As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which local businesses have been getting a noteworthy increase in attention 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 on a hot streak this spring.
Taqueria Las Tortugas
Open since September 2018, this Mexican breakfast and brunch spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.
Citywide, Mexican spots saw a median 2.2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Taqueria Las Tortugas saw a 68.8 percent increase, maintaining a healthy 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 1416 Eldridge Parkway in Eldridge/West Oaks, Taqueria Las Tortugas offers traditional fare such as tortas, tacos, burritos, gorditas, nachos and more. (Here's the menu.)
Hughie's
The Heights's Hughie's is also making waves. Open since September 2017 at 4721 N. Main St., Suite A, the popular Vietnamese and Asian fusion spot has seen a 22.5 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 4.3 percent for all businesses tagged "Vietnamese" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Hughie's's review count increased by more than 900 percent.
Hughie's offers banh mi sandwiches and soup for lunch and burgers, rice platters, salads and specialty entrees for dinner. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating improve from four stars to 4.5 stars. (Here's the menu.)
Flying Biscuit Cafe
Memorial's Flying Biscuit Cafe is the city's buzziest Southern spot by the numbers.
The traditional American breakfast and brunch restaurant, which opened at 12389 Kingsride Lane in December 2018, increased its new review count by 25 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 3.3 percent for the Yelp category "Southern."
Flying Biscuit Cafe offers breakfast, lunch and dinner fare, including omelets, salads, sandwiches, scrambles and entrees like steak, pot roast, salmon, fried chicken and biscuit pot pies. (Here's the full menu.)
Ishin Udon
Open since December 2018, this Japanese eatery, which offers noodles and soup, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Japanese" on Yelp.
Citywide, businesses tagged "Japanese" saw a median 2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Ishin Udon saw a 14.2 percent increase, maintaining a superior four-star rating throughout.
Located at 9630 Clarewood Drive, Suite A15-B, in Sharpstown, Ishin Udon offers appetizers, udon, pasta and curry.
Twin Peaks
Is Memorial's Twin Peaks on your radar? According to Yelp review data, the sports bar and traditional American joint is getting plenty of attention.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp increased their media new review count by 2.6 percent over the past month, Twin Peaks nabbed a 10.2 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating.
Open since August 2017 and located at 11335 Katy Freeway, Twin Peaks offers burgers, sandwiches, tacos, wings and more. (Here's 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.
