Curious 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 analyze which restaurants have been in the limelight 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 on a hot streak, right now.
Creed Italian Restaurant & Bar
Open since March, this Italian restaurant and cocktail bar is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Italian" on Yelp.
Citywide, Italian spots saw a median 2.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Creed Italian Restaurant & Bar saw a considerable 156.2% increase, with a slight upward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Creed Italian Restaurant & Bar's review count increased by more than 360%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Italian category: B.B. Italia has seen an 87.5% increase in reviews, and Piola has seen a 16.4% bump.
Located at 12126 Westheimer Road, Suite 98, in Westchase, Creed Italian Restaurant & Bar serves traditional Italian cuisine such as homemade pizzas and pastas as well as fresh seafood, high-quality steaks, soups, salad and risotto.
Dish Society
Downtown Houston's Dish Society is also making waves. Open since last December in Finn Hall at 712 Main St., the New American and Southern spot has seen a 45.5% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.6% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Dish Society's review count increased by more than 500%.
Dish Society serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, with soups, salads, snacks and sandwiches available all day. Tacos, shrimp and grits, grain bowls and citrus glazed salmon are also on the menu. Over the past month, it's maintained a convincing four-star rating among Yelpers.
Common Bond Cafe & Bakery
University Place's Common Bond Cafe & Bakery is currently on the upswing in the breakfast and brunch category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 3.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, this bakery and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers desserts and more, increased its new reviews by 46.3%—and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Open for business at 2276 W. Holcombe Blvd. since March, the bakery offers fresh baked pastries and bread as well as custom, sculpted cakes, while the cafe serves full breakfasts, salads, burgers, flatbreads, sandwiches and more.
Truth BBQ
Open since January, this popular Southern barbecue spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Barbecue" on Yelp.
Citywide, businesses tagged "Barbecue" saw a median 3.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Truth BBQ saw a 17.1% increase, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 110 S. Heights Blvd. in The Heights, Truth BBQ specializes in smoked meats, including brisket, beef ribs, turkey, pulled pork and sausage, and it serves sides like coleslaw, baked beans, collard greens and potato salad, as well as an assorted daily selection of cakes.
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.
