A new study named Glendale’s Handroll and Poke by Gohan the highest-rated independent restaurant in the state of Arizona.
The team at OnDeck analyzed the Yelp reviews of over 88,000 independently-owned eateries across the country to find the top-rated independent restaurants in each state.
The popular Japanese restaurant in Glendale ranked No. 1 in Arizona, with an impressive average review score of 5 out of 5 across 53 reviews.
DEEPER DIVE: Read all the Ranking Arizona Top 10 lists here
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Americans love to eat out, with nearly two out of five consumers (38%) visiting restaurants monthly and one-third (31%) weekly. But today’s diners are looking to spend less money when eating out to cut costs and balance their budgets in a changing economy.
This puts the onus on restaurateurs to provide a more personalized service at prices that make sense to local clientele. But it also makes the power of the social review an important metric when deciding where to dine. Local, independent restaurants are ideally placed to take advantage of these conditions through the relationships they make and the food they prepare.
To find which indie eateries are doing the best job, business lender OnDeck ranked the highest-rated independent restaurants across the U.S. by their precise five-star Yelp ratings. OnDeck also spoke with some of the top-ranked indie restaurateurs in the study to get their insights and advice for new restaurant owners.
Key Findings
- Japanese restaurant Sonmari in Los Angeles is America’s highest-rated independent restaurant, with a perfect 5.0-star average from 60 Yelp reviews.
- The top indie restaurant in Texas is Austin’s Bread Boat, a Georgian bakery with an average rating of 4.96.
- New York City’s top indie eatery is the Farook Halal Food, which averages 4.95 stars.
- America’s favorite independent vegan place is Aina’s Vegan Banh Mi in San Jose, California, with an average Yelp rating of 4.95.
