10 Best Meal Delivery Services in San Francisco 2021

People are spending more time at home than ever before, but that doesn’t mean saying goodbye to convenient, delicious meals. Do you miss fuss-free, exciting restaurant food? What about fresh home-cooked meals? Whether you’ve got health, diet, kids, or tastebuds in mind, meal services deliver the flavors and convenience you crave, straight to your doorstep. 

With more meal delivery services popping up all the time, it can be overwhelming to find the best fit for you. Considering everything from pricing and plans to taste and diversity, our experts have put together a list of the top meal delivery services that will keep you satiated and sane in the Bay Area.

Short on time? Here Are the Best Meal Delivery Services in San Francisco for 2021

• Home Chef – completely customizable weekly meal kits in San Francisco

• HelloFresh – lots of quick, easy, and fun meal choices in San Francisco

• Sunbasket – fresh and healthy organic meal kits for San Franciscans

• Comparison table
  

• FAQ

What’s the Difference Between Meal Delivery and Food Delivery?

Food delivery services like Grubhub and Postmates make it easy to get freshly made restaurant food delivered right to your door. Unlike meal delivery services, which typically provide pre-sorted ingredients or frozen meals for you to prepare and heat up, food delivery services take the work totally out of your hands. 

Prices and ingredients will vary depending on which restaurants are in your area, but food delivery marks the ultimate convenience at dinnertime (or any other time). 

Our Best Meal Delivery Services in the Bay Area Reviewed

1. Home Chef – Completely Customizable Weekly Meal Kits in San Francisco  

Home Chef Best Features 

• Personalize your plate – upgrade, swap, or double up proteins

• Convenient, easy meals with pre-portioned ingredients and simple step-by-step recipes

• Commitment free – skip deliveries or cancel your account with the click of a button 

Home Chef in a Nutshell 

You never want to get stuck paying for food you don’t like, ingredients that don’t fit your diet, or meals delivered at the wrong time. Luckily, Home Chef recognizes that every aspect of a meal delivery service experience needs to be completely customizable, from dietary preferences to delivery schedules. 

Choose from a wide variety of delicious, easy-to-make meals, ranging from super simple 15-Minute Meal Kits to the gourmet Culinary Collection, which can take up to an hour to make. Learn more about Home Chef’s fully customizable options in our expert Home Chef review. You can order for two, four, or six people, which is great for families. If you’re eating alone, this may not be the right service for you – unless you’re a fan of leftovers, of course! 

2. HelloFresh – Lots of Quick, Easy, and Fun Meal Choices in San Francisco

Hello Fresh Best Features 

• Wide variety of delicious meals – 22+ weekly recipes are tested 45 times for taste and simplicity 

• Fun and easy – each creative recipe only requires 30 minutes of prep 

• Healthy, fresh food – you’ll get high-quality ingredients with clear nutritional information

HelloFresh in a Nutshell 

HelloFresh has a mission to put the fun back into mealtimes, with an exciting variety of meals that are super easy to throw together. You’re bound to find food you love with more than 22 weekly recipes for each of the four meal plans offered, including low-calorie and family-friendly options. Learn more about HelloFresh’s different meal plans in our expert HelloFresh review.

Together with an easy-to-follow recipe card, fresh, pre-portioned ingredients are delivered to your door three times a week. As well as caring for your health, HelloFresh cares for the planet, working to reduce food waste, minimize its carbon footprint, and bring you high-quality ingredients straight from the farm.  

3. Sunbasket – Fresh and Healthy Organic Meal Kits for San Franciscans

Sunbasket Best Features 

• Organic meal kits made with high-quality, in-season ingredients – straight from the farm

• Quick eats with little prep – including Fresh & Ready options you just need to heat 

• Customized to your dietary needs – vegan, paleo, keto, gluten-free, and everything in between 

• Eco-friendly packaging – everything is recyclable or compostable 

Sunbasket in a Nutshell 

We all know that food can get complicated – especially if you’re on a strict diet or trying to source the most ethical and healthy ingredients available. If that sounds like you, look no further. Sunbasket offers a tasty selection of quick and healthy meal kits – all made from fresh, organic ingredients. 

It has dietitian-approved Vegan, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Lean & Clean, and Family-Friendly plans, all filled with adventurous meals, including Chinese, Indian, and Middle Eastern cuisine. Dig into the details in our expert Sunbasket review. 

With your busy schedule in mind, all of Sunbasket’s meals take less than 30 minutes to get onto the table. It also offers one-pot meals, “super speedy” options ready in 20 minutes, and Fresh & Ready meals you simply need to heat and serve. 

4. Blue Apron – Delicious Food, Simple Recipes

Blue Apron Best Features 

• Adventurous yet family-friendly – try classic recipes with a culinary twist!

• Environmentally responsible – from sustainable seafood to recyclable packaging 

• Wine and dine – get monthly wine deliveries to go with your meal kits 

Blue Apron in a Nutshell 

Blue Apron keeps it simple, from the easy-to-navigate website to the meals themselves, which take up to 40 minutes to prepare. It offers regular or vegetarian meals for two or four people, including health-conscious and diabetes-friendly options. Find out more details in our full Blue Apron review. 

