10 Best Meal Delivery Services in Long Beach 2023: +Discounts

Long Beach may give some small town vibes, at first, but in reality, it’s quite spaced-out. So, unless you like driving for groceries and food, a meal delivery service is your best bet.

The good news is that most of the big meal delivery brands deliver in Long Beach, so all you have to do is find the one that works for your dietary needs and budget. To make things a bit easier, I worked with our team of experts and found the top 10 best meal delivery services in Long Beach.

First on my list is Home Chef because it’s a perfect fit with the city’s diverse culinary scene. The menu is flexible, there are options from a wide range of international cuisines, and it fits most people’s budgets. But there are more contenders on my list, so make sure to keep reading!

The Best Meal Delivery Services in Long Beach Reviewed

1. Home Chef – Great For Long Beach’s Diverse Dining Scene

Key Features

• Meal kits with various preparation times

• 25+ unique recipes per week plus extras

• Dietary options include carb-conscious and calorie-smart

• Current deal: Get 60% off your first three boxes

Long Beach has an incredibly diverse dining scene, so its denizens can easily enjoy authentic international cuisine whenever they feel like it. So only a meal delivery service that has a diverse menu and flexible options would fit the bill for such customers, right?

Home Chef is the right choice because the menu is diverse, it includes international foods, and it has something new every week. Plus, if you don’t like a meal, you can use the Customize It option and swap the protein with something more to your taste.

As my colleague puts it in her well-researched Home Chef review, this is one of the most versatile meal delivery services out there. The well-stocked Extras section is perfect for picky eaters who want something extra in their box. From here, you can choose snacks, breakfast, or extra protein to enhance your meals.

2. Blue Apron – Best Choice for Long Beach Foodies

Key Features

• Meal kits and ready-to-eat recipes

• 19+ unique recipes per week plus add-ons

• Dietary options include WW-recommended, vegetarian, and health conscious

• Current deal: Enjoy $110 off across your first 5 orders

Long Beach is a well-known haven for foodies because it offers a multicultural culinary experience to anyone adventurous enough. But not everyone can (or wants to) go out every night of the week.

Luckily, Blue Apron delivers the same level of diversity and restaurant-worthy meals right to your doorstep. Plus, the company also has a wine menu (separate from the food menu), and it even teaches you how to pair it with its dishes!

Our Blue Apron review also shows that the service sits right at the sweet spot between high-quality meals and reasonable prices. All this makes healthy eating in a city that’s famously quite expensive more accessible.

3. Green Chef – Great for an Active Lifestyle

Key Features

• Quick and easy to prep meal kits

• 24+ unique recipes per week

• 6 dietary options including keto, vegetarian, and gluten-free

• Current deal: Get $250 off + free shipping

Long Beach is often prized for its active lifestyle and adventurous people who enjoy spending time outside practicing a sport they love. This is why I think a service like Green Chef fits right in – the menu is focused on healthy eating, and you can follow several diets such as keto, paleo, or vegetarian.

According to my colleague’s deep-dive into Green Chef, this was also the first meal delivery service to be USDA-certified organic. So it’s clear that the focus is on healthy eating.

If you don’t follow a specific diet, you have the freedom to mix and match meals from different plans. This will make your weekly order a lot more interesting since it broadens the type of meals you get to enjoy.

4. HelloFresh – Best for a More Adventurous Culinary Experience

Key Features

• Supported by Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka

• 30+ unique recipes per week

• Dietary plans include vegetarian, pescatarian, and calorie smart

Besides the menu variety and interesting (often) adventurous options, I like that HelloFresh has a pescatarian meal plan. Long Beach is a city with a strong seaside culinary culture, so it makes sense its denizens will expect this type of meal from their chosen meal delivery service.

Also, as you can see from our own HelloFresh review, the menu can accommodate a vegetarian or a flexitarian diet without a problem. Each week, there are between 12 and 20 veggie-forward meals for you to choose from.

And, if you're looking for inspiration about new and adventurous recipes, you can always check HelloFresh’s Cookbook, where you’ll find a wide selection of meals together with step-by-step instructions on how to prepare and cook them.

5. Purple Carrot – Delicious Options for Gluten-Free or Veggie Diets

Key Features

• Meal kits and prepared meals

• 16+ unique weekly recipes (meal kits and prepared) plus add-ons

• 6 dietary options including gluten-free, soy-free, and vegan

Purple Carrot’s meals are high in protein and gluten-free, which makes it a great option for Long Beach denizens who follow a restrictive diet. Of course, it’s also a great fit for those who simply want to eat more veggies and don’t know how to make it interesting. 

Purple Carrot mastered the art of making veggies appealing even to lifelong meat-eaters, so it’s definitely worth a try. If you want to learn how fresh veggies get turned into delicious and satisfying meals, my colleague’s Purple Carrot review is a good place to start.

However, I’m a bit disappointed in the number of weekly options. Even though there are new recipes each week, it can still get challenging to choose meals for an entire week. Luckily, there are a few interesting add-ons for breakfast and lunch that spice things up.

6. Marley Spoon – Recipes Enhanced by Martha Stewart's Spice Blends

Key Features

• The menu fits a general palate

• 45+ unique recipes per week

• 5 dietary categories including Health-Conscious, Vegetarian, Meat & Fish, and more

Martha Stewart is loved everywhere in the US, and Long Beach is no different. Her recipes and cooking style are legendary, so it’s no wonder that Marley Spoon is quite a popular service in the city.

I was hooked by the diverse menu and multitude of recipes rooted in international cuisines, such as Japanese Curry Chicken or Greek Avgolemono Chicken Soup. As my colleague puts it in their in-depth Marley Spoon review, this may be one of the best all-rounder meal delivery services on the market.

