As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, 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 deduce which eateries have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Austin 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 closing the summer out strong.
Kerbey Lane Cafe
Open since April, this popular cafe and breakfast and brunch spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 2.4 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Kerbey Lane Cafe saw a 0.8 percent increase, maintaining a healthy four-star rating throughout.
Located at 3704 Kerbey Lane in Rosedale, Kerbey Lane Cafe offers edamame hummus on toast, bacon-wrapped meatloaf, vegan queso and fried avocado tacos on grain-free tortillas, as well as gluten-free, paleo and keto-friendly items.
Fonda San Miguel
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Allandale's Fonda San Miguel, the well-established Mexican, breakfast and brunch spot, which offers salads and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp saw a median 2.1 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, Fonda San Miguel bagged a 1.4 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a solid four-star rating.
Open at 2330 W. North Loop Blvd. since 1975, the renovated Fonda San Miguel offers a popular brunch with breakfast entrees like migas, different guacamoles and ceviches, meats like cochinita pibil and desserts like flan.
Doc's Backyard
Doc's Backyard is also making waves. Open since 2005 at 5207 Brodie Lane, Suite 100, the popular beer bar and traditional American spot has seen a 3.4 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.8 percent for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp. However, on a month-to-month basis Doc's Backyard's review count increased by more than 500 percent.
Doc's Backyard's menu features burgers, chicken sandwiches, fish tacos and all-day breakfast. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed three-star rating among Yelpers.
Licha's Cantina
East Cesar Chavez's Licha's Cantina is the city's buzziest bar by the numbers.
The well-established bar and Mexican and gluten-free spot, which opened at 1306 E. Sixth St. since spring 2014, increased its new review count by 1.9 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.1 percent for the Yelp category "Bars."
Licha's Cantina offers Mexican soul food such as gorditas, huaraches, tacos and quesadillas. Beer, wine, mezcal cocktails and a jalapeño watermelon margarita are also on offer. Drinks like La Frida, which is made with vodka Paul, combier, lime, hibiscus and agave, give a nod to famous Mexicans.
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.
