Yo-kai Express @ Aloft

"Given that it's a vending machine, it's fairly decent. Veggies and meat all re-hydrated nicely. A bit pricey, but really convenient. It is very important that you stir it and let it sit as soon as possible."

"The first day i arrived at the hotel, I decided to give it a try. Ordered 3 meals. The first one chicken tom yum was fine but the 2nd and 3rd beef pho and spicy kimichi ramen was frozen. I thought when i handled the bottom as instructed it was fine. When I went to my room I was disappointed. The water had partially entered the pho but didnt not cook all the way and the water never entered the spicy kimchi. I had to go back down to the hotel microwave to cook meal. Later i sent a message to the company, I did receive a comment back to refund but they wanted my credit card number. In skepticism i only gave the last 4 because there should be a way to track the transactions. Or just issue a promo. Atleast I know if it happens again I know what to do to still get a good meal out of it. But for a first transaction I feel cheated. Still waiting for the company to make it right. Plus im leaving soon so its on a timer. Please make right Yo Kai express. Sad i didn't take pictures of food because i was disappointed but heres is something to identify the bowls. 2 STARS The company did respond and offered vouchers. I appreciate such act. But the problem happened again. The first was fine but the second bowl did not get punctured. I just added water and microwaved it. Later I shared with company a suggestion of troubleshooting the machine. Hopefully they do. Ill update to 3 stars. The soups were all tasty. Here are new photos."

"If you arrive SFO at night there’s very little meal option, but if you stay at Aloft SFO (as well as Sheraton next door) you can have hot Ramen anytime with Yo-kai automatic cooking robot. Arriving late at nigh, their hot soup noodle really is a life saver, and it is cooked within a minute. The big Yo-Kai machine is located in the lobby of Aloft, where there is a generously ample lobby area with a lot of table and sofas, you can have fresh hot noodle soup right away. They have 15-20 kinds of noodles and rice dish, ranging from traditional Tonkotsu Ramen/ Shoyu Ramen to Taiwanese or Korean soup noodles, as well as rice dishes with Teriyaki chicken or pork Chasiu bowl. They also have 2-3 plant based noodle/rice dishes if you are vegan. You can pay with credit card or airline voucher."

"So this really is noodle soup vending machine! You push a few buttons and your piping hot noodle soup comes out of a slot in the box a minute later. And you know what? The food is surprisingly decent! So, while I would probably rate the food quality 3 stars overall, I'm giving this experience an extra star purely for the novelty and entertainment value. I ordered a black garlic ramen noodle soup and it was quite good! The noodles were reasonably springy and while the broth was a bit watery, it was flavored properly. The pork slices were surprisingly decent! And at $12 per bowl, you're not going to break the bank here!"