Wondering where Dallas's insiders are eating and drinking? It's easy to spot lines out the door, but some underlying trends are harder to see.
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which eateries have been most discussed 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 worth exploring, right now.
Slater's 50/50
Open since October, this sports bar and traditional American spot, which offers burgers and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
Citywide, traditional American spots saw a median 3.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Slater's 50/50 saw a 52.6 percent increase, with a slight upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to four stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Slater's 50/50's review count increased by more than 500 percent.
It's not the only trending outlier in the traditional American category: Bison Bar & Grill has seen a 40.7 percent increase in reviews, and #getfried fry cafe and Brickhouse Burgers and Shakes have seen 12.5 and 10.7 percent increases, respectively.
Located at 11661 Preston Road, Suite 153, in North Dallas, Slater's 50/50 got its name from its 50/50 burger patty: half ground bacon, half ground beef.
Signature burgers include the Lone Star Smoke with cheddar cheese, crispy onion rings, pickles, barbecue sauce and garlic aioli on a brioche bun; and the P.B. & Jellousy topped with peanut butter and strawberry jelly on a honey wheat bun. Don't forget the fries and milkshakes to pair with the burger.
Delucca Gaucho Pizza & Wine
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Near East's Delucca Gaucho Pizza & Wine, the bar and Brazilian spot, which offers pizza and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 2.7 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Delucca Gaucho Pizza & Wine bagged a 53.5 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.5 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 1628 Oak Lawn Ave., Suite 100, since October Delucca Gaucho Pizza & Wine offers everything on the menu, including an array of pizzas, for a fixed price, much like a Brazilian steakhouse.
Twisted Trompo
Main Street District's Twisted Trompo is also making waves. Open since September, at 1211 Commerce St., the Mexican and breakfast and brunch spot has seen a 22.5 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.9 percent for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Twisted Trompo's review count increased by more than 290 percent.
There's more than one hotspot trending in Dallas's breakfast and brunch category: Edith's French Cafe has seen a 4.6 percent increase in reviews, and Snooze, an A.M. Eatery has seen a 15.5 percent bump.
Twisted Trompo offers tacos, burritos and quesadillas with trompo meat, barbacoa, carnitas and lengua. There are also torta sandwiches, elotes (Mexican street corn) and more. (Click here to view the menu.)
Over the past month, it's maintained a superior 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Billy Can Can
Near East's Billy Can Can is the city's buzziest steakhouse by the numbers.
The steakhouse and cocktail bar, which offers seafood and more and opened at 2386 Victory Park Lane in June, increased its new review count by 11.6 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.6 percent for the Yelp category "Steakhouses."
Billy Can Can has a menu that includes swordfish steak, winter squash ravioli, the long-bone pork chop and butcher's steak frites. The drink menu features local craft brews, signature cocktails and an impressive wine list.
Paul Martin's American Grill
Oak Lawn's well-established Paul Martin's American Grill is currently on the upswing in the seafood category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this steakhouse and New American spot, which offers seafood and more, increased its by 4.4 percent—and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 380 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 3848 Oak Lawn Ave., Suite 210, since 2014, the business serves burgers, sandwiches and entree salads, as well as house specialties, which include cedar plank steelhead salmon crusted with caramelized onions and bacon, spinach and mushrooms; pork ribs with a side fries and house slaw; and a blackened ribeye with a side of mashed potatoes. (Click here to view the full 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.
