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 eateries have been in the spotlight 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 closing the summer out strong.
The South Chicken & Waffles
Whether or not you've been hearing the buzz about Rolling Ridge Club's The South Chicken & Waffles, the well-established breakfast and brunch restau, which offers waffles and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 2.5 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, The South Chicken & Waffles bagged a 2 percent increase in new reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a strong four-star rating.
There's more that's trending on San Antonio's breakfast and brunch scene: La Panaderia has seen a 3.3% increase in reviews, and Pete's Tako House and Mr C’s Fried Chicken & Waffles have seen 1.8 and 8.2% increases, respectively.
Open at 5739 Callaghan Road, Suite 100, since September 2017, The South Chicken & Waffles offers chicken, waffles, libations and more.
Golden Wok
Golden Wok is also making waves. Open since early 2011 at 8822 Wurzbach Road, the well-established eatery has seen a 2.3 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.4 percent for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in San Antonio's seafood category: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. has seen a 11.9% increase in reviews.
Golden Wok offers traditional Chinese fare such as dim sum, noodle- and rice-based dishes, appetizers like wontons and eggrolls, chef specialties and vegetarian-friendly entrees. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Anchor Bar
Anchor Bar is the city's buzziest traditional American spot by the numbers.
The well-established bar and traditional American spot, which offers chicken wings and more and opened at 4553 N. Loop 1604 West, Suite 1133 in August 2017, increased its new review count by 8.5 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 3.4 percent for the Yelp category "American (Traditional)." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.1 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Anchor Bar offers wings, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, salad, pizza and entrees like mac and cheese, chicken tenders and meatballs. (Check out the full menu here.)
Twin Peaks
Shearer Hills - Ridgeview's Twin Peaks is currently on the upswing in the New American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 2.4 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this sports bar and New American and traditional American spot increased its new reviews by 6.3 percent—and kept its rating consistent at three stars. Review counts increased by more than 200 percent on a month-to-month basis.
Open for business at 702 N.W. Loop 410 since February 2015, the business offers small bites, wings, salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers, tacos, steak, dessert and more. (Check out the menu here.)
Beto's Alt-Mex
Open since March 2012, this well-established Latin American, Tex-Mex and Mexican spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.
Citywide, businesses tagged "Mexican" saw a median 2.3 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, but Beto's Alt-Mex saw a 2.6 percent increase, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating throughout.
There's more than one place trending in San Antonio's Mexican category: Viola's Ventanas has seen a 2.2% increase in reviews.
Located at 8142 Broadway St. in Oak Park - Northwood, Beto's Alt-Mex offers Mexican street food, hamburgers, salads, tacos, empanadas, quesadillas and a number of libations to wash it all down. (Check out the menu here.)
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.
