Wondering where Houston's in-the-know crowd is 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 deduce which local businesses have been in the limelight 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 are extra hot, right now.
BORI
Open since July, this steakhouse and Korean spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Steakhouses" on Yelp.
Citywide, steakhouses saw a median 1.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, but BORI saw a staggering 228.6% increase, with a slight downward trend from a five-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today.
It's not the only trending outlier in the steakhouse category: Blue Onyx Bistro has seen a 11.2% increase in reviews.
Located at 1453 Witte Road in Spring Branch West, BORI offers a variety of pork, beef and veggies that customers can grill at the table. Look for the kimchi pancake to start and then moving on to the large meat combo with brisket, boneless short rib or ribeye marinated prime beef. The spot also offers prepared stews, noodle dishes and dumplings.
BORI is open from 5–9 p.m. on Tuesday-Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Neway Restaurant & Lounge
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Sharpstown's Neway Restaurant & Lounge, the lounge and Chinese and karaoke spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Chinese" on Yelp saw a median 2% increase in new reviews over the past month, Neway Restaurant & Lounge bagged a 72.2% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a convincing four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 13.0 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Houston's Chinese scene: Taste of China has seen a 71.4% increase in reviews, and Chow Wok has seen a 53.6% bump.
Open at 9889 Bellaire Blvd., Suite D239, since 2017, Neway Restaurant & Lounge offers seafood, fried noodle dishes, rice plates, duck, beef and chicken. Look for the popular Peking duck, Princess chicken and the salt & pepper soft shell crab. The spot also offers karaoke in both the open lounge and seven private rooms.
Neway Restaurant & Lounge is open from 3 p.m.–2 a.m. daily.
Nobibi
Spring Branch West's Nobibi is also making waves. Open since August at 1035 Blalock Road, the ice cream and frozen yogurt spot has seen a remarkable 200% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 4.9% for all businesses tagged "Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt" on Yelp.
Nobibi has locations in Texas and California, with more on the way in the Pacific Northwest. The spot offers soft-serve ice cream options like coconut ash, toasted marshmallow, salted caramel in cups or flavored waffle cones. The menu also features blended fruit, milk and tea drinks such as cheese strawberry (with cream cheese on top) as well as grapefruit crush and purple matcha. Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Nobibi is open from 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Caffe Di Firenze
Downtown Houston's Caffe Di Firenze is the city's buzziest coffee and tea spot by the numbers.
The coffee and tea spot, which opened at 717 Texas Ave. on November, increased its new review count by 43.5% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 2.8% for the Yelp category "Coffee & Tea." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 5.0 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
Caffe Di Firenze offers caffeinated beverages like drip coffee, lattes, espresso, Cappuccino, mocha and tea. The cafe also serves made-to-order paninis and a variety of Italian pastries such as cannolis, bombolonis and cookies. Caffe Di Firenze also offers a barista skills class that teaches espresso and milk preparation techniques and latte art. (Check out the full menu here.)
Caffe Di Firenze is open from 6 a.m.–6 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and 7 a.m.–3 p.m. on Sunday.
MAD
Afton Oaks / River Oaks Area's MAD is currently on the upswing in the cocktail bar category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp saw a median 2.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, this cocktail bar and Spanish spot, which offers tapas and more, increased its new reviews by 68.9% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars.
Open for business at 4444 Westheimer Road, Suite C-180, since June, MAD offers "Madrid’s famous nightlife and the very best of Spanish gastronomy," according to the business's website. The menu includes options like modern tapas, wood-roasted rice, steak and seafood. Look for the liquid olives, the scallops and the Mad Tomato with pesto, Parmesan mousse and pumpernickel bread. (Find the full menu here.)
MAD is open from 5–10 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and 5 p.m.–1 a.m. on Thursday-Saturday. (It's closed on Monday and 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.
