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

Want the scoop on Miami's most talked-about local spots?

We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which eateries have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.

To find out who made the list, we looked at Miami 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 getting plenty of attention, right now.

Enya Asian Bistro

Open since December, this Asian fusion spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Asian Fusion" on Yelp.

Citywide, Asian fusion spots saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month. Enya Asian Bistro 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 Asian fusion category: Ichimi MIA has seen an 86.4% increase in reviews, and Sovereign has seen a 35.7% bump.

Located at 2774 S.W. 27th Ave. in Coral Way, Enya Asian Bistro offers ramen dishes, sushi and sashimi combos, maki rolls and desserts like honey rice sticky cake, ice cream tempura and fruit annin tofu. (View the menu here.)

Enya Asian Bistro is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Morgan's

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Morgan's, the New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.

While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, Morgan's appeared on Yelp relatively recently. Many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, but it has seen a surge of interest.

Open at 405 N.W. 26th St. since fall 2019, Morgan's menu features almond caramelized wings, crusted pork chop and carrot quinoa falafel. The eatery also offers cocktails like the watermelon-mash bourbon and the cucumber margarita, as well as desserts like banana pudding.

Nave

South-West Coconut Grove's Nave is also making waves. Open since November 2019 at 3540 Main Highway, the cocktail bar, which offers pizza, seafood and more, is relatively new to Yelp, but has seen a surge of new reviews, while all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp saw an increase of 1.6% for new reviews in the past month. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Nave's review count increased by more than 220%.

There's more than one hot spot trending in Miami's seafood category: Hutong has seen a 105.6% increase in reviews, and Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen has seen a 50% bump.

Nave's offerings include clam and truffle pizza, Milanese snapper, risotto with Maine lobster and scallops a la plancha. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating tick down from five stars to 4.5 stars.

Chica

Chica is the city's buzziest cocktail bar by the numbers.

The cocktail bar and Latin American spot, which opened at 5556 N.E. Fourth Court since November, is still relatively new to Yelp but has seen a surge of new reviews. Meanwhile, the median new review count for the Yelp category "Cocktail Bars" was up 2.9% over the past month.

It's not the only trending outlier in the cocktail bar category: La Victoria has seen a 4% increase in reviews, and Wynwood Diner has seen a 1% bump.

Chef Lorena Garcia's Chica offers three different ceviches, grilled octopus, pork belly tacos and a roasted poblano tamale. Popular entrees include the Venezuelan braised short ribs and lamb barbacoa cooked in banana and avocado leaves. 

Chica is open from 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–1 a.m. on Friday, 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m. and 5 p.m.–1 a.m. on Saturday and 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m. and 5 p.m.–11 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)

Syndicate Kava Bar & Tap Room

The Syndicate Kava Bar & Tap Room is currently on the upswing in the bar category on Yelp.

While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 2.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, this bar and venues and event space, which offers coffee and tea and more, increased its new reviews by 57.1% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 400% on a month-to-month basis.

There's more abuzz in the world of Miami bars: Astra has seen a 19.4% increase in reviews, and The Deck at Island Gardens and Playmates Club have seen 3.3 and 11.1% increases, respectively.

Open for business at 219 N.W. 20th St., Suite 103 since 2018, Syndicate Kava Bar & Tap Room offers small plates, burgers and fries. The drink menu features options like the Arnold Calmer and Mama's Mule, which are blended with kratom teas.

Syndicate Kava Bar & Tap Room is open 24 hours a day.

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.