As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So, how can you tell which tastes are trending at this very moment?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to uncover which restaurants have been getting outsized attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Dallas 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 outposts have the momentum heading into back-to-school season.
Crazy Brothers
This breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner outlet, which serves burgers and other comfort foods, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch eateries saw a median 3.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Crazy Brothers saw a 90.9% increase, with a slight upward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to five stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Crazy Brothers' review count increased by more than 500%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Velvet Taco has seen a 6.1% increase in reviews.
Located at 7812 S. Great Trinity Forest Way in Southeast Dallas, Crazy Brothers features an extensive menu of breakfast plates, sandwiches, burgers and other Southern-inspired options, like a fried chicken salad, catfish fillets and brisket nachos with barbecue sauce.
Grassroots Kitchen
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Southwest Dallas' Grassroots Kitchen, the well-established New American joint is a hot topic, according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 4.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, Grassroots Kitchen bagged a 12.2% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining an excellent five-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 5.5 times more reviews than expected, based on its past performance.
Open at 2109 S. Edgefield Ave., Grassroots Kitchen offers "an assortment of comfort food from around the world," as stated on the restaurant's website. On the menu, look for entrees such as fish and chips, shredded lamb and marinated chicken gyro platters, fried and blackened shrimp, Jamaican jerk chicken and a number of specialty Sammiches.
Billy Can Can
Victory Park's Billy Can Can is also making waves. Open since 2018 at 2386 Victory Park Lane, the well-established steakhouse and cocktail bar, which provides a selection of seafood dishes, libations and more, has seen a 6.4% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.6% for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp.
According to its Yelp page, Billy Can Can specializes in high-end cocktails and contemporary Texan cuisine, including locally sourced steaks and Gulf seafood, served in an upscale dining environment. Over the past month, it's maintained a strong 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Mi Cocina
North Dallas' Mi Cocina is the city's buzziest Mexican establishment by the numbers.
The well-established Tex-Mex and Mexican bistro and bar, which was originally founded in 1991 and can be found at 13350 Dallas Parkway, 100 Level One Next to Ice Rink, increased its new review count by 6.3% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 3.4% for the Yelp category "Mexican." It outperformed the previous month by gaining eight times more reviews than expected, based on past performance.
Mi Cocina is known for its elevated Tex-Mex fare made from fresh, high-quality ingredients. Menu items range from carne asada, quesadillas, tortilla soup, different platters of nachos and flame-grilled fajitas to various tacos, poblano chicken enchiladas and pork picoso tamales, served alongside chile con carne, refried beans and rice.
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.
