Central Market – H-E-B’s bespoke, upscale grocery chain – has been a construction maze in San Antonio for a couple of years. But frequent lunch-hour flyers will be thrilled to learn the café is back in full swing, though there are some early-adopter kinks to watch out for.
A hoop and a holler have surely been heard since the hot-food and sandwich counters at Central Market began slinging to-go orders again. Anyone downtown, nearby, or swerving the hills of Alamo Heights knows this is a must-go for a quick lunch that feels special.
And it’s certainly up and running. But a bit of expectation management may be warranted for anyone with a regular order. The sandwich shop is now grilling smash burgers with a new flair (never mind the thick beef patties of yesteryear), but some accoutrements are missing from the build-your-own sandwich menu.
“What’s the point?” one customer asked an appeasing staffer when told chicken, ciabatta and paninis were no longer on the slate. She found a way, as there was the will, and seemed satisfied with the end result.
It’s jarring if you’ve spent years perfecting the sandwich, but the menu is mostly familiar. The food doesn’t disappoint, though it still takes as long as it always has – a handful of minutes. So place the order grab a drink and your salad or side while you wait.
This leads us to the prepared foods section. The familiar deli-counter-style carousel display of quesadillas, tarragon chicken salad and meatballs (along with countless other tried-and-true fan favorites) is back in a big way. But there is not such a wide pathway around it.
It’s manageable to peruse the selection, but you’ll likely be bumping shoulders or saying “excuse me” while weighing the difficult decision between spinach and roasted carrots. Maybe just go in with a game plan or be decisive that day if it’s peak hours.
Overall, the café section of Central Market, located at 4821 Broadway, is back in action and ready for lunchtime lulls or evening grab-and-gos. And there’s plenty of seating to make this a dining destination, nixing the need to find a park to chow down.
However, it’s best to remember where you left your car. The parking lot is still split between the grocery and café sides by small cranes and fencing as they wrap up the façade of this new swanky prepared-food side of the establishment. And exiting on one side means walking through the middle of spot-hunting shoppers’ way while navigating the construction site.