Curious where the in-the-know crowd is eating and drinking in Dallas? It's easy to spot lines out the door, but some underlying trends are harder to see.
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which eateries have been on the tips of diners' tongues 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 riding a trend this autumn.
Sixty Vines
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Oak Lawn's Sixty Vines, the wine bar and New American spot, which offers pizza and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 2.7 percent over the past month, Sixty Vines bagged a 49.1 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a sound four-star rating.
There's more that's trending on the city's New American scene: Smithy has seen a 22.8 percent increase in reviews, and Backyard and Velvet Taco have seen 17.5 and 9.9 percent increases, respectively.
Open since April at 500 Crescent Court, Suite 160, Sixty Vines offers menu options like the fettuccine with butternut squash, sunny duck egg and cracklins; fig and prosciutto pizza with white sauce, mozzarella, local honey, arugula and sesame seeds; and the bone-in pork chop with sage brown butter and butter-roasted tri-color carrots. (See the full menu here.)
Local Traveler
Local Traveler is also making waves. Open since June at 7522 E. Grand Ave., the traditional American spot has seen a 30.6 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.4 percent for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
In June, CultureMap Dallas called Local Traveler a "cool new restaurant that has piqued the interest of its East Dallas neighborhood" and said it is both bicycle-friendly and chef-driven.
Local Traveler offers dishes like the Santa Barbara rockfish with dandelion greens; the Laughing Bird shrimp and pappardelle with Parmesan, escarole, herb butter and Perigord truffle; and the smoked Idaho trout spread. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid four-star rating among Yelpers.
There's more than one hot spot trending in the traditional American category: Angel Chicken Kitchen has seen a 12.5 percent increase in reviews, and 3 Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails and The Mockingbird Diner have seen 12.3 and 11 percent increases, respectively.
Meso Maya
In Northeast Dallas, Meso Maya is currently on the upswing in the Mexican category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp increased review counts by a median of 2.8 percent over the past month, this restaurant increased its count by 10 percent — and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Open since August at 4123 Abrams Road, the business offers authentic dishes from inner Mexico, including Cochinita Pibil (Yucatan-style braised pork with orange, achiote sauce, white rice, black beans, pickled red onions and habanero salsa), the Pollo con Mole (bone-in chicken breast, crema Mexicana, queso fresco and Oaxacan mole rojo) and the Pozole Verde (Mexico City-style green tomatillo chicken soup with hominy, cilantro, poblano peppers, queso fresco and lime juice). (See the dinner menu here.)
MidiCi
Open since April, this cocktail bar and Italian spot, which offers pizza and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Pizza" on Yelp.
Citywide, pizzerias saw review counts increase by a median of 3.6 percent over the past month, but MidiCi saw a 15.9 percent increase, maintaining a convincing four-star rating throughout.
Located at 3699 McKinney Ave., Suite 106B, in Oak Lawn, MidiCi offers Neapolitan-style pizzas, including the Devil's (tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy sausage, Italian salami and red chilis), the Truffle & Prosciutto (truffle cream, mozzarella, mushrooms, prosciutto and baby arugula) and the Meats (tomato sauce, mozzarella, Angus beef meatballs, pepperoni and rosemary ham). (See the full menu here.)
