Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right this minute?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which restaurants have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Houston 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 on a hot streak this winter.
Torchy's Tacos
Open since August, this breakfast and brunch spot, which offers tacos and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 1.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Torchy's Tacos saw a 66.7% increase, with a slight downward trend from a three-star rating a month ago to 2.5 stars today. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Torchy's Tacos's review count increased by more than 240%.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Kenny & Ziggy's New York Delicatessen has seen a 1.7% increase in reviews.
Torchy's Tacos is an Austin-based franchise with outposts in four states. The location at 5537 Weslayan St. in Greenway offers tacos, salads and sides. For breakfast, look for more than 10 taco options, like the Wrangler (eggs, potatoes, smoked beef brisket and cheese with tomatillo sauce on a flour tortilla) and the Ranch Hand (eggs, marinated and grilled beef and cheese with diablo sauce). (Check out the entire menu here.)
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.
Savoir
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about the Heights's Savoir, the New American and Mediterranean spot, which offers pizza and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, Savoir bagged a 37% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a convincing four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.4 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Houston's New American scene: Jonathan's The Rub at Memorial Green has seen a 13.7% increase in reviews, and Ember & Greens has seen a 18.1% bump.
Open at 1344 Yale St. since September, Savoir offers salad, pasta, pizza, seafood and steak. Try the Brussels sprouts to start, and the Bolognese (pappardelle, braised brisket, bacon and house marinara) or the rib-eye as the main course. (Find the entire dinner menu here.)
Savoir is open from 5–10:30 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, 5–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 5–10 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)
Studewood Cantine
The Heights's Studewood Cantine is also making waves. Open since September at 1111 Studewood St., Suite A, the cocktail bar and Tex-Mex spot, which offers seafood and more, has seen a 28.1% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.6% for all businesses tagged "Seafood" on Yelp.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Houston's seafood category: Seaside Lounge has seen a 27.8% increase in reviews, and Krab Queenz and Tony's have seen 5.7 and 0.6% increases, respectively.
Studewood Cantine offers quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, tacos and wings. Over the past month, it's maintained a convincing 4.5-star rating among Yelpers. (Explore the menu here.)
Studewood Cantine is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday.
Loch Bar
Afton Oaks's Loch Bar is the city's buzziest bar by the numbers.
The bar, which offers seafood and more and opened at 4444 Westheimer Road, Suite G110, in June, increased its new review count by 18.8% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.7% for the Yelp category "Bars."
It's not the only trending outlier in the bar category: Oakmont has seen a 1.2% increase in reviews, and The Rustic has seen a 7.3% bump.
Loch Bar offers cold and hot appetizers, charcuterie boards, caviar, oysters and steak. Try the shellfish tower with chef’s selection of east coast oysters, clams, mussels, shrimp cocktails, Alaskan king crab, Maine lobster and crudos. (Explore the menu here.)
Loch Bar is open from 11 a.m.–2 a.m. daily.
Hiccups
Briarforest Area's Hiccups is currently on the upswing in the coffee and tea category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "Coffee & Tea" on Yelp saw a median 2.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, this Vietnamese spot, which offers coffee and tea and juices and smoothies, increased its new reviews by 41.2% — and kept its rating consistent at 3.5 stars.
There's more abuzz in the world of Houston coffee and tea: Anonymous Cafe has seen a 22.4% increase in reviews, and CoCo Crepes, Waffles & Coffee has seen a 1.1% bump.
The California-based Hiccups has more than 25 outposts in four states. Open for business at 11700B Westheimer Road since September, Hiccups offers Asian-fusion cuisine as well as coffee, milk tea, smoothies and specialty teas.
Hiccups is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–11 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.
