I recently stumbled across an early '50s photo of Audrey Hepburn, white gloves and all, standing in front of a row of chrome and glass cubicles at a Manhattan Horn & Hardart Automat.
The starlet in the photo is presumably about to put her nickels into a slot that will open to a seductive slice of pie, an illuminated slab of meatloaf or something similarly tasty. Both Hepburn and Horn & Hardart have passed on before us — but one is about to be reborn in San Antonio.
Given a boost during the pandemic, the notion of "touchless" or "contactless" food ordering has once again become a dining option. You can get anything from a steaming bowl of ramen to an entire, freshly baked pizza from a vending machine somewhere in the U.S.
Gone is the polished-brass posh of the original automats — which proliferated across the U.S. in the early 20th century then all but disappeared with the birth of fast food chains — but at least no nickels are involved.
At the Alamo City's Lombrano Food Hall, a small order-pickup foyer fronts a warehouse of ghost kitchens for rent. Unlike a conventional food hall, you see nothing of what's going on in any of the presumably individual operations beyond a wall of opaque, gym-locker-like cubicles.
Patrons complete their orders at a single, touch-screen kiosk. Be warned that each individual "restaurant" requires a separate order and payment, and it takes time for the kiosk to reboot between each interaction. So, if you're blithely mixing Thai with Italian and Argentinian, for example, this can take some time.
Once each order is ready, Lombrano's system will send a text message with a code to tap that opens your cubicle and allows you to claim your food.
Be aware as well that each kitchen is allowed to operate at its own schedule within broad opening parameters, so if the hubby is jonesing for Asian Fusion and the bestie has a yen for barbecue, that may require careful advance planning. Asian Fusion, as it happens, is a popular category at Lombrano, with at least four operators touting such options. As of this writing, there's also Thai, Cajun, sushi, sandwiches, burgers, empanadas and the aforementioned barbecue option.
Of these I have tried five.
Noods Mexican-Asian Fusion gets its cross-cultural creds from adding carne asada or al pastor meat to otherwise standard Thai or Chinese fare. The Pad Thai is a good, sturdy rendition, although you might not notice the difference gained by subbing al pastor Pad Thai for the standard chicken or shrimp version if it weren't pointed out. The same goes for the lo mein noodles. There you have a choice of protein that ranges from carne asada to tofu and al pastor to chicken, but since the noodles are what really count, the fusion is only secondary.
Though I didn't have them, the Korean fried chicken tacos might come the closest to an actual cultural mashup. In that case, the sweetly sauced chicken is tossed into flour tortillas with chipotle mayo, slaw, cilantro and sesame seeds for a trip across several borders.
Pad Thai also makes an appearance at T's Thai Express. However, that ghost kitchen's Thai-style honey pork ribs stood out as a unique dish. Slow-braised and wok-seared, they're served in a "secret brown sauce" which appears much more abundant in the online photo. The not-so-secret end result was four plump, tender and sweet ribs with little visual or textural appeal but decent Asian-spice flavor. If you order them, a side of simple fried rice might be appropriate.
With offerings ranging from a French dip sandwich to banh mi and katsu pollo, another of Lombrano's ghost kitchens, Eat Chingon, is like a mini food hall on its own. The dart landed on the eponymous Cochinita Chingona sandwich, and it's a good one — with the exception of a feckless "French" roll. The filling is achiote-marinated pulled pork, plenty spicy in its own right, paired with a smear of incendiary habanero paste and a raft of pickled red onions for a cool, tangy crunch. Avocado is an optional addition.
A small tub of very good black beans with bacon accompanied the sandwich, make it an appealing combo anywhere. The red beans and rice from Eat Wit Yo Eyez are also worth ordering, though they could have used a little less rice and a little more beans.
The prize for packaging, hands down, has to go to The Royal Pasty Co. The name evokes British roots but the baked empanadas — artfully crimped around generous fillings that range from ground beef with cheese and bacon to poblanos and corn and apple cinnamon — speak many languages and make perfect handheld snacks. They come in a nifty, logo-sealed box along with a couple of herbal sauces.
Hepburn's white gloves almost wouldn't be amiss in this case. But do use a fork for the Royal side salad you'll want to order for contrast.
Lombrano Food Hall
4275 Lombrano St., Lombranofoodhall.com
See website for operating hours of individual restaurants, along with their menus and prices.
The skinny: Lombrano Food Hall is more like a food foyer — a small ordering space fronting a "ghost" kitchen encompassing 16 or so individual restaurant operations. Two picnic tables offer seating out front, but it's otherwise assumed diners will either order online for pickup or start their order in person at a single touch screen. Food options range from American to Thai to empanadas. While everything sampled has been at least good, the Cochinita Chingona sandwich was a singular standout.
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