Unsure where San Antonio'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 and SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to analyze which local businesses have been most discussed 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 getting plenty of attention this autumn.
The Patio Southtown
Open since May 2018, this popular traditional American spot, which offers burgers and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
Citywide, traditional American spots saw a median 2.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, but The Patio Southtown saw a 27% increase, with a slight upward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, The Patio Southtown's review count increased by more than 480%.
Located at 1035 S. Presa St. in Lavaca, The Patio Southtown offers casual, traditional American fare, such as fried shrimp, chopped brisket sandwiches, po'boys, chicken fried chicken and more Check out the full menu here.
The Patio Southtown is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Hon Machi Japanese & Korean BBQ
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Sonterra-Stone Oak's Hon Machi Japanese & Korean BBQ, the popular Korean and Japanese spot, which offers barbecue and more, has seen a major increase in foot traffic recently.
While Hon Machi Japanese & Korean BBQ stayed on par with the median 3.3% increase in new reviews businesses categorized as "Barbeque" on Yelp over the past month, maintaining a convincing four-star rating, it saw a 46% increase in visits over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
There's more that's trending on San Antonio's barbecue scene: B&B Smokehouse has seen a 4.2% increase in reviews, and Seoul Garden has seen a 1.1% bump.
Open since January 2018 at 19186 Blanco Road, Suite 103, Hon Machi Japanese & Korean BBQ offers a fusion of Japanese and Korea BBQ cuisines. On the lunch and dinner menus, you'll see tapas-style appetizers, like pork dumplings, shrimp tempura, edamame and cucumber kim chi, as well as hibachi meals made with fresh meats, seafood and vegetables. There's also an all-you-can-eat lunch menu available from 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Hon Machi Japanese & Korean BBQ is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday–Thursday and 11 a.m.–10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., and people visit Hon Machi Japanese & Korean BBQ most on Saturdays and Sundays, with a slowdown on Thursdays.
Pete's Tako House
Pete's Tako House is also making waves. Open since 2007 at 502 Brooklyn Ave., the popular Tex-Mex spot, which offers breakfast, brunch and lunch (dinner is served on weekends), has seen a 2.3% increase in new reviews over the last month — matching that of all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp — but it's seen a 10% increase in visits over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
There's more than one hot spot trending in San Antonio's breakfast and brunch category: Chicago Bagel & Deli has seen a 1% increase in reviews, and Thyme For Lunch and Panchos and Gringos have seen 7.8% and 0.7% increases, respectively.
Pete's Tako House offers authentic Mexican food, with dishes such as fajitas, enchiladas, crispy or soft tacos, burritos and chalupas being menu highlights. Over the past month, it's maintained a solid 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Pete's Tako House is open from 6 a.m.–3 p.m. on Monday-Wednesday, 6 a.m.–9 p.m. on Thursday, 6 a.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 7 a.m.–3 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon, and people visit Pete's Tako House most on Saturdays and Fridays, so go on Mondays if you want to avoid the rush.
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.
