Wondering where San Antonio'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 discover which local businesses have been getting extra notice this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at San Antonio 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 sizzling hot this summer.
Coco Bongo Cocina & Bar
Open since February, this Mexican spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.
Citywide, Mexican spots saw a median 2.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Coco Bongo Cocina & Bar saw a 66.7% increase, with a slight upward trend from a three-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Coco Bongo Cocina & Bar's review count increased by more than 1,000%.
Located at 18740 Stone Oak Parkway, Coco Bongo Cocina & Bar offers traditional Mexican fare like nachos, fajitas, enchiladas, tacos and caldos. Menu standouts include the Bongo Burrito (choice of meat with cheese, lettuce, tomato, rice, beans, mole sauce, sour cream and guacamole) and signature specials such as Arroz Con Pollo (brick-oven roasted hen, rice, peppers, onion and tomato). Here's the rest of the menu.
Snooze, an A.M. Eatery
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, the breakfast and brunch spot, which offers coffee and tea and sandwiches, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 2.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, Snooze, An A.M. Eatery bagged a 40.6% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, with a slight upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars.
There's more that's trending on San Antonio's breakfast and brunch scene: Snooze an A.M. Eatery has seen an 8.7% increase in reviews.
Snooze, an A.M. Eatery is a franchise with locations across Texas, Colorado and Arizona. Open at 11255 Huebner Road, Suite 100, since March, brunch favorites at this spot include dishes like Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes (buttermilk pancakes with caramelized pineapple chunks, housemade vanilla crème anglaise and cinnamon butter) or the Breakfast Pot Pie (homemade rosemary sausage gravy smothers a flaky puff pastry, topped with an egg any style). Explore the menu here.
The Patio Southtown
Lavaca's The Patio Southtown is also making waves. Open since May at 1035 S. Presa St., the traditional American spot, which offers burgers and salads, has seen a 10.1% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 3.1% for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, The Patio Southtown's review count increased by more than 500%.
There's more than one hot spot trending in San Antonio's traditional American category: Stone Werks Big Rock Grille - Culebra has seen an 11.9% increase in reviews.
The Patio Southtown offers comfort food like sandwiches, salad, burgers and fried fish. Check out the B.E.A.S.T. sandwich ( bacon, egg, avocado, spinach and tomato ) as well as the poblano jack burger and the Lavaca burger (smoked brisket, cheddar cheese, onion and pickles).
Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating improve from four stars to 4.5 stars. Check out the rest of the menu here.
Bar Louie
Bar Louie is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.
The bar, gastropub and New American spot, which opened at 15900 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 22100, in 2013, increased its new review count by 5.2% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.7% for the Yelp category "American (New)." It outperformed the previous month by gaining four times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Bar Louie has nearly 140 locations across the country. The spot offers pub fare like flatbreads, burgers, salads and sandwiches. A solid list of hot appetizers is also on offer, ranging from fried calamari to Bavarian pretzel twists and tortilla chips with spinach and artichoke dip. Here's the full menu.
Palenque Grill La Cantera
The well-established Palenque Grill La Cantera is currently on the upswing in the bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 2.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, this bar and Mexican spot, which offers seafood and more, increased its new reviews by 5.9% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Pallenque Grill La Cantera has five locations in South Texas. Open for business at 15900 La Cantera Parkway since 2016, the business offers Mexican cuisine with a focus on "flavors of the North Pacific Coast of Mexico," according to its website. Try the chicken mole enchiladas and the Chile Relleno de Camaron con Queso (lightly battered poblano pepper stuffed with shrimp, topped with Muenster cheese and served with white rice and refried beans). Find the rest of 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.
