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 eateries have been in the spotlight 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 getting plenty of attention this summer.
Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia
Open since May, this breakfast, brunch and lunch spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 3.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia saw a noteworthy 626.7% increase, with a slight downward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Snooze, an A.M. Eatery has seen a 51.1% increase in reviews.
Located at 9630 Huebner Road, Suite 103, Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia serves biscuit sandwiches and breakfast tacos for breakfast, and soups, salads, burgers and sides for lunch.
Sarita's Mexican Restaurant
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Sarita's Mexican Restaurant, the Tex-Mex eatery is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp saw a median 2.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, Sarita's Mexican Restaurant bagged a 14.5% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.5 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 8224 Fredericksburg Road since 2017, Sarita's Mexican Restaurant offers authentic Mexican fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Look for huevos rancheros, crispy and "puffy" tacos, enchiladas, burritos, tamales, fajitas and more on the menu.
The Patio Southtown
The Patio Southtown is also making waves. Open since May 2018 in Lavaca at 1035 S. Presa St., the casual American restaurant and bar, which offers burgers and more, has seen an 11.9% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 3.4% for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
The Patio Southtown serves classic American fare, such as fried shrimp and chicken tenders, burgers and sandwiches, salads, grilled salmon and chicken fried steak. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
B&D Ice House
King William's B&D Ice House is the city's buzziest barbecue restaurant by the numbers.
The popular barbecue spot and bar, which has been open at 1004 S. Alamo St. since 2010, increased its new review count by 4.5% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.8% for the Yelp category "Barbecue." It outperformed the previous month by gaining three times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
B&D Ice House serves classic Texas-style pit barbecue, including smoked brisket, ribs, turkey breast, chicken thighs and sausage for plate meals and sandwiches, homemade sides (such as mac and cheese and potato salad) and banana pudding and local paletas for dessert.
Smashin Crab
The popular Smashin Crab is currently on the upswing in the seafood category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp saw a median 2.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Cajun/Creole seafood spot increased its new reviews by 7.6%—and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
There's more abuzz in the world of San Antonio seafood: Pinch Boil House has seen a 7.2% increase in reviews.
Open for business since April 2018 at 700 E. Sonterra Blvd., Suite 1117, the restaurant specializes in fresh seafood, such as oysters, shrimp, crab, crawfish and live lobsters. It serves boils, fried platters, po'boys and more.
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.
