The cubby hole tiles open, making a loud buzzing sound and spitting out piping hot food, ordered just minutes ago. The dish is completely customized for the consumer, ordered from a menu with a plethora of cuisines and flavors. The whole process of the automization is a secret — workers sign a confidentiality agreement and when the cubby door opens, the back side is covered by another flap. The future of dining is here in the form of Eatsa, an eatery located in the heart of Silicon Valley which mechanizes the entire dining process.

Once an order has been placed, it’s created behind a wall of cubbies by real people and comes out within five minutes. There is zero human interaction — customers order on a touchscreen tablet and get waited on by an automatic cubby hole.

“We’re getting automation involved,” says store development manager Roe Palce. “That is something to look forward to in the future and that’s why I joined Eatsa.”   

Falafel and Harissa Bite ($2.59)

Seasoned to perfection, the falafel and harissa bite was the ideal way to start the meal. The appetizing green color, spongy texture and flavorful seasoning makes the falafel seem as though it came straight from a Mediterranean street vendor. The undertones of roasted peppers and the sour aftertaste of the harissa perfectly complements the falafel. As indicated by its name, the ‘bite,’ consisting of just three small falafel, leaves everyone wanting more.

Custom Bowl ($7.34)

The best part of the restaurant is the flexibility wi
th creating custom bowls. Eatsa provides a variety of selections for types of grain, crunchies, warm toppers and sauces. The custom bowl we created included ancient grain pilaf, marinated tofu, roasted squash, crispywonton strips and teriyaki. Each ingredient  was well spiced and complemented
the rest of the dish. The grains provided a good body to the meal. The crispy wonton strips acted to balance the dish. The squash brought a change in texture to counter the other ingredients, however, was partially overcooked.

Berry Chia Parfait ($2.95)

While the berry filling in the middle tasted fresh and tangy, the rest of the parfait had a weird texture. The flavor of the parfait was similar to greek yogurt. It was hard to consume after the jam, which was layered on top, was all eaten. While the berry filling was strong, there was not enough to to portion thorughout the parfait.