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 uncover which local businesses have been getting extra attention 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 worth exploring, right now.
Goodfire BBQ
Open since January, this barbecue spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Barbeque" on Yelp.
Citywide, barbecue spots saw a median 2.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Goodfire BBQ saw a 26.5% increase, with a slight downward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Goodfire BBQ's review count increased by more than 190%.
Located at 8629 Perrin Beitel Road, Goodfire BBQ offers Texas barbecue (brisket, ribs, pulled pork, sausage and turkey) by the plate, by the pound or on sandwiches, tacos and wraps. From the menu, look for the San Antonio brisket-style sandwich with barbecue sauce, pickles and raw onions, and the jalapeño pulled pork baked potato with cheese, butter, bacon, sour cream and green onion. Side options include coleslaw, potato salad, mac & cheese, french fries and beans. The spot also serves draft beer chilled to exactly 29 degrees. (Check out the full menu here.)
LA Crawfish
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Wilshire's LA Crawfish, the Vietnamese, Cajun/Creole and seafood spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 3% increase in new reviews over the past month, LA Crawfish bagged a 16.1% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a sound four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining five times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
LA Crawfish is a regional franchise that has more than 20 outposts across Texas and one in California. Open at 1518 Austin Highway, Suite 18, since November, LA Crawfish specializes in boiled crawfish, but also offers shrimp, oysters, crabs, chicken wings, cajun pho and more. Don't forget to order a basket of beignets. (Explore the full menu here.)
Torchy's Taco
Forest Crest's Torchy's Taco is also making waves. Open since August at 17627 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 105, the breakfast and brunch spot, which offers tacos and more, has seen a 9.8% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.9% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Torchy's Taco's review count increased by more than 170%.
This Austin-based franchise has locations across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Colorado. Torchy's Taco offers salads, burritos, chips, sides and, of course, tacos. On the breakfast taco menu, which is available all day, look for the Wrangler with eggs, potatoes, smoked beef brisket and cheese with tomatillo sauce, and the Monk Special with eggs, bacon, green chiles and cheese with tomatillo sauce. Regular menu favorites include the Baja shrimp taco with cabbage slaw, pickled onions and jalapeños, cotija cheese, cilantro and chipotle sauce, and the Alabama Shake taco with catfish, poblano slaw, cotija cheese, peppadew peppers, cilantro and avocado sauce. Over the past month, Torchy's Taco has maintained a strong four-star rating among Yelpers.
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.
