Want the dirt on Austin's most talked-about local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which restaurants have been seeing especially high review volumes this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Austin 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 this spring.
Miyako Yakitori & Sushi
Open since November, this sushi bar and Japanese spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Sushi Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, sushi bars saw a median 3 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Miyako Yakitori & Sushi saw a 57.7 percent increase, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Miyako Yakitori & Sushi's review count increased by more than 170 percent.
Located at 8701 W. Parmer Lane, Suite 2128, Miyako Yakitori & Sushi offers sushi (special, baked, tempura, house rolls and nigiri and sashimi), yakitori (skewers with chicken, beef, pork seafood and vegetables), ramen, donburi (rice bowls), curry and chicken, salmon and beef entrees. Click here to view the full menu.
Anthem
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Austin's Anthem, the beer bar, cocktail bar and traditional American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 2.5 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Anthem bagged a 14.7 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a sound 4.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.4 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 91 Rainey St., Suite 120, since September, Anthem's Hawaiian-themed menu includes an Aloha burger (bacon, gruyere cheese and grilled pineapple), a curry vegan hot dog on a pretzel bun and the coastal fish and fries (redfish fried in a tempura beer batter with cilantro and Cajun panko served with furikake fries). To view the menu, click here.
Bao'd Up
RMMA's Bao'd Up is also making waves. Open since July 25, 2017 at 1911 Aldrich St., Suite A1, the popular Asian fusion and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers bubble tea and more, has seen a 7.5 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.4 percent for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Bao'd Up's review count increased by more than 200 percent.
There's more than one hotspot trending in Austin's breakfast and brunch category: Il Brutto has seen a 7.1 percent increase in reviews.
On Bao'd Up's menu, look for items such as barbecue pork and vegetable bao, pork belly guabao, picked vegetable salad and apple curry or sesame noodle bowls. There are also breakfast options. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid four-star rating among Yelpers.
Austin Taco Project
Downtown Austin's Austin Taco Project is the city's buzziest bar by the numbers.
The well-established bar, which offers tapas, tacos and more and opened at 500 E. Fourth St. in 2017, increased its new review count by 3.4 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.1 percent for the Yelp category "Bars." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 6.0 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Austin Taco Project features fusion tacos inspired by Latin and North American, European, Asian and African flavors. Try the Eisben (caramelized pork shank and sauerkraut) from Europe and the Umami Tofu (mushroom mix, fennel salad, candied ginger and portobello shell) from Asia. View all of the choices here.
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.
