What food delivery services can I try in SF?

February 7, 2016 4:35 PM

I'm interested in food delivery services, preferably ones I can sign up for online. I'd like to try a number of them, whether they deliver from a restaurant ready to eat, a box of produce, deliver a box of food to make with a recipe, or to reheat, delivery a specialty item like booze or cookies or meals for particular diets, whatever.

I can't seem to find a complete list online, or a site that provides organized info on this space.

They don't have to be a startup, they can be old school, though I understand subscription startups usually have some sort of invite/code/coupon system so I can try one week/delivery at a discount/free. I'm in the Mission if it matters.

I don't expect MeFi people to send me codes/invites, but if people want to, my email is my username @gmail.com.

posted by gryftir to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

Munchery is one I've heard of.
posted by salvia at 4:39 PM on February 7, 2016

During a recent period of high stress when i didn't have time to cook much less think about eating, I used Munchery and Doordash pretty regularly otherwise I wouldn't eat.

The delivery people that Munchery uses tend to be better than the delivery people Doordash uses, who would routinely get super confused about how to find the super obvious lobby of my apartment building
posted by raw sugar at 4:52 PM on February 7, 2016

Best answer: Delivery from normal restaurants:
Eat24
Caviar
Seamless
Postmates
Uber Eats
GrubHub
Doordash

Delivery from their menu of foods:
Sprig
Square Meals
Munchery
Gobble

You cook:
Blue Apron
Plated

... I'm sure I'm missing at least 10 of them, these things pop up like mushrooms after a spring rain.
posted by asphericalcow at 5:17 PM on February 7, 2016 [4 favorites]

You may also find this Buzzfeed article that covers startups in various niches to helpful if you're looking for delivery of a specific item (alcohol/coffee/etc).
posted by asphericalcow at 5:21 PM on February 7, 2016

Another for the list (which I use occasionally): Spoonrocket.
posted by three_red_balloons at 5:33 PM on February 7, 2016

And Instacart...groceries on demand!
posted by ellerhodes at 6:20 PM on February 7, 2016

I've been impressed with HelloFresh and I LOVE the PhatBeets CSA.
posted by c'mon sea legs at 6:56 PM on February 7, 2016

Best answer: If you want to try Blue Apron hit me up in memail for a code. I can get you one free delivery. I've done it like 5 or 6 times. It's decent, fun, and a bit expensive, but i also learned a few cooking techniques I use with other meals. Butter toasted Panko was worth at least $20.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:04 PM on February 7, 2016

Best answer: I've had good experiences with GrubHub, Caviar, and DoorDash for restaurant delivery.

Caviar also has fastbite which promises meals in 15 min under $15 which was pretty good food but they just deliver curbside so you have to be able to go out and meet them.

I was using Sprig regularly and the availability and delivery service can be erratic.
posted by oneear at 7:12 PM on February 7, 2016

I did a trial week of Blue Apron for me and the kid when the mister was on business for a week. It was fantastic. The recipes were outside my comfort zone (the one and only time I've cooked fish) but do-able. It was ultimately impractiical for my situation, but a good experience.
posted by Ruki at 8:27 PM on February 7, 2016

I'm not sure if this qualifies, but Cako bakery is really easy to order from and they have an app. Their cupcakes are great!
posted by radioamy at 9:00 PM on February 7, 2016

Best answer: I don't know anything about them, but I keep getting Facebook ads for a booze delivery service called MiniBar. When Googling to remember their name, I also found Saucey.

Also not sure if this qualifies, but Google Express delivers a lot of foodstuffs including booze.
posted by radioamy at 9:04 PM on February 7, 2016

I've really enjoyed the food I've ordered from Munchery. I think I've got a code for $10 off. If so, I'll get it to you tomorrow.
posted by janey47 at 9:58 PM on February 7, 2016

My favorite one for restaurant delivery Caviar. Otherwise, asphericalcow's list is pretty good, but there are some things missing from the list:

For the services that deliver you recipes and ingredients, also add Hello Fresh and Purple Carrot. I've tried both and generally enjoyed it, although as a vegetarian I prefer Hello Fresh's veggie boxes to Purple Carrot, which is entirely vegan. Both give you big discounts on your first orders.

Also, if you want just straight up groceries delivered, there is Instacart and Amazon Fresh. I've used Instacart and found it easy.

For restaurant delivery, Delivered Dish is another one.

(I reviewed the services I used when I broke my foot if you want more of my personal thoughts.)
posted by AspirinPill at 11:23 PM on February 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: When I lived in the Bay Area I was obsessed with Farm Fresh to You -- they do a produce box, with free delivery, and I found them much easier to work with than other produce box companies. Super easy to skip weeks, plus the ability to flag foods you don't like and don't want them to deliver to you. At least a couple of years ago, they pretty frequently did deals for first-box-free on Groupon.
posted by rainbowbrite at 7:32 AM on February 8, 2016