Want the inside word on San Antonio's most happening local spots?

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 restaurants have been in the limelight this month.

To find out who made the list, we first 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. Then we analyzed foot traffic data from SafeGraph to validate the trends.

Read on to see which spots are worth exploring, right now.

Restaurante Mexicano El DF

Open since 2010, this Mexican restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.

Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 2.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Restaurante Mexicano El DF saw a 7.1% increase, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating throughout. As for foot traffic, Restaurante Mexicano El D F saw a 30% increase in visits over the past month, according to SafeGraph data.

It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Thyme For Lunch has seen an 8.2% increase in reviews, and Pete's Tako House and Chicago Bagel & Deli have both seen 2% increases.

Located at 4119 Culebra Road in Culebra Park, Restaurante Mexicano El DF offers classic Mexican fare, such as quesadillas, tacos, carne asada, fajitas, gorditas, nachos and more.

Restaurante Mexicano El DF is open from 6:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday, Thursday and Friday, 6 a.m.–10 p.m. on Tuesday, 6:30 a.m.–4 p.m. on Wednesday, 7:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Saturday and 8:30 a.m.–7 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, foot traffic is heaviest on Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m., with a slowdown on Mondays.

First Watch

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about First Watch, the well-established traditional American cafe, which serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.

While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 2.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, First Watch bagged an 8.9% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a superior four-star rating.

Open at 8603 State Highway 151, Suite 201, since 2017, First Watch offers a large menu of traditional American comfort foods, such as pancakes, omelets and French toast, healthier options, like quinoa bowls, avocado toast, a Cobb salad and a turkey wrap, as well as seasonal items.

First Watch is open from 7 a.m.–2:30 p.m. daily.

Maverick Texas Brasserie

Lavaca's Maverick Texas Brasserie is the city's buzziest New American spot by the numbers.

The upscale brasserie is located at 710 S. St. Mary's St. Open since, January of 2018, it increased its new review count by 4.9% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.9% for the Yelp category "American (New)."

Maverick Texas Brasserie offers international menus for brunch, lunch and dinner, with dishes like pork confit, coq au vin (chicken braised in red wine), escargot pot pie and grilled Scottish salmon being highlights. The restaurant also serves daily lunch and dinner specials, and you can check out the full wine list here.

Maverick Texas Brasserie is open from 5–10 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5 –11 p.m. on Friday, 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–11 p.m. on Saturday and 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–10 p.m. on Sunday.

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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.