As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right this minute?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which eateries have been seeing especially high review volumes 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 extra hot, right now.
Pluckers Wing Bar
Open since July, this traditional American spot, which offers chicken wings and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
Citywide, traditional American spots saw a median 3.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Pluckers Wing Bar saw an impressive 180% increase, with a downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the traditional American category: The Patio Southtown has seen a 15.5% increase in reviews.
Pluckers Wing Bar has outposts across Texas and Louisiana. The location at 15651 I-10 West offers wings, burgers, sandwiches, salads and desserts. Try the 10-wing combo with your choice of more than 20 sauces and the buffalo chicken sandwich. (Check out the full menu here.)
Pluckers Wing Bar is open from 11 a.m.–midnight daily.
Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia, the breakfast and brunch spot, which offers desserts and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 2.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia bagged a 52.8% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on San Antonio's breakfast and brunch scene: Snooze, an A.M. Eatery has seen a 26.3% increase in reviews, and Torchy's Taco and Tito's Mexican Restaurant have seen 10.7 and 2.2% increases, respectively.
Open at 9630 Huebner Road, Suite 103, since May, Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia offers biscuit sandwiches, burgers, soups and salads. Breakfast favorites include the savory biscuit flight and the brisket and egg breakfast taco with house-smoked brisket and cheesy-chive scrambled eggs. (Check out the full menu here.)
Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia is open from 6 a.m.–3 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m.–4 p.m. on weekends.
Eastside Kitchenette
Government Hill Alliance's Eastside Kitchenette is also making waves. Open since January at 2119 N. Interstate 35, the bar and New American and Southern spot has seen a 10.2% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.5% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in San Antonio's New American category: Bliss has seen a 1.9% increase in reviews.
Eastside Kitchenette offers sandwiches, burgers, soup and salad. Popular lunch dishes include the chicken fried steak, the grilled bacon-wrapped jalapeños skewers stuffed with Pimento cheese and wrapped in bacon and the fried oyster po'boy with Sriracha remoulade, lettuce, bacon relish and tomatoes. (Find the full menu here.)
Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Eastside Kitchenette is open from 10 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m.–4 p.m. on Sunday.
Ro-Ho Pork and Bread
Ro-Ho Pork and Bread is the city's buzziest Mexican spot by the numbers.
The Mexican spot, which offers sandwiches and more and opened at 8617 N. New Braunfels Ave. in 2015, increased its new review count by 10.4% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.2% for the Yelp category "Mexican." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.8 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
It's not the only trending outlier in the Mexican category: Viola's Ventanas has seen a 2.2% increase in reviews.
Ro-Ho Pork and Bread offers traditional Guadalajara street food, like torta ahogada with bean puree, tomato salsa, cabbage, pickled onion, radish and lime, nachos, tacos and chilaquiles.
Ro-Ho Pork and Bread is open from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. on Monday-Wednesday and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Thursday-Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
Pericos Mexican Cuisine
The well-established Pericos Mexican Cuisine is currently on the upswing in the Tex-Mex category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Tex-Mex" on Yelp saw a median 2.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Tex-Mex spot increased its new reviews by 7.8% — and kept its rating consistent at three stars. Review counts increased by more than 900% on a month-to-month basis.
There's more abuzz in the world of San Antonio Tex-Mex: Chacho's has seen a 5.6% increase in reviews.
Open for business at 10820 Bandera Road since 2008, Pericos Mexican Cuisine offers a large menu with soup, salad, seafood, enchiladas, fajitas, burritos, tacos and more. Try the ground beef empanadas or the beef fajita dinner.
Pericos Mexican Cuisine is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m.–9 p.m. 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.
