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 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, 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 this winter. Hint: brunch clubs are in vogue for a reason.
Snooze, An A.M. Eatery
Open since September, the Lake Highlands outlet of the breakfast and brunch chain is trending compared to other spots in the breakfast business on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch places saw review counts increase by a median of 3.5 percent over the past month, but Snooze, an A.M. Eatery saw a 54.3 percent increase, maintaining a superior four-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Twisted Trompo has seen a 38.8 percent increase in reviews, and Bottled Blonde Dallas and Smithy have seen 20.6 and 19.2 percent increases, respectively.
Located at 8041 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 846 in Lake Highlands, Snooze offers entrées such as the Snooze Classic which has farm-fresh cage free eggs, a choice of ham, bacon, sausage, chorizo, pulled pork, chicken sausage or soyrizo and it includes hash browns and a choice of toast.
Or try the B.E.A.T sandwich, made of belly bacon, a fried cage free egg, organic arugula and sliced tomato served with bacon-tomato aioli on a toasted ciabatta roll.
Namo
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Oak Lawn's Namo, the sushi and cocktail bar 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 4.7 percent over the past month, Namo bagged a 31.2 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a superior four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.5 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 3699 McKinney Ave., Suite 300 since August of this year, Namo specializes in hand rolls and sashimi. Sample the eight pieces of the albacore roll, the tuna sashimi or four pieces of lobster split cut roll. For a refreshing accompaniment, try the draft Tyku sake or some nitro-infused tea.
Sixty Vines
Oak Lawn's Sixty Vines is also making waves. Open since April at 500 Crescent Court, Suite 160, the New American restaurant and wine bar has seen a 42.9 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 3.7 percent for all businesses tagged as New American on Yelp.
Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating improve from four stars to a stellar 4.5 stars. But there's more than one hotspot trending in Dallas's New American category: Merchant House has seen a 35.1 percent increase in reviews, and Bar Louie has seen a 18.8 percent bump.
Sixty Vines offers diners small plates of crispy zucchini dusted with tapioca, peppadew and shishito peppers, cilantro and sweet chili vinaigrette; pizza with spicy house-ground sausage, pickled Fresno peppers, fennel and basil; or shareable polenta cakes with tomato cream, pecorino Romano and arugula.
Doc B's Fresh Kitchen
Open since June, this traditional American restaurant and bar is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Traditional American" on Yelp, especially for its well-liked brunch, which most of the influx of new reviewers mentioned.
Citywide, businesses serving traditional American fare saw review counts increase by a median of 3.4 percent over the past month, but Doc B's Fresh Kitchen saw a 21.1 percent increase, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating throughout. It gained 2.5 times more reviews than expected based on past performance, significantly outperforming the previous month.
There's more than one place trending in Dallas's traditional American category: Bombshells Restaurant & Bar has seen a 9.7 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 2021 McKinney Ave. in Oak Lawn, Doc B's Fresh Kitchen offers dishes like the Mama B’s Chicken Parm with marinara and thin-sliced mozzarella with sautéed broccoli; Leo’s Lobster roll with stone mustard slaw and roasted peanuts; and shredded brussels sprouts salad with marcona almonds, kale, parmigiano Reggiano and a basil vinaigrette.
Toasted Coffee + Kitchen
Is Northeast Dallas's popular Toasted Coffee + Kitchen on your radar? According to Yelp review data, the two-year-old all-day café and bar is seeing plenty of action.
While businesses categorized as bars on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 2.4 percent over the past month, the coffee and cocktail combo joint nabbed an 11.6 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a healthy four-star rating.
Located at 5420 Ross Ave., Suite 180, Toasted offers breakfast and lunch items that include pancakes served with whipped honey butter and maple syrup; a roast beef sandwich with caramelized onions and four kinds of cheese; and a salmon-topped toast with mango habanero cream cheese.
