5 'virtual restaurants' coming to Houston, available only via delivery apps and pick-up

HOUSTON, Texas -- Gabe Medina is back. The chef, who earned raves for his work at restaurants such as Kata Robata, Soma, and Aqui, will launch a new project this week in partnership with beverage expert Steven Salazar (The Kirby Group).

Under the banner of Click Robot Run, Medina will open five restaurants in a commercial kitchen in Rice Military (4901 Rose St.). Rather than traditional sit-down establishments, they're "virtual restaurants" that will only serve diners via pick-up, to-go, or delivery apps, such as Uber Eats and DoorDash. They are:

• A&J Provisions (opens Wednesday, June 26): a comfort food restaurant that offers both an array of grilled meats as well as vegan and vegetarian dishes.

• Bowling Club (opens August 2019): a Japanese rice bowl restaurant inspired by Medina's time working at Narisawa in Tokyo, widely considered one of the best restaurants in the world.

For three more new virtual restaurants and more information on the concept, visit our partners at Houston Culture Map.