Back to the Future at Newport’s Automat Kitchen
The automat holds a special place in our culinary history. Originally conceived of in Berlin in the 19th Century as a self-service restaurant, the concept really took off in America - Philly and NYC to be exact - after the Great Depression. Horn and Hardart was the name of the chain of American automats that served well-prepared comfort food out of glass and chrome cubes stacked on the walls of splashy dining rooms. Customers lined up to pour their nickels into machines before selecting their chicken pot pie, Rueben sandwich, or other classic staples of the time. By the 1960s, there were over 100 Horn and Hardarts in NYC alone.
Of course, tastes change as time marches on. By the early 1990s, most of the Horn and Hardarts had been converted into Burger Kings, and the last one officially closed in 1991. If you are feeling curious or nostalgic about Horn and Hardarts, look out for “The Automat,” an independent documentary by Lisa Hurwitz. It has glowing advance press and is slated to come out later this year. In the meantime, check out our very own modern-day Automat here in JC! Automat Kitchen is located at 525 Washington Boulevard, at the base of the Newport Mall. Like the old days, Automat serves classic comfort food, with some modern upgrades to the business model. No longer pre-made, each dish is cooked fresh to order by a team of unseen chefs behind a screen. Customers can prepay and order online or place the order in house via touchscreen. One thing that has not changed? Chicken pot pie is still on the menu and is in fact Automat’s most popular dish. There are also tacos, salads, six versions of mac and cheese and yes, a pastrami Reuben. You can treat yourself to a good old fashioned Ice Cream Float to complete your experience. Enjoy!
525 Washington Boulevard, https://automatkitchen.com/