Food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today?
Recommended Videos
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which eateries have been in the limelight 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 sizzling hot, right now.
KRISP Korean Fried Chicken
Open since May, this chicken shop and Korean spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Chicken Shop" on Yelp.
Citywide, chicken shops saw a median 6.7% increase in new reviews over the past month. KRISP Korean Fried Chicken 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 chicken shop category: Chick'nCone has seen a 36.5% increase in reviews.
Located at 9486 Long Point Road in Spring Branch West, KRISP Korean Fried Chicken offers fried chicken and stir-fried rice cakes, with sides like truffle fries and kimchi. (Check out the entire menu here.)
KRISP Korean Fried Chicken is open from 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
Yummy's Bite
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Greater Uptown's Yummy's Bite, the food truck and chicken shop, which offers burgers and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Burgers" on Yelp saw a median 3% increase in new reviews over the past month, Yummy's Bite appeared on Yelp relatively recently. Many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, but it has seen a surge of interest.
Want to know more about who's behind the business? We found this on Yelp: "We are a new food truck stationed at the Houston-Galleria Food Truck Park. Our mission is to put a smile on our customers' faces after trying our delicious foods. Family owned and operated!"
Want more about the business's specialties in the words of the people behind it? "American Mediterranean fusion; Syrian-American fusion; Halal fried chicken and burgers." — that's according to its Yelp page.
Open at 2829 Chimney Rock Road since March, Yummy's Bite offers chicken sandwiches, burgers, fries and chicken tenders. On the menu, look for the Syrian fried chicken sandwich, Yummy's chicken waffle sandwich and Yummy's tender basket.
Yummy's Bite is open from noon–9 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and noon–8 p.m. on Sunday. (It's closed on Wednesday.)
London Cafe
West Oaks's London Cafe is also making waves. Open since November at 2310 Highway 6 South, Suite B, the breakfast and brunch and traditional American spot is relatively new to Yelp, but has seen a surge of new reviews, while all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp saw an increase of 1.5% for new reviews in the past month.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Houston's breakfast and brunch category: The Toasted Yolk Cafe has seen a 13.9% increase in reviews.
London Cafe offers traditional morning diner staples like omelettes, French toast, crepes and skillets. The lunch and dinner crowd may opt for a salad, sandwich, burger or pasta plate. (Explore the full menu here.)
Over the past month, London Cafe has maintained a healthy 4.5-star rating among Yelpers. It is open from 7 a.m.–9 p.m. daily.
The Burger Joint
The Heights's The Burger Joint is the city's buzziest sandwich spot by the numbers.
The spot to score burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches, which opened at 2002 N. Shepherd Drive in February, is still relatively new to Yelp but has seen a surge of new reviews. Meanwhile, the median new review count for the Yelp category "Sandwiches" was up 2% over the past month.
Curious about the business owner? Here's more on that from Yelp: "Matthew is proud to be the owner of The Burger Joint, where quality burgers are the driving force of the business. Matthew leads his team by example, going above and beyond for every customer."
What does this business focus on? "Welcome to The Burger Joint! You'll love every bite of our handcrafted burgers made with 100% Angus beef. Whether you're ordering The Classic, a favorite of all ages, or you want to switch it up with The Mexi or The Opa!, there's something here for everyone to sink their teeth into." — that's from its page on Yelp.
The Burger Joint has more than 10 burgers on the menu, along with hot dogs, bowls, sandwiches and shakes. (Find the full menu here.)
The Burger Joint is open from 11 a.m.–midnight on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–2 a.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.