Unsure 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 discover which eateries have been getting a significant uptick in attention 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 have the momentum heading into back-to-school season.
Mendocino Farms
Open since July, this spot to score salads and sandwiches is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Sandwiches" on Yelp.
Citywide, sandwich spots saw a median 2.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Mendocino Farms saw a dramatic 461.5% increase, with a slight downward trend from a 4.5-star rating a month ago to four stars today.
This franchise has 27 locations across California. The first Texas outpost, located at 5510 Morningside Drive, Suite 120, in University Place, Mendocino Farms offers vegan, classic and foodie sandwiches.
On the menu, look for the Not So Fried Chicken Sandwich with shaved, roasted chicken breast topped with Mendo’s krispies, herb aioli, mustard pickle slaw, tomatoes and pickled red onions on toasted ciabatta, or the vegan banh mi with baked tofu, vegan aioli, sweet chili sauce, housemade pickled daikon & carrots, cucumbers, jalapeños and cilantro on a panini-pressed ciabatta. (Check out the full menu here.)
Mendocino Farms is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily.
Migo Saigon Food Street
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Sharpstown's Migo Saigon Food Street, the Vietnamese and Asian fusion spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Vietnamese" on Yelp saw a median 2.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, Migo Saigon Food Street bagged an imposing 195% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight downward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to its current 3.5 stars.
There's more that's trending on Houston's Vietnamese scene: Viet's Express has seen a 43.2% increase in reviews.
Open at 9393 Bellaire Blvd., Suite H, since July, Migo Saigon Food Street is located within the new Bellaire Food Street complex. The restaurant offers a small menu with appetizers and noodle dishes. Try the grilled Vietnamese corn with special sauce and bonito flakes as well as the Mi Go with egg noodle, pork meat, chives, green onions, crispy shallots, crispy pork fat and shallot oil served dry or in a pork broth.
Migo Saigon Food Street is open from 5–11 p.m. on Tuesday-Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Le Chateau
Museum Park's Le Chateau is also making waves. Open since November at 1112 Southmore Blvd., the lounge and jazz and blues and New American spot has seen a 66.7% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.4% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Le Chateau's review count increased by more than 500%.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Houston's New American category: Jonathan's The Rub has seen a 35.1% increase in reviews, and Bisou has seen a 16.5% bump.
On the brunch menu, Le Chateau offers shrimp & grits (jumbo gulf shrimp in a Cajun sauce over saffron grits), buttermilk fried chicken & french toast, along with a list of prohibition-era cocktails. Over the past month, it's seen its Yelp rating hold steady at 3.5 stars.
Le Chateau is open from 5 p.m.–midnight on Wednesday and Thursday, 5 p.m.–2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.–4 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday and Tuesday.)
The Original Ninfa's
Greater Uptown's The Original Ninfa's is currently on the upswing in the Mexican category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp saw a median 2.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Mexican spot increased its new reviews by 43.2% — and kept its rating consistent at 2.5 stars.
Open for business at 1700 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 1-190, since June, The Original Ninfa's offers Mexican favorites like tacos, handmade tamales, enchiladas and fajitas. The large menu also includes seafood, steak, pork and chicken entrees. (Find the full menu here.)
The Original Ninfa's Uptown Houston is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.–11 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–10 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.
