Want the inside word on Houston's most happening local spots?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to deduce which restaurants have been getting outsized notice 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, right now.
Gyu-kaku Japanese BBQ
Open since March, this Japanese, barbecue and Asian fusion spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as 'Barbecue' on Yelp.
Citywide, barbecue spots saw a median 2.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ saw an 84.4% increase, with a slight upward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to 4.5 stars today.
Located at 7748 Cypress Creek Parkway in Willowbrook, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ offers Asian-style barbecue beef, pork and chicken, as well as traditional Japanese options like ramen, miso soup, edamame spring rolls and more.
Ruchi's Mexican Grill
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Greater Uptown's Ruchi's Mexican Grill, the Mexican breakfast and brunch spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as 'Mexican' on Yelp saw a median 2.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, Ruchi's Mexican Grill bagged a 9.6% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a mixed three-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 5.5 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
Open at 6410 Westheimer Road since 2009, Ruchi's Mexican Grill offers authentic Mexican meals, such as chicken stew, pork ribs, fish tacos, quesadillas, gorditas, parrilladas, sopes and more.
Fukuoka Sushi Bar & Grill
Midtown's Fukuoka Sushi Bar & Grill is also making waves. Open since August 2018 at 2808 Milam St., Suite C, the Japanese restaurant and sushi bar has seen an 8.7% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.8% for all businesses tagged 'Sushi Bars' on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis, Fukuoka Sushi Bar & Grill's review count increased by more than 170%.
Fukuoka Sushi Bar & Grill offers sashimi and sushi rolls, as well as bento boxes, ramen, udon noodles, tempura, fried rice and other authentic Japanese dishes. Over the past month, it's maintained a sound 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
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.
