Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which eateries 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 getting plenty of attention, right now.
The Classic
Open since August, this New American and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers salads and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 2.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but The Classic saw a 17.7% increase, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis The Classic's review count increased by more than 150%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: The Tasting Room has seen a 5.9% increase in reviews.
Located at 5922 Washington Ave. in Washington Avenue Coalition / Memorial Park, The Classic offers steak, pasta, seafood and salad.
Brunch favorites include the El Labrador with pork steak, bacon, eggs, bean tostada and pico de gallo; the almond chia bowl with seasonal fruit and marcona almonds; and the grilled salmon salad with kale, apple, cashews and ginger dressing. While you wait for your meal, sip on a mimosa, bloody mary or breakfast tini. (Check out the entire menu here.)
The Oyster Bar at Prohibition
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Houston's The Oyster Bar at Prohibition, the cocktail bar and seafood spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 3.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, The Oyster Bar at Prohibition bagged a 26.3% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a superior four-star rating.
Open at 1010 Prairie St. in the Prohibition Theatre since last July, The Oyster Bar at Prohibition offers sandwiches, steak, pasta and, of course, oysters. Try the signature chargrilled oysters with garlic, fennel, crispy onions and Parmesan, or the cheese chimichurri chargrilled oysters with garlic, olive oil, cilantro and parsley, along with an original old fashioned with Makers Mark, turbinado, orange bitters and angostura from the bar. (Here's the entire menu.)
7 Leaves Cafe
Sharpstown's 7 Leaves Cafe is also making waves. Open since March at 9798 Bellaire Blvd., Suite B, the well-established coffee and tea and bubble tea spot has seen a 16.4% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.8% for all businesses tagged "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp.
7 Leaves Cafe offers tea coffee and juice with add-ons like glass jelly, aloe vera, boba and custard pudding. On the drink menu, look for the sea cream jasmine tea or the Japanese matcha soy milk. The spot also offers macaroons in flavors like earl grey, salted caramel and pistachio. Over the past month, 7 Leaves Cafe has maintained a solid 4.5-star rating among Yelpers. (Take a look at the rest of the menu here.)
Potente
Downtown Houston's Potente is the city's buzziest Italian spot by the numbers.
The popular Italian and seafood spot, which opened at 1515 Texas Ave. in 2017, increased its new review count by 6.3% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.8% for the Yelp category "Italian." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 5.0 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Potente offers house-made pasta, caviar, steak and more. Dinner menu standouts include the filetto di manzo with prime beef filet, mushroom duxelle, cipollini onion, spring vegetables and whipped potato puree, and the linguine all'astice with cracked lobster, covey rise English peas, squid ink pasta, grape tomato, broccoli raab and saffron. (Explore 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.
