Curious where Houston's insiders are 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 restaurants have been in the limelight 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 riding a trend, right now.
The Catch
Open since July, this spot to score seafood, desserts and salads is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw a median 2.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, but The Catch saw a remarkable 200% increase, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating throughout.
Situated at 10105 S. Post Oak Road in Willow Meadows/Willowbend Area, The Catch specializes in fresh seafood such as peel-and-eat shrimp, raw oysters, lobster tails, fried platters, mixed boils and po'boy sandwiches. It's one of three locations for the small Texas chain restaurant.
The Catch is open from 10:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Wednesday and Sunday, and 10:30 a.m.–11 p.m. on Thursday-Saturday.
Churroholics & Hiccups
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Willowbrook's Churroholics & Hiccups, the spot to score desserts, ice cream, frozen yogurt, juices and smoothies is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Desserts" on Yelp saw a median 4% increase in new reviews over the past month, Churroholics & Hiccups bagged a staggering 287.5% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to its current 3.5 stars.
There's more that's trending on Houston's dessert scene: Meet Fresh has seen a 210% increase in reviews.
Open at 17527 State Highway 249 since July, Churroholics & Hiccups offers a full menu of sweet treats and coffee drinks, including churros, ice cream, milkshakes, slushies and milk teas.
Churroholics & Hiccups is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. There are other locations of this chain throughout Texas, Arizona and California.
Viet's Express
Astrodome Area's Viet's Express is currently on the upswing in the Vietnamese category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Vietnamese" on Yelp saw a median 1.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Vietnamese spot, which offers noodles and more, increased its new reviews by 46.2% — and kept its rating consistent at 4.5 stars. Review counts increased by more than 360% on a month-to-month basis.
Open since 2018 at 8057 Kirby Drive, Suite F, Viet's Express offers authentic Vietnamese cuisine. The menu features banh mi sandwiches, phở noodle soups, vermicelli noodle dishes, rice platters and Thai teas.
Viet's Express is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
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.
