As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right this minute?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which restaurants have been getting a notable 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 increased their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance.
Read on to see which spots are riding a trend this summer.
Hu's Cooking
Open since March, this Asian fusion and Chinese spot, which offers seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw a median 3.2 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Hu's Cooking saw a 42.4 percent increase, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the seafood category: BB’s Tex-Orleans has seen a 15.1 percent increase in reviews.
Located at 2502 W. Holcombe Blvd. in University Place, Hu's Cooking has a large menu offering noodles, salad, seafood, chicken, pork, lamb and beef. Look for the sweet-skinned duck, as well as the pork ribs and shrimp dry pot special. (Here's the full menu.)
Calle Onze
The Heights's Calle Onze is also making waves. Open since June at 222 W. 11th St., the popular bar and Mexican and Tex-Mex spot has seen a 12 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.7 percent for all businesses tagged "Tex-Mex" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Calle Onze's review count increased by more than 180 percent.
Calle Onze offers Tex-Mex favorites like fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, tamales and more. You'll see options like the avocado tacos (corn tortilla, fried avocado, cabbage slaw, Mexican tzatziki, radish and fried jalapeño). Over the past month, Calle Onze has maintained a healthy four-star rating among Yelpers. (Check out the rest of the menu here.)
The Rustic
Downtown Houston's The Rustic is the city's buzziest bar by the numbers.
The well-established bar, music venue and traditional American spot, which opened at 1836 Polk St. in October, increased its new review count by 12.5 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.8 percent for the Yelp category "Bars."
The Rustic, which has other locations in Dallas and San Antonio, offers bar bites, salads, burgers, steak and tacos. If you are going for a show, order tamales for the group to share and then finish off the signature Rustic Burger (topped with house brisket, white cheddar, green chiles and grilled onions, served with smoked salt chips). Check out the rest of the menu here.
Dish Society
Memorial's well-established Dish Society is currently on the upswing in the breakfast and brunch category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 3.6 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this traditional American, breakfast and brunch and Southern spot increased its new reviews by 7.6 percent — and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Review counts increased by more than 260 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Dish Society has five Houston-area locations. Open for business at 12525 Memorial Drive, Suite 145, since October, the business offers American comfort food, with separate menus for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Early risers may opt for the Nutella French toast (three pieces of whole grain toast with Nutella, toppedwith fruit and powdered sugar), the shrimp & grits or the Memorial Trail scramble (open-range egg whites with spinach, tomatoes and onionwith grilled chicken breast and side of seasonal fruit). (Explore all the menus 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.