The weekly meal kits are delivered straight to your door with easy-to-follow recipes and pre-portioned ingredients packaged in insulated, recyclable containers. Putting a delicious twist on tradition, many of its recipes mix well-loved staple ingredients with exciting, exotic flavors. For the “meat-loving vegetarians” among us, Blue Apron uses “Beyond Meat” products in many of its recipes.

5. Veestro – Delicious, Plant-Powered Vegan Meals

Veestro Best Features 

• Ready-to-eat meals – get your daily veggies without the prep

• High-quality ingredients, which are mostly organic, all non-GMO, and 100% vegan 

• Free shipping on auto-delivery orders 

• Kid-friendly – think soy-based “chicken” nuggets with freshly made barbecue sauce

Veestro in a Nutshell 

Finding the time to cook on a “regular” diet is hard enough, but anyone committed to a plant-based diet knows that vegan cooking can require extra planning and attention. Veestro offers pre-cooked frozen meals, ready to heat and serve whenever you get hungry. Choose between the standard menu plan, the weight-loss menu, or order a la carte (and pay the added shipping fee). Check out Veestro’s plans in our complete Veestro review. 

Veestro lets you filter out dishes based on your dietary restrictions and preferences, such as low-calorie, gluten-free, nut-free, and even Kosher. The food is creative and colorful, including world cuisines and vegan twists on crowd favorites. 

6. Green Chef – Organic and Eco-Friendly Meal Kits

Green Chef Best Features 

• Streamlined menus – choose from Keto + Paleo, Plant-Powered, or Balanced Living plans

• Certified organic – one of the few USDA-certified meal kits on the market

• Green packaging – boxes, insulation, ice packs, and everything else is easily recyclable

Green Chef in a Nutshell 

Green Chef is a USDA-certified organic meal delivery service that provides high-quality and ethically sourced ingredients to suit any diet. This weekly meal kit gives you the option to order three or four meals per week for two, four, or six people. 

Like all the best services, you are free to cancel or skip a week whenever you need to. For more of our thoughts on this service, take a look at our dedicated Green Chef review!

It’s not exactly difficult to find great plant-based food in San Francisco, but Green Chef’s Plant-Powered menu makes it easy and affordable to enjoy tasty, organic vegan and vegetarian meals from the comfort of your home kitchen. If you prefer a low-carb, high-protein diet, the Keto + Paleo plan may be more your thing.

If you prefer to take a more middle-of-the-road approach to food, have no fear! Green Chef’s Balanced Living plan lets you enjoy meat, seafood, and vegetarian dishes (along with the occasional carb) without committing to a particular diet plan. 

7. Freshly – Fresh Meals, Ready Fast

Freshly Best Features 

• Comfort food with a twist – your favorite meals, but better for you 

• Ready in a snap – on your table in less than three minutes 

• Accommodates allergies – with gluten- and peanut-free menus 

Freshly in a Nutshell 

Freshly brings delicious, single-serving meals to your door every week. Choose from 4, 6, 10, or 12 meals, with the price per meal dropping as you increase the number of servings a week. Freshly upgrades your favorite comfort foods with creative, healthy ingredient swaps – think beef bolognese with gluten-free cauliflower pasta. See more of Freshly’s creative meal ideas in our full-length Freshly review. 

Although Freshly offers an entirely peanut- and gluten-free menu, it doesn’t have many options for other dietary restrictions and preferences, like vegetarian or vegan. That said, its brand new FreshlyFit menu offers 15+ carb-conscious paleo and keto-inspired options designed to boost your energy levels and athletic performance. 

It also offers a FreshlyBusiness plan that delivers delicious, chef-made, single-serving meals to your workplace. Bear in mind that while Freshly meals are free from processed sugars and artificial ingredients, they’re not certified as organic or non-GMO.

8. Purple Carrot – Plant-Based Meals to Get You Through the Day

Purple Carrot Best Features 

• Plant-based meals throughout the day – including breakfasts, lunches, and even snacks

• Affordable meal kits – cook your own vegan meals for as little as $9.99/serving

• Choose your meal preferences – with specifications like high protein or quick and easy prep

Purple Carrot in a Nutshell 

We’ve already shared several meal delivery services that provide delicious, plant-based meals to San Francisco and the rest of Northern California, so what makes Purple Carrot different? 

For one thing, it’s one of the only meal delivery services – vegan or otherwise – to provide a weekly selection of breakfasts, lunches, and snacks in addition to dinners. One morning with a delicious plant-based breakfast like Baklava Overnight Oats and you’ll never want to go back.

You can learn more about what makes Purple carrot stand out in this dedicated review

Purple Carrot is also one of the least expensive plant-based meal delivery kits on the market, providing vegan meals for as little as $9.99 per serving with free shipping. Combine these advantages with eco-friendly packaging and an ever-changing menu of diverse dishes and you’ll see why Purple Carrot is hard to resist!

