Six Orange County restaurants are among 27 Southern California eateries on Yelp’s “Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S.,” according to rankings released Tuesday by the highly influential consumer review site.

The number of restaurants in Orange County is nearly the same as last year; however, there are no repeats from 2016 as Yelp changed the methodology for ranking restaurants, yet again. Unlike last year, the site gave more weight to high-ranking reviews posted in the last year. As a result, a larger number of “hidden gems” and “up and coming” venues made the 2017 list, Yelp said.

RELATED: The Top 75 Best Places to Eat in Orange County

Yelp said half of the restaurant’s on the list opened in the past 2 years, with 14 having opened in 2016. Many are also fast casual restaurants.

“Many places in our (2017) list have just hundreds of reviews, but they were nearly all 5 star reviews over the course of the past year,” Yelp said.

A year ago, the 2016 rankings were based on performance since the founding of Yelp in 2004, which represented another change in how the rankings were produced. With this year’s new methodology, mainstay restaurants with consistently steady 4.5 star reviews over several years were squeezed out. For example, Cream Pan, a popular Tustin bakery that made the list the last two years, was not ranked this time.

In Orange County, the highest ranked restaurant was a taco truck in Santa Ana known for its dirt-cheap street tacos. The uber-exclusive Playground 2.0 was the only well-known local fine dining venue that made the list.

The No. 1 ranked restaurant in the country is Tony’s Italian Delicatessen, a sandwich shop from Montgomery, Texas. TKB Bakery & Deli in Indio, ranked No. 5, was the only Southern California restaurant to crack the Top 10. Two restaurants from Gardena, Yo-Way and The Shawarma Factory, were the next-highest ranked SoCal restaurants.

Here are the Orange County restaurants that made Yelp’s Top 100:

Tacos Manuel (No. 20)

Long lines often snake from this Santa Ana-based food truck, known for its $1 to $2 street tacos. The truck launched in 2015.

“The Taco Gods have answered my prayers,” a Yelper wrote after a weekend visit. “I just moved to OC from LA 5 months ago and the taco hunt has finally come to an end! This place is just so delicious! Authentic street tacos for $1?!!! Sounded too good to be true but it’s not- Tacos Manuel is the real deal.”

The truck can be found at 17th & Mabury (near the El Pollo Loco). Normal hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. “until we sell out.” However, the truck’s Instagram page said it would not be open until Wednesday of this week. Website: tacosmanuel.com/

United Rose Deli & Pho (No. 43)

Specializing in pho, egg rolls and Vietnamese and Danish cuisines, this restaurant in Orange has a fascinating back story. It is operated by Thuy Linh Holland, who was raised by a Danish family who lived on a farm in Minnesota. She spent decades as a dental hygienist before pursuing her passion for cooking.

Address: 816 E Lincoln Ave., Orange.

Saigon Beach (No. 69)

There’s not much information on this Vietnamese restaurant, which has no website. It’s Facebook page describes the restaurant in one sentence: “We serve you what we eat! Pho Me, Pho You.”

Fortunately, The Register’s restaurant critic Brad A. Johnson has been to this Balboa Peninsula eatery, where he says the best thing on the menu is the banh mi.

“The place is no bigger than a shoebox, and there’s nowhere to sit other than on a few stools at a couple of narrow counters against the wall,” Johnson said in a September review. “Everything is served in takeout containers, whether you’re eating in or out. Most customers grab their food to go and head to the beach. The banh mi is very, very good. Nothing fancy, just a classic sandwich slathered with mayonnaise and stuffed with thinly sliced grilled pork, shredded carrots, jicama, cucumbers and jalapeño. It is easily the best thing on the menu and the primary reason to come here.”

Address: 2233 W. Balboa Blvd., Newport Beach.

Mr. Kebap (No. 77)

Turkish food is all the rage here. Beyond that, this Fountain Valley place appears to be flying under the radar as its webpage (listed on Yelp) is broken. Recent posts on its Facebook page list daily specials of Turkish Beans, Meat Mash Potato Pie and Eggplant with Meat.

Address: 16937 Bushard St., Fountain Valley

Juice Joint Deli (No. 92)

This San Juan Capistrano eatery sells fresh juices, smoothies and sandwiches. You can also build your own smoothie with bases that include milk, coconut milk, apples, oranges, or ice cream. “Our vegetables are always hand-picked. The bread comes from a very well-respected local business called Solomon’s Bakery. Our meat and cheeses are sourced through Boars Head,” the restaurant state’s on its website.

“I stopped going to Nekter and started coming here. I live in Mission Viejo and it’s worth every bit of traffic to get there,” one Yelp reviewer said.

Address: 32141 Alipaz St., Ste E, San Juan Capistrano

Playground 2.0 (No. 94)

Don’t confuse this restaurant with the flagship Playground in Santa Ana as 2.0 is a much more exclusive and expensive dining experience offered by Chef-owner Jason Quinn. The 17-seat restaurant, next door to Playground, offers a variety of innovative tasting menus throughout the month. Often, the coursed, reservation-only dinner is prepared by a guest chef. Some evenings are invitation only. A Jan. 26 dinner features Mexican specialties inspired by Pujol, one of Mexico’s best restaurants. Mark Gutierrez, 2.0’s chef de cuisine, spent a month working at Pujol last year. The dinner will offer dishes that represent the techniques and ideas he learned after working under super star chef Enrique Olvera. The event is $175 per person (includes pairings, tax and tip).

Address: 220 E 4th St., Santa Ana.

Here are the other Southern California restaurants that made the 2017 Yelp list:

No. 5: TKB Bakery & Deli – Indio

No. 13: Yo-Way – Gardena

No. 14: The Shawarma Factory – Gardena

No. 15: Corner Grille – Panorama City

No. 26: Rodini Park – Los Angeles

No 33: Locomotive Cafe – Canoga Park

No. 40: Taqueria Mi Ranchito – Sylmar

No. 42: King Mediterrano – Torrance

No. 47: Daddy O’s Rockin Cafe – Upland

No. 50: Tasty Food To Go – Long Beach

No. 61: Sultan Bakery and Grill – Murrieta

No. 63: Appu’s Cafe – Long Beach

No. 65: Crazy Hot Wings – Tujunga

No. 66: Tizon Bistro – El Monte

No. 70: Super Subs – Banning

No. 71: Balam Mexican Kitchen – Lynwood

No. 75: Carnitas El Rey – Oxnard

No. 76: Kobee Factory – Van Nuys

No. 78: Shabu Shabu Zen and Sake Bar – Rancho Mirage

No. 80: Dizin Persian Cuisine – Los Angeles

No. 88: NoHo Cafe – Los Angeles

Contact the writer: nluna@ocregister.com