Unsure where the insiders of Dallas are 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 getting a notable uptick in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Dallas 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 outposts are getting plenty of attention this winter.
Bowlski's
Open since autumn, this bar, event venue and bowling facility is trending, in comparison to other businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp.
Citywide, bars saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Bowlski's saw a dramatic 163.6% increase, with a slight upward trend from a three-star rating a month ago to 3.5 stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Bowlski's review count increased by more than 1,800%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the bar category: Las Palmas has seen a 28% increase in reviews, and Babb Brothers BBQ & Blues and The Crab Station have seen 2.9 and 23.8% increases, respectively.
Located at 1825 Abrams Parkway, Suite 1, in Lakewood, Bowlski's provides an array of on-site entertainment options such as bowling, billiards and arcade games, along with food and beverages. The restaurant menu features items like fried pickles, chicken wings, nachos, an all-beef hot dog and assorted pizzas.
Bowlski's is open from 11 a.m.–midnight on Monday-Thursday and Sunday and from 11 a.m.–2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
First Watch
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Northeast Dallas' location of the noteworthy chain First Watch, the traditional American breakfast and brunch cafe is a hot topic, according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, First Watch bagged a 47.6% increase in new reviews within that time frame, with a slight downward trend from a 3.5-star rating a month ago to its current three stars. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.7 times more reviews than expected, based on its past performance.
There's even more trending in Dallas' traditional American cuisine scene: an outpost of the Cowboy Chicken chain has seen a 1% increase in reviews.
Open at 6411 E. Northwest Highway, Suite 170, First Watch serves healthy made-to-order dishes for breakfast, brunch and lunch, with options ranging from soups, sandwiches and salads to pancakes, omelettes and avocado toast.
First Watch is open from 7 a.m.–2:30 p.m. daily.
House of Blues Restaurant & Bar
Victory Park's House of Blues Restaurant & Bar, a member of the well-known chain, is also making waves. Open at 2200 N. Lamar St., the New American gastropub, which is known for burgers and barbecue, has seen a 1.6% increase in new reviews over the last month — matching that of all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp.
House of Blues Restaurant & Bar specializes in classic Southern-style fare, serving items like shrimp and grits, gumbo, jambalaya, fried chicken, smoked brisket and pulled pork. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
House of Blues Restaurant & Bar is open from 4–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 4 p.m.–midnight on Friday, 11:30 a.m.–midnight on Saturday and from 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday.
San Martín Bakery & Restaurant
Uptown's San Martín Bakery & Restaurant is the city's buzziest breakfast and brunch eatery by the numbers.
The well-established breakfast and brunch destination, which can be found at 3120 McKinney Ave., increased its new review count by 7.5% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.4% for the Yelp category "Breakfast & Brunch." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.7 times more reviews than expected, based on past performance.
Originally founded in Guatemala, San Martín Bakery & Restaurant offers a variety of baked goods, pastries and Central American-inspired plates, including migas, tostadas and chicken tortilla soup.
San Martín Bakery & Restaurant is open from 7 a.m.–8 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 7 a.m.–9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
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.
