Unsure where Houston's in-the-know crowd is 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 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 increased their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance.
Read on to see which spots are riding a trend, right now.
Snooze, an A.M. Eatery
Open since December, this breakfast and brunch spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 2.7 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Snooze, an A.M. Eatery saw a 20.3 percent increase, maintaining a superior four-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Snooze, an A.M. Eatery's review count increased by more than 150 percent.
Located at 5000 Westheimer Road, Suite 120, in Greater Uptown, Snooze, an A.M. Eatery offers brunch favorites like french toast, pancakes, omelets, shrimp & grits and steak & eggs. The franchise has locations in Colorado, California, Arizona and across Texas. (Check out the full menu here.)
Blanco Tacos + Tequila
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Greater Uptown's Blanco Tacos + Tequila, the Mexican spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp saw a median 2.3 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Blanco Tacos + Tequila bagged a 13.4 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a superior four-star rating.
Open at 5115 Westheimer Road, Suite C2520, since December, Blanco Tacos + Tequila has five other locations scattered across Arizona and California. On the menu, look for salads, tacos, burritos, fajitas and more. Try ordering the short rib machaca enchiladas, made with caramelized peppers and onions, yellow cheese, ancho chile sauce and cilantro. (Here's the full menu.)
Flying Fish
The Heights's Flying Fish is also making waves. Open since December at 1815 N. Durham Drive, the traditional American and Cajun/Creole spot, which offers seafood and more, has seen an 11.5 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 3.2 percent for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
Flying Fish offers seafood like fish, shrimp, oysters and crab legs. The large menu also includes burgers, chicken and Cajun favorites like jambalaya and gumbo. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers. (Find the rest of the menu here.)
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
Washington Avenue Coalition / Memorial Park's Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken is the city's buzziest Southern spot by the numbers.
The popular chicken shop and Southern spot, which offers comfort food and more and opened at 1815 Washington Ave. in May 2018, increased its new review count by 5.9 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.7 percent for the Yelp category "Southern." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.3 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken serves up natural, hormone-free chicken fried in peanut oil. The franchise has more than 25 outposts from Maryland to California. The menu features chicken wings, breasts, thighs and legs, along with sides like mac & cheese, fried okra and fried green tomatoes. (Explore the menu 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.
