Unsure where Austin'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 deduce which eateries have been in the spotlight 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 have the momentum heading into summer.
True Food Kitchen
Open since March 2016, this New American, vegan and vegetarian spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but True Food Kitchen saw a 50 percent increase, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to four stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis True Food Kitchen's review count increased by more than 150 percent.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: Hideaway Kitchen & Bar has seen a 9.5 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 11410 Century Oaks Terrace, Suite 100, in North Burnett, True Food Kitchen offers salads, pizzas, bowls of grains, sandwiches and entrees.
Garrison
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Austin's Garrison, the steakhouse and New American spot, which offers seafood and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Garrison bagged a 17.5 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.3 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 101 Red River St. since early 2018, Garrison offers meats (pork chops, steak and chicken) cooked over an open flame and wafting smoke, as well as seafood (octopus and dungeness crab) and fish (cod and branzino). Check out the menu here.
Austin Java
West Gate's Austin Java is also making waves. Open since December at 5404 Manchaca Road, the traditional American spot, which offers coffee, tea and more, has seen a 26.8 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.6 percent for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Austin Java's review count increased by more than 220 percent.
Austin Java offers breakfast items like omelettes, pancakes, lox and bagels and chicken and waffles, as well as tacos, pasta and burgers. Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy four-star rating among Yelpers.
The Connection Pizza & Bar
Zilker's The Connection Pizza & Bar is the city's buzziest cocktail bar by the numbers.
The cocktail bar, which offers pizza and more and opened at 1100 S. Lamar Blvd., Suite 2140, in February, increased its new review count by 59.1 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 3.7 percent for the Yelp category "Cocktail Bars."
The Connection Pizza & Bar offers a variety of pizzas including a golden truffle pizza as well as appetizers like crostini and smoked mozzarella, pastas, salads, and housemate gelatos for dessert. Local beers, wine and craft cocktails are also on offer.
Moonshine Comfort & Cocktails
The Moonshine Comfort & Cocktails is currently on the upswing in the bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this bar and traditional American and breakfast and brunch spot increased its by 12.2 percent—and kept its rating consistent at 3.5 stars.
Open for business at 10525 W. Parmer Lane since December, the business offers as chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits and Wagyu meatloaf, as well as salads, sandwiches and starters like warm kale and bacon dip and pretzels and pimento. (Check out 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.
