Steaks, brunch and more: What's trending on Houston's food scene?

Steaks, brunch and more: What's trending on Houston's food scene?Blue Onyx Bistro. | Photo: Katherine A./Yelp
Hoodline
Published on November 15, 2018

Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right now?

We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which local businesses have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.

To find out who made the list, we looked at Houston 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, and tracked businesses that consistently increase their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance.

Read on to see which spots are riding a trend, right now.


Superica

Photo: Ray L./Yelp

Open since September, this Mexican spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.

Citywide, Mexican spots saw review counts increase by a median of 3 percent over the past month, but Superica saw an 88.9 percent increase, maintaining a convincing four-star rating throughout.

It's not the only trending outlier in the Mexican category: Tamales Don Pepe has seen a 41 percent increase in reviews.

Located at 1801 N. Shepherd Drive in the Heights, Superica offers dishes like the Tampiquena (marinated wood-grilled skirt steak, two cheese enchiladas topped with a fried egg and Mexican rice), the Tacos de Camarones (crispy shrimp, cabbage slaw, morita chile mayo and diablo sauce) and the El Lopez (two cheese enchiladas, a crispy beef taco, guacamole salad, a puffy tostada con queso, rice and beans). (See the full menu here.) 

EggHaus Gourmet

Photo: EggHaus Gourmet/Yelp

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about the Heights's EggHaus Gourmet, the 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 2.4 percent over the past month, EggHaus Gourmet bagged a 56.9 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a superior four-star rating.

Open at 2042 E. T C Jester Blvd. since September, EggHaus Gourmet offers egg sandwiches, kolaches and breakfast tacos. Among these, you'll find options like the Butcher Kolache with ground chuck, German pilsner marinade, peppers and onions; the Hangover Sandwich with an egg, shredded chicken, lettuce, tomato, queso fresco, cilantro and avocado ranch; and the La Brea taco with an egg, potatoes, bell peppers, grilled onion, cilantro and queso fresco. (See the full menu here.)

Bosscat Kitchen & Libations

Photo: Bosscat Kitchen & Libations/Yelp

Afton Oak's Bosscat Kitchen & Libations is also making waves. Open since February 2017 at 4310 Westheimer Road, Suite 150, the popular whiskey bar and New American and Southern spot has seen a 38.8 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 4.1 percent for all businesses tagged "Southern" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 470 percent.

Bosscat Kitchen & Libations's menu offers dishes like the Shaved Pork Chop Sandwich (dry-rubbed, slow-roasted pork loin and belly with cabbage and slaw on a potato bun) and the Sugar Barrel Steak (chef's cut with sweet potato mash, stout and caramelized onion gravy). It also offers a wide collection of whiskeys. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating tick up from four stars to 4.5 stars.

Blue Onyx Bistro

Photo: Trinh V./Yelp

Afton Oak's Blue Onyx Bistro is currently on the upswing in the steakhouse category on Yelp.

While businesses categorized as "Steakhouses" on Yelp increased review counts by a median of 2.7 percent over the past month, this steakhouse and sushi bar, which offers seafood and more, increased its by 34.3 percent—and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 260 percent on a month-to-month basis.

Open for business at 4720 Richmond Ave. since March, the business offers dishes like the Angus ribeye steak with peppercorn cognac sauce, mashed potatoes, broccoli and squash; the roasted prime rib with Caribbean rub, mashed potatoes, broccoli and squash; and the roasted rack of lamb with a chili marinade in a veal-ginger demi-glace, served with truffle aioli sauce and mashed potatoes. (See the menu here.)