Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending at this very moment?
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 discover which eateries have been in the limelight this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at Houston businesses on Yelp by category and counted how many reviews each received. Rather than compare them based on the 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 extra cool, right now.
Traveler's Table
Open since October, this cocktail bar, which offers tapas, seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw a median 1.6% increase in new reviews over the past month. Traveler's Table only recently appeared on Yelp, but, while many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, it has seen strong initial popularity, maintaining a 4.5-star rating.
According to its page on Yelp, Traveler's Table is "A globally inspired eatery serving hand-selected dishes from around the world."
It's not the only trending outlier in the seafood category: Flying Fish has seen a 10.2% increase in reviews, and Neyow's Creole Cafe and 1751 Sea and Bar have seen 7.1 and 7.3% increases, respectively.
Located at 520 Westheimer Road in Montrose, Traveler's Table offers “curated global cuisine" according to its website. On the menu, look for pei mussels (Thai, Belgian or Spanish), along with entrees like pork vindaloo, honey miso salmon and chicken pibil.
Traveler's Table is open from 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday.
The Toasted Yolk Cafe
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Westchase's The Toasted Yolk Cafe, the breakfast and brunch and New American 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, The Toasted Yolk Cafe bagged an impressive 125% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a solid 4.5-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.9 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
The Toasted Yolk Cafe has 10 Houston-area locations. Open at 12151 Westheimer Road since September, the eatery offers breakfast favorites like buttermilk pancakes, French toast, omelets and doughnuts. Yelpers recommend ordering the Cowboy Scramble, which is buttermilk biscuits covered with bacon, sausage, ham and onions paired with scrambled eggs topped with sausage gravy.
The Toasted Yolk Cafe is open from 7 a.m.–3 p.m. daily.
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue
The Height's L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, a franchise of the famous chain with over 200 locations, is also making waves. Open since October at 209 Heights Blvd., the Hawaiian spot, which offers barbecue and comfort food, has seen a 3% increase in new reviews over the last month — matching that of all businesses tagged "Barbeque" on Yelp.
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue offers chicken and beef barbecue bowls, along with fried shrimp, shredded pork and the chicken katsu plate. Over the past month, it's maintained a superior 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue is open from 10 a.m.–9 p.m. daily.
Postino Montrose
Montrose's Postino Montrose is the city's buzziest breakfast and brunch spot by the numbers.
The wine bar and Italian and breakfast/brunch spot, which opened at 805 Pacific St. in September, increased its new review count by 64.1% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.9% for the Yelp category "Breakfast & Brunch." It is currently maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating on Yelp.
Interested in more about this business? We found this in its Yelp history section: "We started in a small building in Phoenix that was once a post office! Since then we have grown into several more communities and always stay in touch with the community roots and the people of the neighborhood. We believe in making people feel good and doing so with genuine passion and integrity."
Postino Montrose offers a wide variety of brunch options like walnut toast, bacon, fruit, scones and the Farm Scramble, which is eggs with roasted potatoes, herbs, onions and gruyere and aged white cheddar cheeses. Yelpers recommend bringing your puppy, sitting on the patio and ordering a customizable bruschetta board.
Postino Montrose is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.–midnight on Friday, 9 a.m.–midnight on Saturday and 9 a.m.–10 p.m. on 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.
