What's Heating Up Dallas' Food Scene This Month

DALLAS (HOODLINE) -- Want the inside word on Dallas' most happening local institutions?

We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to discover which local businesses have been on the tips of diners' tongues this month.

To find out who made the list, we looked at Dallas 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 places are riding a trend, right now.

Dibs on Victory

Situated across from American Airlines Center, this sports bar and New American joint is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.

Citywide, New American spots saw a median 4% increase in new reviews over the past month, but Dibs on Victory saw an imposing 108.3% increase, maintaining a strong 4.5-star rating throughout. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Dibs on Victory's review count increased by more than 190%.

Located at 2401 Victory Park Lane, Suite 190, in Victory Park, Dibs on Victory features a diverse menu of various starters, salads, dips and entree plates like chicken pot pie and barbecue ribs.

Kotta Sushi Lounge

Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Victory Park's Kotta Sushi Lounge, the sushi bar and Japanese bistro is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.

While businesses categorized as "Sushi Bars" on Yelp saw a median 3.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, Kotta Sushi Lounge Dallas bagged a substantial 109.1% increase in new reviews within that timeframe, with a slight upward trend from a four-star rating a month ago to its current 4.5 stars.

Open at 2301 N. Akard St., Kotta Sushi Lounge Dallas offers high-end cocktails and authentic Japanese sushi in a trendy dining environment.

Taco Diner

Lake Highlands' Taco Diner is also making waves. Established in 1991 and open at 7150 Skillman St., Suite 190, the bar and Tex-Mex eatery has seen a 13.5% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.8% for all businesses tagged "Bars" on Yelp. Moreover, on a month-to-month basis Taco Diner's review count increased by more than 1,000%.

There's more than one hot spot trending in Dallas's bar category: Delucca Gaucho Pizza & Wine has seen a 15.2% increase in reviews, and Tortaco has seen a 7% bump.

Taco Diner serves fare that fuses Mexican flavors with traditional American dishes. Over the past month, it's maintained a sound four-star rating among Yelpers.

Imoto

Victory Park's Imoto is the city's buzziest cocktail bar by the numbers.

The popular cocktail bar and pan Asian sushi restaurant, which opened at 2400 Victory Park Lane in June 2018, increased its new review count by 10.3% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 3.3% for the Yelp category "Cocktail Bars." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 1.4 times more reviews than expected based on past performance.

Imoto specializes in chef-driven cuisine and contemporary sushi items, along with sake, wine and cocktails.