Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right this minute?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which restaurants have been getting extra notice 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 are extra hot this autumn.
Ruins
Open since May, this bar and Mexican spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw review counts increase by a median of 2 percent over the past month, but Ruins saw a 17.5 percent increase, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 2653 Commerce St. in Deep Ellum, Ruins offers cocktails with a focus on agave and rum, plus beer. House cocktails include the Bocado Caliente with La Caravedo Pisco, pineapple, lime, avocado, chile agave and Tajin; and the Maria Sangrienta with tequila or mezcal, Bloody Mary mix and grasshoppers. It also serves up Mexican fare from its food menu.
Billy Can Can
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Near East's Billy Can Can, the steakhouse and cocktail bar, which offers seafood and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 2.5 percent over the past month, Billy Can Can bagged a 27.5 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Dallas's cocktail bar scene: Musume has seen a 16.9 percent increase in reviews, and IdleRye has seen a 6.3 percent bump.
Open at 2386 Victory Park Lane since June, Billy Can Can offers an extensive wine list, regional craft beers and a number of cocktails, such as Billy's Elixir (saloon whiskey, Madeira, beef bouillon, sandalwood and angostura bitters).
Sixty Vines
Oak Lawn's Sixty Vines is also making waves. Open since April at 500 Crescent Court, Suite 160, the wine bar and New American spot, which offers pizza and more, has seen a 43.4 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.6 percent for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp.
There's more than one hotspot trending in Dallas's New American category: Velvet Taco has seen a 48.4 percent increase in reviews, and Gung Ho has seen a 13.3 percent bump.
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.) Over the past month, it's maintained a convincing four-star rating among Yelpers.
#getfried fry cafe
Deep Ellum's #getfried fry cafe is the city's buzziest traditional American spot by the numbers.
The traditional American spot, which opened at 2656 Main St., Suite 130, in June, increased its review count by 27.6 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 2.5 percent for the Yelp category "American (Traditional)."
At #getfried fry cafe, 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.)
