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What's Heating Up Philadelphia's Food Scene This Month

PHILADELPHIA (HOODLINE) -- Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right now?

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

To find out who made the list, we looked at Philadelphia 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 cool, right now.

Angelo's Pizzeria

Angelos
Photo: Neeraj J./Yelp

Open since early this year, this spot to score pizza and sandwiches is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Sandwiches" on Yelp.

Citywide, sandwich spots saw a median 1.4 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Angelo's Pizzeria saw a 70 percent increase, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating throughout.

Located at 736 S. Ninth St. in Bella Vista, Angelo's Pizzeria offers traditional and specialty sandwiches. The Crowbar is made with fried eggplant cutlets, sauteed spinach and sharp provolone. Angelo's also serves up specialty pizzas, like the Diavolo, made with Italian long hot peppers, red pepper flakes, hot sausage, homemade arrabbiata sauce and fresh garlic.

Loco Pez

Loco_Pez
Photo: Cat M./Yelp

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Cedar Park's Loco Pez, the bar and Mexican spot is a hot topic, according to Yelp review data.

While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Loco Pez bagged a 30.3 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.5 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.

There's more that's trending on Philadelphia's bar scene: Pizzeria Beddia has seen a 7.2 percent increase in reviews, and Giuseppe & Sons has seen a 14.4 percent bump.

Open at 4631 Baltimore Ave. since July 2018, Loco Pez offers classic starters, like chips and guacamole or salsa, queso fundido and nachos. Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, taco salads and more round out the menu. On the cocktail side, try the Coupe de Ville, made with tequila, blood orange purée, lime juice and a spicy cinnamon rim. Note that the restaurant has another location in Fishtown and is cash only.

Louie Louie

LouieLouie
Photo: Austin B./Yelp

University City's Louie Louie is also making waves. Open since July 2018 at 3611 Walnut St., the New American and modern European spot has seen a 14.4 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.4 percent for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Louie Louie's review count increased by more than 130 percent.

Over the past month, it's maintained a steady four-star rating among Yelpers.

There's more than one hot spot trending in Philadelphia's New American category: Friday Saturday Sunday has seen a 6.4 percent increase in reviews.

Louie Louie offers French-inspired cuisine in an upscale atmosphere. Start with the escargot, with wild mushrooms, pancetta, hazelnuts and garlic red wine sauce. "Plats du Jour" feature rabbit pappardelle on Tuesdays and bouillabaisse on Fridays. Regular dinner offerings include trout amandine, with haricots verts, roasted tomato and balsamic brown butter.

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