Orderup

San Antonio’s favorite fast foods are burgers, pizzas and tacos, so putting them all together in one place must have made sense…OrderUp!


Ron Bechtol


Well, why not: San Antonio’s favorite fast foods are burgers, pizzas and tacos, so putting them all together in one place must have made sense. Such is the premise of Orderup, and let me say this right upfront: Even if there were better examples of each category elsewhere — and there are — they deserve credit for trying. And for coming up with a good-looking space, clean graphics and an efficient order system. Then there are the chocolate chip cookies. There have been occasions when they have been disappointingly doughy, but my last example was both heavy in the hand and light on the palate, the quintessential cookie … but I digress.

Summer vacation meant that Orderup Lincoln Heights was full of kids at lunch, but the noise level was surprisingly tolerable. Counter staff likely thought I was the one misbehaving by ordering a burger, a taco and a salad plus a pizza to go. Ten minutes later, all but the pizza arrived, and I truly hoped nobody was paying attention (they weren’t); the small salad is a meal in itself. I had picked the romaine version with three of the most luxurious toppings I could muster (artichoke hearts, avocado and shredded Parmesan, for the record) and managed to eat only about half of it. The honey mustard dressing, also for the record, emphasizes the honey part. Maybe ranch next time.

The beanburger comes with “smashed” pintos, mayo, cheese, tortilla chips (not Fritos, take note) and pico de gallo, and though the beef itself was fine, most of the secondary players were overwhelmed by the admittedly well-seasoned beans. More crunch was needed. The grilled-fish taco, served with cabbage and chipotle mayo in a tender corn tortilla, was flavorful enough but seemed a little short on pescado.

When the personal pizza was delivered to my table, by the owner’s mother as it happens, she informed me that he was about to take pizzas out of the equation, citing relative lack of popularity, longer order times … so whether I liked it or not is almost immaterial. Again for the record, my Margherita pizza was simple and fresh but a little strident in its garlic component.

I neglected to ask if breakfast pizzas would be phased out as well. (Adios, green eggs and ham?) Regardless, breakfast tacos, egg-based burgers and plates the likes of chilaquiles will remain to fill the void. Have them with locally roasted coffee.

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