Automatic Noodle is a 2025 science fiction novella by Annalee Newitz. It was first published by Tordotcom.
Synopsis
In a future San Francisco, a group of independent robots — Cayenne, Hands, Sweetie, and Staybehind — open a restaurant, but are faced with review bombing.
Reception and awards
Kirkus Reviews noted superficial similarities to Travis Baldree's Legends & Lattes, about an orc who opens a coffee shop, but emphasized that Newitz included "social commentary about climate change, PTSD, and [the gatekeeping roles of platforms such as] Yelp and DoorDash", and called the overall work "both heartwarming and pointed".Automatic Noodle, reviewed at Kirkus Reviews; published August 5, 2025; retrieved August 7, 2026
Strange Horizons, conversely, found that this social commentary "felt (...) somewhat clumsy" (despite the novella as a whole being a "fun and relevant look at modern online culture"), and noted that although the robots have "interesting backstories", they also "came across as too human".Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz, reviewed by Nileena Sunil; at Strange Horizons; published December 1, 2025; retrieved August 7, 2026
Year Award Category Result 2025 Nebula Award Novella 2026 Hugo Award Novella Locus Award Novella
References
External links Newitz interviewed about Automatic Noodle, at the Chicago Review of Books