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 and SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to deduce which eateries have been seeing especially high review volumes this month.
To find out who made the list, we first 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. Then we analyzed foot traffic data from SafeGraph to validate the trends.
Read on to see which spots are extra hot, right now.
Ember & Greens
Open since July, this New American spot, which offers comfort food and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.7% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Ember & Greens saw a dramatic 566.7% increase, maintaining a convincing 4.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Ember & Greens's review count increased by more than 570%.
Located at 9403B Katy Freeway, Ember & Greens offers a health-conscious menu that features homemade soups, fresh salads, sandwiches and entrees, such as quinoa bowls, pastas and citrus crusted chicken.
Ember & Greens is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday –Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Torchy's Tacos
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about the Greenway/Upper Kirby Area's Torchy's Tacos, a casual chain restaurant serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 2.1% increase in new reviews over the past month, Torchy's Tacos bagged a massive 187.5% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a mixed three-star rating.
Open at 5537 Weslayan St. since August, Torchy's Tacos offers a large selection of tacos as well as burritos, salads, refried beans and street corn. Happy hour selections are available daily, and catering services are also available.
Torchy's Tacos is open from 7 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday–Thursday, 7 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday, 8 a.m.–11 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday.
Migo Saigon Food Street
Sharpstown's Migo Saigon Food Street is currently on the upswing in the Asian fusion category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Asian Fusion" on Yelp saw a median 2% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Vietnamese and Asian fusion spot increased its new reviews by 51.6% — and kept its rating consistent at 3.5 stars.
Open for business at 9393 Bellaire Blvd., Suite H, since July, Migo Saigon Food Street offers a large selection of noodle dishes, fried fish balls, grilled chicken hearts and gizzards, fried rice and more.
Migo Saigon Food Street is open from 5–11 p.m. on Tuesday-Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
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.
