Wondering where Austin's insiders 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 and SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to analyze which local businesses have been on the tips of diners' tongues 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 have the momentum heading into springtime.
The Peacock
Open since December, this Mediterranean, breakfast and brunch and Turkish spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 1.3% increase in new reviews over the past month. The Peacock only recently appeared on Yelp, but while many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, it has seen strong initial popularity.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: Spread & Co has seen a 120% increase in reviews, and Blenders and Bowls, Domain and Wholy Bagel have seen 8 and 19.6% increases, respectively.
Located at 600 W. Second St. in downtown Austin, The Peacock draws inspiration from the cuisines of North Africa, Greece, Israel and Lebanon. Popular dishes include lamb labneh and beef short rib hummus, entrees like wild cod tagine and desserts that include sticky toffee date pudding. Drop by for brunch and try the mezze platter or baklava granola bowl.
Cooper's Sandwiches
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about East Oak Hill's Cooper's Sandwiches, the sandwich spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Sandwiches" on Yelp saw a median 1.8% increase in new reviews over the past month, Cooper's Sandwiches appeared on Yelp relatively recently. Many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, but it has seen a surge of interest.
Want more about the business's specialties in the words of the people behind it? "We are a family-owned and run sandwich shop focused on creating out-of-the-box specialty sandwiches." — that's from its its Yelp page.
There's more that's trending on Austin's sandwich scene: Southside Market & Barbeque has seen a 58.3% increase in reviews, and Zoes Kitchen and Domino's Pizza have seen 1.8 and 11.1% increases, respectively.
Open at 4601 SW Parkway, Suite 106, since November, Cooper's Sandwiches offers build-your-own sandwiches, salads and Amy's ice cream. Popular specialty sandwiches include the Cooper, which features Buffalo chicken, bacon, pepper jack and blue cheese on a brioche bun, and the vegan Lulu, a tomato basil wrap filled with hummus, spinach, tomato, cucumber, avocado, olives and red onions.
Cooper's Sandwiches is open from 10 a.m.–8 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m.–8 p.m. on weekends.
Texas French Bread
West University's Texas French Bread is also making waves. Open at 2900 Rio Grande St., the popular bakery, wine bar and New American spot has seen a 0.9% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.3% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, Texas French Bread saw visits more than triple over the past month.
Here's more about the faces behind the business. "Texas French Bread was established by Judy Willcott in 1981 as a modest bread baking business that quickly expanded into a neighborhood favorite," according to its history section on Yelp. "Today, the bakery and bistro is owned by her son, Murph Willcott, who has added a farm-to-table dinner service to the restaurant's offerings."
There's more than one hot spot trending in Austin's New American category: Flower Child has seen a 0.9% increase in reviews.
Texas French Bread, which uses locally sourced ingredients, offers baked goods, breakfast tostadas, eggs and Challah French toast. The dinner menu features mussels in a vegetable broth, salmon with leek puree and charred cabbage and tagliatelle bolognese. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Texas French Bread is open from 7 a.m.–3 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, 7 a.m.–10 p.m. on Wednesday-Friday and 8 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekends. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., and people visit Texas French Bread most on Saturdays and Wednesdays, with a slowdown on Fridays.
Wonder Bar
North Burnett's Wonder Bar is the city's buzziest bar by the numbers.
The bar, which opened at 11500 Rock Rose Ave. in May 2019, increased its new review count by 13.6% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.5% for the Yelp category "Bars." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.8 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.
For more on the faces behind the business, we turned again to Yelp: "We wanted to create a fun and interactive bar with unique specialty cocktails."
It's not the only trending outlier in the bar category: Vixen’s Wedding has seen a 11.5% increase in reviews, and Texas Chili Parlor has seen a 0.4% bump.
Wonder Bar offers specialty cocktails served in cool containers like a disco ball and Patron bottle. Try the popular #FOMO, which features Bombay Sapphire, raspberry and lemon, and Livin' My Best Life, made with Patrón Silver, Patrón Citrónge Orange, coconut water and lime raspberry. The food menu features burgers, buffalo wings, fried pickles, tacos and more.
Wonder Bar is open from 3 p.m.–2 a.m. on weekdays and noon–2 a.m. on weekends.
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.