But I also like that the company employs sustainable practices and works hard to keep its packaging recyclable. Also, to reduce food waste, the ingredients come prepared and weighed for exactly the number of servings specified on the packaging.

7. Freshly – Easy, Ready-Made Meals Focused on Healthy Eating

Key Features

• Best for singles and busy people

• 40+ unique recipes per week

• Dietary options include gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, and carb-conscious

Freshly is a service that delivers prepared meals right to your doorstep. The menu is varied, and there are several dishes from international cuisine, but the main focus is on creating healthier versions of homemade classic comfort foods.

Overall, as my colleague says in their in-depth Freshly review, the focus is on less sugar and fewer processed ingredients. Also, the meals aren’t frozen for delivery, so the final taste and texture don’t suffer any alterations.

I would’ve liked to see a few more plant-based meals, though. Right now, there are only around four veggie options per week. There’s much more variety on the gluten-free menu with many meals being prepared in a gluten-free facility (those that aren’t are clearly marked). You can also find several great low-calorie or low-carb recipes.

8. Fresh and Easy – Home Chef’s Easiest Meal Plan

Key Features

• Possibility to exclude common allergens from the menu

• 14+ unique recipes per week

• 3 dietary options: vegetarian, calorie-conscious, and carb-conscious

Fresh and Easy is a Home Chef brand that focuses on simple and easy-to-cook recipes. The menu includes 15 minutes meal kits, Fast & Fresh recipes, and oven- and grill-ready dishes. Also, there are a few entree salads where all you have to do is mix the pre-cooked and pre-portioned ingredients. Easy peasy!

My colleague’s deep look into Fresh and Easy also shows that the brand is great for users who want healthy meals but don’t have the time to prep and cook them. This is why Fresh and Easy works great for Long Beach denizens who have a busy and active lifestyle.

9. EveryPlate – Great for Long Beach Denizens on a Budget

Key Features

• Family Plate meal plan, perfect for families with children

• 18+ unique recipes per week plus add-ons

• Dietary options include veggie-forward meals

Life in Long Beach isn’t exactly cheap, so if you’re looking for a break from high bills and costly meals, EveryPlate is the perfect option! The menu is designed for a general palate and includes delicious classic American meals that warm the heart and fill the stomach.

The service delivers meal kits with pre-portioned and prepared ingredients, and there’s even a Family Friendly plan with meals made for some of the fussiest of eaters. More about this, you can learn from our stellar EveryPlate review.

Also, at $1.49 per serving, EveryPlate is one of the most affordable meal delivery services on the market.

10. Grubhub – All Your Favorite Restaurants in One Place

Key Features

• Over 500 restaurants in the Long Beach area 

• A wide range of cuisines including Asian, Mediterranean, and Mexican

• Access to 24h food delivery services

Grubhub is a food delivery service that connects local restaurants with people who want a delicious meal but don’t feel like going out. You can order from the website or app, and based on your location, you’ll see the restaurants closer to you. This way, the delivery doesn’t take too long, and the food will reach you hot and ready to eat.

Using Grubhub, you can discover new places to eat and try new foods in the comfort of your home. Also, it’s the go-to service when everyone gathers at your place, and you have nothing in the fridge.

The service offers a series of discounts, depending on the time of year, but you can also cut down costs by subscribing to Grubhub+ (free delivery). Still, this depends on how much you order in a month, so do a cost-benefit analysis first.

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Meal Delivery Services in Long Beach

While we all have different preferences, especially when it comes to food, there are a few criteria you can use to thin down the list of many meal delivery services in the area. Here are a few that always work for me:

• Specific dietary needs: Are you on a low-carb or low-calorie diet? Or maybe you need a diabetes-friendly or gluten-free diet to support your health. Regardless, make sure the provider you select caters to your needs and has enough options on the menu for an entire week.

• Meal kits vs. prepared meals: Do you like putting together your meals, or do you just want to put them in the oven/microwave and be done with the cooking? If you alternate between both, look for a service that has meal kits and prepared meals.

• Ingredients and suppliers: Fresh, nutrient-rich ingredients are a must for delicious meals. Also, check out the providers – where are the ingredients coming from, and are they using sustainable practices?

• Budget: Good food doesn’t have to be expensive, and most meal delivery services try to cater to a diverse audience. So look for discounts and services that fit your current budget.

Bottom Line: Should I Try Meal Delivery Services in Long Beach?

If you’re looking for healthy and affordable meals that require little to no effort, then yes! Long Beach is a city that has a lot to offer from a culinary standpoint, but the cost of living is higher than in other US areas.

This means that not everyone can afford to eat out all the time. Plus, depending on the type of restaurants you’re trying, it may not be that good for your health. But a service like Home Chef  solves all these problems and grants you the freedom to focus on something else besides which restaurant to choose.

Of course, there are other options out there. And if you want more options, check out this well-detailed compilation of the Best Meal Delivery Services for 2022.

FAQ

What is the best meal delivery service in Long Beach?

Home Chef is a great option because it has a diverse menu and lets users customize their meals by changing the protein in the dish. It’s also easy to follow a carb-conscious or a calorie-smart diet with these meals.

What is the healthiest meal delivery service in Long Beach?

If you’re looking for veggie-forward dishes, try Purple Carrot. The menu is 100% veggies, and all the meals are gluten-free. However, if you want more variety, Green Chef is a better fit. The menu is larger and follows several diets such as keto, paleo, or gluten-free.

What is the most affordable meal delivery service in Long Beach?

EveryPlate is by far the most affordable because it starts at $1.49 per serving. While the menu is a bit limited, if you don’t have any specialized dietary needs, it’s a great option. Plus, it has a family-friendly plan!

Best Meal Delivery Services in Long Beach in 2023 – Final Score: