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 uncover which eateries have been seeing especially high review volumes 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.
Twisted Trompo
Open since September, this Mexican and breakfast spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw review counts increase by a median of 3.5 percent over the past month, but Twisted Trompo saw a 40.8 percent increase, with a slight upward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Merchant House has seen a 35.1 percent increase in reviews, and Mi Cocina and Bottled Blonde Dallas have seen 6.3 and 20.5 percent increases, respectively.
Located at 1211 Commerce St. in Main Street District, Twisted Trompo offers tacos made from slow-roasted meats with authentic Mexican marinades. They even have tequila on tap. Breakfast is served until 10 a.m. and includes various breakfast tacos, with meats like bacon, chorizo and ham. (See the full menu here.)
Nori Handroll Bar
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Northeast Dallas's Nori Handroll Bar, the sushi bar, which offers tapas and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 2.6 percent over the past month, Nori Handroll Bar bagged a 60.6 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a stellar five-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Dallas's bar scene: Gators has seen a 15 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 2814 Elm St. since September, Nori Handroll Bar offers a la carte handrolls, handroll sampler combos and izakaya-style entrees. The bar serves Japanese craft beers and also has a sake program.
Bar Louie
Lake Highlands's Bar Louie is also making waves. Open since 2014 at 8166 Park Lane, Suite C310, the popular bar and New American spot has seen a 17.2 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 3.3 percent for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 220 percent.
Bar Louie offers American comfort foods like chicken wings, burgers and sandwiches. The spot also serves a variety of bar bites and hand-crafted cocktails. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating improve from 2.5 stars to three stars.
Bombshells Restaurant & Bar
Northwest Dallas's Bombshells Restaurant & Bar is the city's buzziest traditional American spot by the numbers.
The popular sports bar and traditional American spot, which opened at 7501 N. Stemmons Freeway in 2013, increased its review count by 9.2 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 3.4 percent for the Yelp category "American (Traditional)." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.8 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Bombshells Restaurant & Bar offers menu items with names like the Pearl Harbor burger or B-17 wings that are in keeping with the military theme. The spot also has a large patio where patrons can enjoy happy hour daily. (See the full menu here.)
