Trend alert: What's heating up San Diego's food scene this month

Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today?

We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which local businesses have been most discussed this month.

To find out who made the list, we looked at San Diego 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 increase their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance.

Read on to see which spots have the momentum heading into summer.

Caffe San Luca

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Hillcrest's Caffe San Luca, the Italian spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.

While businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp saw a median 1.6 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Caffe San Luca bagged a 28.9 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a terrific five-star rating.

Open at 690 University Ave. (between 7th Ave and Sixth Avenue) since March, Caffe San Luca offers panini sandwiches, handmade pasta dishes, charcuterie boards and more.

Isshido Ramen

Mira Mesa's Isshido Ramen is also making waves. Open since February at 8250 A Mira Mesa Blvd., the spot to score ramen and tapas has seen a 39.8 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.1 percent for all businesses tagged "Ramen" on Yelp.

Isshido Ramen offers ramen with pork belly in a tonkotsu soup, as well as rice bento boxes with pork, chicken, steak, tofu and more. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.

Breakfast Republic

Pacific Beach's Breakfast Republic is currently on the upswing in the breakfast and brunch category on Yelp.

While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.7 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this breakfast and brunch spot increased its by 9.8 percent—and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 250 percent on a month-to-month basis.

Open for business at 4465 Mission Blvd. (between Garnet Avenue and Hornblend Street) since 2015, the business offers shrimp and grits, a jalapeño, bacon and cheddar omelet and cinnamon roll pancakes.

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.