, meat jun, pork hash and chicken curry stew. Over the past month, it's maintained a sound 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Kapuna Cafe is open from 9 a.m.–7 p.m. 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.
