Unsure where Austin'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 uncover which restaurants have been getting outsized notice this month.
To find out who made the list, we 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.
Read on to see which spots are worth exploring this winter.
Rosedale Kitchen And Bar
Open since July, this New American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Rosedale Kitchen and Bar saw a 19.4% increase, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Rosedale Kitchen and Bar's review count increased by more than 220%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille - Northside has seen a 14.6% increase in reviews, and Olamaie and Caroline have seen 2.7 and 4.6% increases, respectively.
Located at 3800 N. Lamar Blvd. in Rosedale, Rosedale Kitchen and Bar offers offers BLT sandwiches made with pork belly, pan roasted salmon with sweet potato noodles, spinach and mushroom and peanut butter ice cream for dessert.
Rosedale Kitchen and Bar is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday, 5–11 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–9 p.m. on Sunday.
Torchy's Tacos
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Austin's Torchy's Tacos, the well-established breakfast and brunch spot, which offers tacos and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, Torchy's Tacos bagged a 7.8% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a strong four-star rating.
There's more that's trending on Austin's breakfast and brunch scene: Nervous Charlie's has seen a 6.1% increase in reviews, and First Watch and Bird Bird Biscuit have seen 4.9 and 5.5% increases, respectively.
Open at 110 San Antonio St., Unit 120, since 2018, Torchy's Tacos, helmed by former executive chef Mike Rypka, offers breakfast tacos like one stuffed with chorizo, egg and cheese, as well as fusion fare such as the Brushfire with Jamaican jerk chicken, grilled jalapeños and mango. Also, on offer are margaritas, other cocktails and a local rotating selection of beer and wine.
Torchy's Tacos is open from 7 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday, 8 a.m.–11 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday.
Anthem
Downtown Austin's Anthem is also making waves. Open since September at 91 Rainey St., Suite 120, the popular beer bar, cocktail bar and traditional American spot has seen a 6.9% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.4% for all businesses tagged "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Austin's traditional American category: SPIN Austin has seen a 6% increase in reviews, and TLC Austin has seen a 5.4% bump.
Anthem offers Hawaiian-themed menu includes an Aloha burger with bacon, gruyere cheese and grilled pineapple, a curry vegan hot dog on a pretzel bun and the coastal fish and fries with redfish fried in a tempura beer batter with cilantro and Cajun panko served with furikake fries. (To view the menu, click here.) Over the past month, it's maintained a convincing 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Anthem is open from 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–midnight on Friday, 11 a.m.–midnight on Saturday and 11 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.
