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 local businesses have been seeing especially high review volumes 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 getting plenty of attention, right now.
Blanco Tacos & Tequila
Open since December, 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 3.4 percent over the past month, but Blanco Tacos & Tequila saw a remarkable 133.3 percent increase, maintaining a convincing four-star rating throughout.
Located at 5115 Westheimer Road, Suite C2520, in Greater Uptown, this is the first Texas location for this Arizona-based franchise. It offers Mexican favorites like tacos, fajitas, enchilada and burritos. Try the cheese crisps as an appetizer, and then move on to the pork chile verde, served with charred onion, roasted pasilla, tomatillo, cilantro and cotija. (See the entire menu here.)
House of Blues Restaurant & Bar
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Houston's House of Blues Restaurant & Bar, the New American spot, which offers burgers and barbecue, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp increased their review count by a median of 2.4 percent over the past month, House of Blues Restaurant & Bar bagged a 25 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.7 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Houston's New American scene: BCK Kitchen & Cocktail Adventures has seen a 13.3 percent increase in reviews.
Open at 1204 Caroline St. since 2017, House of Blues Restaurant & Bar offers Southern staples like pulled pork, baby back ribs and shrimp, as well as salads, sandwiches and burgers. On the menu, look for gator bites with Nashville hot sauce and ranch, and the shrimp and grits sauteed in chipotle cream sauce with chives on a crispy cotija cheese grit cake. (Here's the rest of the menu.)
Meccha Matcha
Sharpstown's Meccha Matcha is also making waves. Open since December at 9889 Bellaire Blvd., Suite D-220, the spot to score coffee and tea, desserts and juice and smoothies has seen a 69.2 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 3.4 percent for all businesses tagged "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp.
There's more than one hotspot trending in Houston's coffee and tea category: Teapresso Bar has seen a 10.9 percent increase in reviews. Over the past month, it's maintained a convincing four-star rating among Yelpers.
Meccha Matcha is a new franchise with two other locations in California and Texas. The spot offers matcha lattes, tea, ice cream, shaved ice and smoothies. (Take a look at the menu here.)
Krab Queenz
Briarforest's Krab Queenz is the city's buzziest seafood spot by the numbers.
The drive-thru bar and Cajun/Creole spot, which offers seafood and more and opened at 10852 Westheimer Road in November, increased its review count by 29.5 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 3.5 percent for the Yelp category "Seafood."
Krab Queenz offers shrimp, snow crabs, crawfish and more. On the menu, look for the seafood platter, which includes hand-battered Louisiana fried catfish and gulf shrimp served on a bed of fries with toasted garlic bread. (Check out the full menu here.)
Banh Appetit
Westchase's Banh Appetit is currently on the upswing in the sandwich category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Sandwiches" on Yelp increased review counts by a median of 2.7 percent over the past month, this Vietnamese spot, which offers sandwiches and more, increased its by 24.4 percent—with its Yelp rating improving from four stars to 4.5 stars.
Open for business at 11191 Westheimer Road since October, the business offers croissant sandwiches and tea. On the menu, check out the Amazing BBQ Pork, with Vietnamese barbecue pork, caramelized brandy, pickled daikon/carrot, cucumber, jalapeño, pate, Vietnamese mayo and a croissant. Complement it with a drink like the Strawberry Matcha Latte. (Here's the full menu.)
