Want the intel on Las Vegas' most talked-about local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which local businesses have been most discussed 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 extra hot this summer.
Chikyū Vegan Sushi Bar & Izakaya
Open since May, this Japanese spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Sushi Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, sushi bars saw a median 1% increase in new reviews over the past month. Chikyū Vegan Sushi Bar & Izakaya 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 sushi bar category: Hayashi Japanese Cuisine has seen a 22% increase in reviews.
Located at 1740 E. Serene Ave., Suite 130, in Paradise, Chikyū Vegan Sushi Bar & Izakaya offers a completely vegan, and mostly gluten-free, menu that features classic Japanese dishes and sushi rolls made of fruits, vegetables, mushroom and flowers. (Check out the full menu here.)
Chikyū Vegan Sushi Bar & Izakaya is open from 4–9 p.m. on Tuesday-Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Smoked Burgers & BBQ
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Paradise's Smoked Burgers & BBQ, the spot to score burgers and barbecue is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Barbeque" on Yelp saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, Smoked Burgers & BBQ appeared on Yelp relatively recently. Many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, but it has seen a surge of interest.
There's more that's trending on Las Vegas' barbecue scene: Big B's Texas BBQ has seen a 13% increase in reviews, and Cool Bar has seen a 12% bump.
Open at 3315 E. Russell Road, Suite A5, since April, Smoked Burgers & BBQ specializes in half-pound hamburgers, St. Louis-style ribs and barbecue meat platters. You'll also find chicken wings, street tacos and sliders on the menu. Family-style meal deals are also available.
Smoked Burgers & BBQ is open from noon–7 p.m. on Monday-Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
Crumbl Cookies
Spring Valley's Crumbl Cookies is also making waves. Open since May at 6255 S. Durango Drive, Suite 101, the bakery, which offers desserts, ice cream and more, is relatively new to Yelp, but has seen a surge of new reviews, as all businesses tagged "Bakeries" on Yelp saw an increase of 1.8% for new reviews in the past month.
"Crumbl Cookies are famous for their gourmet cookies that are baked from scratch and served fresh all day," states the bakery's Yelp profile. "Their award-winning warm chocolate chip and chilled sugar cookies are served each week along with four rotating specialty cookies."
Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating tick down from 4.5 stars to four stars.
Crumbl Cookies is open from 8 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m.–midnight on Friday and Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
NeNe Japanese Contemporary Bistro
Spring Valley's NeNe Japanese Contemporary Bistro is the city's buzziest Japanese spot by the numbers.
The upscale, family-owned Japanese spot, which opened at 4165 S. Grand Canyon Drive, Suite 100, in February, is still relatively new to Yelp, but has seen a surge of new reviews. Meanwhile, the median new review count for the Yelp category "Japanese" was up 1.1% over the past month.
In addition to sushi rolls and platters, NeNe Japanese Contemporary Bistro's menu features entrees like black cod miso risotto, scallops udon pasta, yuzo miso pork chops and an onzen beef bowl. Lunch specials are served daily from 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
NeNe Japanese Contemporary Bistro is open from 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and 4–10 p.m. on Sunday.
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.