Want the dirt on Dallas's most talked-about local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which restaurants 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 on a hot streak, right now.
RM 12:20 Bistro
Open since August, this bar and French spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw new reviews increase by a median of 2.4 percent over the past month, but RM 12:20 Bistro saw an 85.7 percent increase, with a slight downward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the bar category: Monica's Mex-Tex Cantina has seen a 78.6 percent increase in reviews, and Delucca Gaucho Pizza & Wine and Bison Bar & Grill have seen 71.4 and 34.5 percent increases, respectively.
Located at 9850 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 305, in Northeast Dallas, RM 12:20 Bistro offers brunch, lunch and dinner. Menu standouts for dinner include Scallops Gratinee (garlic confit, wine, herbs and gruyere), braised short ribs and spinach gnocchi with stilton. Try the fried eggs on bacon grits or the croissant french toast, with seasonal berries and orange syrup, for brunch on the weekend. (Click here to view the full menu.)
Snooze, an A.M. Eatery
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Oak Lawn's Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, 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 2.8 percent over the past month, Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, bagged a substantial 212.5 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, with a slight downward trend from a five-star rating a month ago to its current 4.5 stars.
There's more that's trending on Dallas's breakfast and brunch scene: Kozy Kitchen has seen a 62.5 percent increase in reviews, and Twisted Trompo has seen a 21.8 percent increase.
Open at 3211 Oak Lawn Ave., Suite A, since January, Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, has a menu that includes Juan's Breakfast Tacos, which comes with three flour tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, shredded hash browns, jack cheese, green chile hollandaise and pico de gallo, or the Sandwich I Am, a soft pretzel roll filled with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and a sausage patty, served with a side of smoked cheddar hollandaise & house hash browns.
Izkina
Northeast Dallas's Izkina is also making waves. Open since July at 2801 Elm St., the cocktail bar and tapas bar has seen a 50 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 4.8 percent for all businesses tagged "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis review counts increased by more than 220 percent.
Izkina offers Spanish-influenced cocktails and tapas. Try the albondigas tapas, which comes with meatballs, sofrito and herbs; pescaditos, which contains fried anchovies, spicy aioli and lemon; as well as a variety of quesos. House cocktails include the First Rodeo (bourbon, tequila, agave, lemon and blackberry) and the Rebujito (sherry and lemon soda). (Click here to view the menu.)
Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy four-star rating among Yelpers.
Civil Pour
Lake Highlands's Civil Pour is the city's buzziest sandwich spot by the numbers.
The beer bar, which offers coffee and tea, sandwiches and more and opened at 8061 Walnut Hill Lane in September, increased its review count by 23.3 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median review increase of 3.4 percent for the Yelp category "Sandwiches." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.7 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
It's not the only trending outlier in the sandwich category: Ferris Wheelers Backyard & BBQ has seen a 7.7 percent increase in reviews.
Civil Pour offers up to 25 craft beers on tap and 11 additional ones in cans, a host of coffee and espresso drinks and panini sandwiches and locally-made baked pastries and desserts. (Click here to check out all of the menu options.)
Mesero
Near East's Mesero is currently on the upswing in the Mexican category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp increased review counts by a median of 3 percent over the past month, this Mexican and Tex-Mex spot increased its by 27.8 percent—and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 140 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 2375 Victory Park Lane, Suite 180, since October, the business offers lunch and dinner and then brunch on the weekend. It serves burgers, soup, salad, enchiladas, tacos and main courses like the Filet A La Mesero, with mushrooms, red bell pepper, bacon, onions, poblano, queso chihuahua, arroz rojo and beans, or the Puerco Pasilla with slow-cooked pork in a sauce of pasilla chile and arroz blanco. (Click here to view the menu.)
This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
