Wondering where San Antonio's in-the-know crowd is eating and drinking? 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 uncover which restaurants have been getting outsized attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at San Antonio 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 on a hot streak this autumn.
Sabor Cocinabar
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Sabor Cocinabar, the Mexican cafe that serves breakfast and brunch spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 3.2 percent over the past month, Sabor Cocinabar bagged a 12.9 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on San Antonio's breakfast and brunch scene: El Mirador has seen a 4.9 percent increase in reviews, and Duck Donuts and La Panadería have seen 9.9 and 9.3 percent increases, respectively.
Open since April 2017 at 5313 McCullough Ave., Sabor Cocinabar's morning offerings include huevos rancheros (two sunny side up eggs topped with ranchero sauce, refried beans and potatoes), the chilaquiles (lightly fried corn tortilla with refried beans, queso fresco, sour cream and red onion, plus your choice of salsa) and breakfast tacos. It also has pancake and waffle stacks. (See the menu here.)
The Lost Cajun
The Lost Cajun is also making waves. It's part of a growing chain and has several other locations in Texas. Open since March 2017 at 5602 W. Hausman Road, the popular Cajun/Creole and Southern spot has seen a 7.5 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.5 percent for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp.
On its menu, the Lost Cajun offers seafood options like the fried shrimp plate (large tail-on shrimp, golden fried and served with seasoned fries, coleslaw and hot garlic French bread), seafood gumbo and lobster bisque. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong four-star rating among Yelpers.
Maverick
Downtown's Maverick is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.
The Texas brasserie, which offers comfort food and more, opened at 710 S. St. Mary's St. in January. It increased its review count by 9 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 3.5 percent for the Yelp category "American (New)."
Maverick offers dishes like pan-seared lake trout, pork schnitzel and the Maverick Burger with bibb lettuce, grilled red onions, jack cheese, house aioli and fries. (See the full menu here.)
