Want the scoop on Austin's buzziest 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 uncover which local businesses have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at Austin 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 sizzling hot, right now.
Pueblo Viejo Riverside
Open since May, this Mexican and breakfast and brunch spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp.
Citywide, Mexican spots saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Pueblo Viejo Riverside saw a 71.4% increase, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating throughout.
Located at 2410 E. Riverside Drive, Suite H-8, in Riverside, Pueblo Viejo Riverside specializes in tacos, for breakfast and dinner, as well as quesadillas and gorditas. Tacos come filled with chicken, steak, fish, vegetables, cheese, chorizo, eggs, ham, bacon and more. (Click here to view the menu.)
Pueblo Viejo Riverside is open from 7:30 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
District Kitchen
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Allandale's District Kitchen, the cocktail bar and New American and breakfast and brunch spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month, District Kitchen - Anderson Lane bagged an 18.9% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a healthy 4.5-star rating.
Open at 7858 Shoal Creek Blvd., Bldg B, since May, District Kitchen offers dinner entrees such as a Texas Wagyu steak, a bison burger, Spanish octopus and rainbow trout. The restaurant also features an extensive wine list.
District Kitchen is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday, 10:30 a.m.–11 p.m. on Saturday and 10:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Moonshine Comfort & Cocktails
Moonshine Comfort & Cocktails is also making waves. Open since December at 10525 W. Parmer Lane, the well-established bar and traditional American and breakfast and brunch spot has seen an 8.8% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.7% for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
At Moonshine Comfort & Cocktails, expect to find items like fried chicken, pasta, gumbo, steak, sandwiches, plus banana cream pudding and a skillet apple pie for dessert, on the menu. When it comes to drinks, you'll find signature cocktails, craft beer, Texas vodka and gin, bourbon, whiskey and rye drinks. Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy four-star rating among Yelpers.
Moonshine Comfort & Cocktails is open from 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9:30 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4:30–9 p.m. on Sunday.
Seoulju
North Lamar's Seoulju is the city's buzziest bar by the numbers.
The well-established bar and Korean and karaoke spot, which opened at 9515 N. Lamar Blvd., Suite 230 in August, increased its new review count by 8.9% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.6% for the Yelp category "Bars." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.8 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
The menu at Seoulju includes soups, rice plates, Korean fried chicken and entrees such as a seafood and kimchi pancake, barbecue short ribs and spicy stir fried octopus. To wash it all down, consider the original bottled Soju or the flavored bottled Soju like apple, grapefruit or peach.
Seoulju is open from 5:30 p.m.–12:30 a.m. on Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 5:30 p.m.–1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Donn's Texas BBQ
West Oak Hill's popular Donn's Texas BBQ is trending based on local foot traffic data.
While Donn's Texas BBQ stayed in line with the median 1.7% increase in new reviews for businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp over the past month, visits to Donn's Texas BBQ increased by more than 50%, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
There's more abuzz in the world of Austin breakfast and brunch: Full English has seen a 0.7% increase in reviews, and Mimi's Bistro & Bakery has seen a 4.7% bump.
Open for business at 7001 Oak Meadow Drive, Donn's Texas BBQ serves smoked meats, like brisket, sausage, beef ribs and chicken, and offers breakfast too.
Donn's Texas BBQ is open from 5:30 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 5:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 5:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, it usually gets busy at 11 a.m., 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., and on Sundays and Saturdays, so go on Tuesdays 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.
