As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending at this very moment?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which restaurants have been seeing especially high review volumes this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Dallas 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.
Read on to see which spots are getting plenty of attention this autumn.
#getfried fry cafe
Open since June, #getfried fry cafe is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp. Located at 2656 Main St., Suite 130, in Deep Ellum, the eatery offers French-Canadian-style fry baskets. It has several other locations, including outposts in Austin and Egypt.
Citywide, traditional American spots saw review counts increase by a median of 2.7 percent over the past month, but the fry cafe saw a 77.4 percent increase, maintaining a convincing four-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the traditional American category: 3 Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails has seen a 13 percent increase in reviews, and The Mockingbird Diner has seen a 10.2 percent bump.
At the local #getfried, you choose your fry (hand cut, seasoned waffle, sweet potato, coated straight cut, curly or funnel), then add one of 14 sauces, including Dijon horseradish, chipotle mayo and cinnamon. It also has specialty topped fry baskets, like the Southern Comfort with pulled pork and barbecue sauce, and the Truffle Love with truffle oil, Parmesan and cilantro. (See the full menu here.)
Ruins
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Deep Ellum's Ruins, the bar and Mexican spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "bars" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 2.3 percent over the past month, Ruins bagged a 32.6 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on the city's bar scene: Red Claws Crab Shack has seen a 21.2 percent increase in reviews, and Roux Bistro and Mesero - Prestonwood have seen 10.3 and 5.4 percent increases, respectively.
Open since May at 2653 Commerce St., Ruins offers cocktails with a focus on agave and rum, plus beer. House cocktails include the Bocado Caliente (La Caravedo Pisco, pineapple, lime, avocado, chile agave and Tajin) and the Maria Sangrienta (tequila or mezcal, Bloody Mary mix and grasshoppers). It also serves up Mexican fare from its food menu.
BurgerFi
M Streets' BurgerFi is also making waves after debuting in June at 5456 E. Mockingbird Lane. Serving up burgers and hot dogs, it has seen a 33.3 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.4 percent for all businesses tagged "burgers" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in the burger category: Sky Rocket Burger has seen an 8.3 percent increase in reviews.
BurgerFi offers burgers like the CEO (double wagyu/brisket blend burger, candied bacon tomato jam, truffle aioli and aged Swiss cheese) and the Breakfast All Day Burger (Angus beef, American cheese, bacon, maple syrup, fried egg, hash brown, grilled onions and ketchup). (See all of its burgers here.) Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating rise from 3.5 stars to four stars.
Smithy
Another M Streets spot, Smithy is the city's buzziest New American restaurant by the numbers. The menu features global flavors, craft brews and cocktails. It comes from the team behind bar and eatery The Woolworth, reports D Magazine.
The modern eatery, which opened its doors in April at 2927 N. Henderson Ave., increased its review count by 25.3 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 2.5 percent for the Yelp category "American (New)."
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: Backyard has seen a 18 percent increase in reviews, and Twin Peaks has seen a 7.5 percent bump.
Smithy offers fare like the Hobo Dinner (fresh catch, fingerling potatoes, haricot vert, wild mushrooms, heirloom tomato, lemon, herb and chive burre blanc) and Luke's Hot Chicken (peri peri spice, local honey, gin pickles, white barbecue sauce, whipped potatoes and Nana's corn). (See the menu here.)
