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 deduce which local businesses have been on the tips of diners' tongues 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 sizzling hot this summer.
The Original Ninfa's
Open since June, this Mexican spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.
Citywide, Mexican spots saw a median 2.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, but The Original Ninfa's saw a substantial 208.3% increase, maintaining a 2.5-star rating throughout.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Mexican category: Fonda Santa Rosa has seen a 5.6% increase in reviews.
This is the second location for the local chain. Located at 1700 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 1-190, in Greater Uptown, The Original Ninfa's offers Mexican favorites like salad, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas and seafood. On the menu, look for grilled chicken fajitas and the homemade beef tamales with guajillo peppers, wrapped in corn husks and served with beef gravy. (Check out the full menu here.)
Indigo
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Northside/Northline's Indigo, the Southern and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 2.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, Indigo bagged a 38.2% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to its current four stars. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.2 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 517 Berry Road since August, Indigo offers two tasting menus — one for vegetarians and one for seafood eaters. The pescatarian menu includes a grilled skewered prawn, crayfish goulash and smoked local oyster with caramelized potato crème. The herbivore menu includes summer gourds cooked over embers, benne seed sauce and gourd pickles. (Check out the full menu here.)
Katsu Bar & Noodle
Memorial's Katsu Bar & Noodle is also making waves. Open since April at 14555 Memorial Drive, Suite 500, the bubble tea spot, which offers noodles and burgers, has seen an 82.1% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 4.7% for all businesses tagged "Burgers" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Katsu Bar & Noodle's review count increased by more than 160%.
Katsu Bar & Noodle offers breaded and fried chicken, steak, pork, fish, shrimp and tofu. The menu also includes burgers, noodles and tea. Menu standouts include chicken katsu plate as well as the Southern shrimp burger with shrimp katsu, tartar sauce, home-made katsu sauce, Swiss cheese and pickle. (Explore the full menu here.)
Over the past month, it's maintained a solid four-star rating among Yelpers.
Little Matt's
Little Matt's is the city's buzziest Tex-Mex spot by the numbers.
The well-established Tex-Mex spot, which offers burgers and sandwiches and opened at 6203 Edloe St. in 2009, increased its new review count by 6.9% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.3% for the Yelp category "Tex-Mex." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.6 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Tex-Mex category: Superica has seen a 10.5% increase in reviews, and Calle Onze has seen a 6.3% bump.
Little Matt's has a large menu offering salads, sandwiches, burgers, ice cream and more. Look for the Santa Barbara Sour Dough burger with grilled mushrooms, bacon and Swiss cheese, as well as the garlic fries and the Stinson Beach ahi tuna salad served with a side of spicy ginger vinegarette and Asian slaw. The fast-casual eatery also has an arcade for the kids while families wait for their food.
Chicago's Famous Fried Chicken & Fish
Eldridge / West Oaks's Chicago's Famous Fried Chicken & Fish is currently on the upswing in the traditional American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 2.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, this chicken shop and seafood and traditional American spot increased its new reviews by 18.6% —and kept its rating consistent at 3.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 220% on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 12303 Westheimer Road since September, the business offers white and dark chicken wings, tenders, thighs or breasts. The spot also serves up liver and gizzard plates, as well as seafood dinners, including catfish, mahi mahi, perch and tilapia. Diners can choose from mild, hot or lemon pepper sauce to customize their dishes. (Find the full 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.