9. Grubhub – Star Ratings and Fast Food Delivery in San Francisco

Grubhub Best Features 

• Five-star rating system – sort by the highest-rated restaurants 

• Fast and affordable – for just a few dollars, a fresh meal can be at your door in minutes 

• Easy to navigate – filter your search results by rating, delivery time, and more 

Grubhub in a Nutshell 

When you just can’t be bothered to cook food for yourself or you get a craving for one of San Francisco’s many excellent restaurants, food delivery services like Grubhub are here for you. Browse through the highest-rated restaurants, and enjoy freshly made dishes from your favorite restaurants, like sweet, crunchy turon from Kusina Ni Tess in the Tenderloin (pictured).

Grubhub’s best features are its rating and review system, which gives you insight into which restaurants provide the best deals for delivery. Delivery is fast – rarely more than 30 minutes – and the delivery fees are usually just a couple of bucks. Combine those traits with the fact that Grubhub offers delivery from more than 300 San Francisco eateries, and it’s impossible to resist.

10. Postmates – Order Food and Anything Else You May Need in San Francisco

Postmates Best Features 

• Order anything you need – get food, drinks, and convenience items delivered in minutes

• Daily deals – opportunities to save money on orders from select restaurants every day

• Bountiful options – choose from hundreds of eateries and shops

Postmates in a Nutshell 

Postmates is another great food delivery service providing delivery to all of San Francisco. What sets it apart from competitor Grubhub is the fact that your delivery options are no longer limited to just food. Postmates can deliver you a fresh, tasty meal like the Levantine sandwich from Cafe Réveille (pictured), but it can also bring you snacks, ice cream, and even alcohol from nearby convenience and liquor stores.

Postmates doesn’t incorporate a rating or review system into its website, so you’ll have to do your own research on that front. But if you want to order a bottle of wine or convenience items like aspirin, batteries, or candy bars, Postmates has you covered! In San Francisco, delivery times and shipping costs are comparable to other services like Grubhub. 

Best Meal Delivery Services in San Francisco: Comparison Table

Bottom Line: Why Choose a Meal Delivery Service?

Whether you’re cooking for one or have a family to feed, meal planning, grocery shopping, food prep, and cleaning up takes hours of your precious time and energy each week. This is even more so if you’re trying to stick to a diet, incorporate healthy foods into your lifestyle, juggle a busy work schedule, or accommodate allergies and picky eaters.

Meal delivery services provide the perfect solution to busy city life in the Bay Area, including options for ready-made meals you simply heat and serve or fun meal kits that come with pre-portioned ingredients and simple recipes. 

There are tons of companies offering these services and more, each with its own niche market, from vegan eats to family-friendly favorites. Now’s the time to banish the dreaded “what’s for dinner?” debate from your home for good! 

FAQs

What is the most affordable meal delivery service in San Francisco?

Home Chef offers the lowest prices, with meal kits starting at just $6.99. Each meal is customizable to suit your palate and dietary needs. 

While Sunbasket may be on the higher end of the price range, with meals starting at $10.99 – you get what you pay for. It offers high-quality, organic ingredients, unparalleled variety, generous portions, and caters to a huge range of diets, including vegan, gluten-free, and paleo.  

What is the best meal delivery service for families in San Francisco?

Sunbasket snags first place for families, with healthy, organic meals and tons of choice. It even has cute suggestions at the bottom of each recipe card for how to involve your kids in the cooking! It has a special family-friendly menu, which includes six kid-friendly recipes of four servings each per week. 

Veestro is another great option. It offers fully plant-powered meals that are microwave-ready. You can buy up to 30 meals per order to cover your weekly meals.  

What are the healthiest prepared meals in San Francisco?

Sunbasket prioritizes health by using clean ingredients, organic produce, and antibiotic and hormone-free meat.

With 10 different meal plans and tons of options for meat-eaters, vegetarians, pescatarians, vegans, and followers of strict diets like paleo, you can find healthy dishes no matter your dietary requirements. 

However, if you’re specifically looking for low-calorie meals geared toward weight loss, Freshology is the way to go, especially its Keto-Carb30 plan. 

What is the highest-rated meal delivery service in San Francisco?

In an increasingly competitive market, each meal delivery service has its own niche. 

When it comes to clean ingredients and diet-focused meal plans, Sunbasket ranks #1. With fresh, organic produce, antibiotic and hormone-free meat, sustainable seafood, and organic eggs, Sunbasket recognizes that a meal is only as healthy as the sum of its parts. 

Freshology, on the other hand, offers perfectly balanced, ready-to-eat meals put together by dietitians and cooked by chefs. If you’re looking for carefully designed weight loss meals and ultimate convenience, Freshology is for you. 

If you need a 100% plant-based meal delivery service, Veestro is head and shoulders (or stem and seeds?) ahead of the competition. With a wide variety of ready-made, all-vegan meals, Veestro is the highest-rated meal delivery service for the herbivores among us.