10 Best Meal Delivery Services in San Francisco 2023: + Deals!

Whether you’ve got health, diet, kids, or tastebuds in mind, meal delivery services bring the flavors and convenience you crave, straight to your doorstep. But with more and more services popping up all the time, it can be overwhelming to find the best fit for you. 

I’ve examined menus, compared prices, and even tried and tested some of the best in the Bay Area to bring you a list of the top meal delivery services that will keep you satiated. 

While Home Chef wins the top spot for its Customize-It feature, each service on this list has something for everyone. Read on to find the perfect one for you. 

The Best Meal Delivery Services Reviewed

1. Home Chef – Best Customizable Meal Kits in San Francisco

Key Features

• Swap, upgrade, or double-up on the protein in almost every meal

• 30+ recipes available per week

• Dietary options include vegetarian, carb-conscious, and calorie-conscious

• Current deal: 75% Off Your 1st Box + 60% Off Your 2nd and 3rd Boxes!

Almost all meal delivery services will give you choice – but few will allow you to swap or double-up on certain ingredients. 

Thanks to Home Chef’s incredibly cool Customize-It feature, you can switch the likes of chicken for fish or ground beef for Impossible Burger. You can even get an extra portion if you want leftovers. 

Choose from a wide variety of delicious, easy-to-make meals, ranging from super simple 15-Minute Meal Kits and oven-ready dishes to the gourmet Culinary Collection, which can take up to an hour to make. 

Each week you can build your own box by selecting the meals you want from the new weekly menu. Find out what my colleague thought of the service when they gave Home Chef a try. 

Though doubling-up and ‘upgrading’ your protein does cost extra, Home Chef is still one of the most affordable meal delivery services in San Fran, with prices starting from $6.99 per serving. 

Order between two and six meals per week for either two, four, or six people. You can even order a la carte items such as desserts and sides! 

2. Green Chef – SF’s Best Organic Meal Kits

Key Features

• USDA-certified organic and environmentally friendly

• 24+ recipes available each week 

• Dietary options include keto, paleo, vegan, and gluten-free

• Current deal: Get $250 Off + Free Shipping

Green Chef is a certified organic meal delivery service that provides high-quality and ethically sourced ingredients to suit a wide range of diets. 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’re free to cancel or skip a week whenever you need. For more about its customer service and cancellation protocols, check out my colleague’s review of Green Chef.

If you’re veggie or vegan, or you just want to incorporate more plant-forward meals into your diet, Green Chef’s Plant-Powered plan make it easy and affordable to enjoy tasty vegan and vegetarian meals from the comfort of your home kitchen. 

But since Green Chef now lets you mix and match across its plans, you’re no longer locked into a specific menu.  

I also love that Green Chef delivers some of its ingredients prepped for convenience, including its signature sauces and seasonings. It means you can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less. 

3. HelloFresh – Best Family-Friendly Meal Kits in San Francisco

Key Features

• Flavorful, easy to prepare meals

• 50+ recipes on the menu per week

• Dietary options include carb-smart, calorie-smart, vegetarian, and pescatarian

• Current deal: Get 25 free meals + free shipping + 3 surprise gifts

HelloFresh’s mission is to put the fun back into mealtimes, with an exciting variety of recipes that are super easy to throw together. You’re bound to find food you love with more than 50 weekly options, including quick and easy and family-friendly meals.

Everything arrives with easy-to-follow instructions, too. In fact, after trying HelloFresh, our expert reviewer declared that “the recipes were well outlined and resulted in super tasty meals.”.

As well as having something for everyone – even the pickiest of eaters – HelloFresh is really affordable at just $3.32 per serving. This makes it great for families and couples alike. 

The company also has a strong sustainability focus, and works hard to reduce food waste, minimize its carbon footprint, and bring you high-quality ingredients straight from the farm.

4. Blue Apron – Best Easy Recipes for Foodies

Key Features

• Choose from meal kits and prepared meals 

• 19+ meals per week, plus add-ons

• Dietary options include vegetarian, diabetes-friendly, and WW-approved

• Current deal: Enjoy $130 off across your first 6 orders

Blue Apron’s menu spans everything from family-friendly meals and vegetarian dishes to nutritionist-approved recipes and lower-calorie WW-recommended selections, which you can order for either two or four people every week. 

Offering up a delicious twist on tradition, many of its meal kits combine well-loved staple ingredients (like ground lamb or chickpeas) with exciting, exotic flavors – think Feta and Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki-Dressed Corn, or Oven-Baked Chickpea Shakshuka. 

And for the vegetarians among us, Blue Apron uses Beyond Meat products in many of its recipes, too. Find out more in this complete Blue Apron review.

In a hurry? Not to worry. You can also add prepared meals to your box each week, alongside add-ons such as breakfasts, snacks, and extra proteins. 

5. Marley Spoon – Martha Stewart-Approved Meals in San Francisco

Key Features

• Add extras such as dessert, breakfast, and protein platters 

• 40+ meal kits to choose from per week

• Dietary options include vegetarian, vegan, low-cal, and low-carb

• Current deal: Get $190 off Your First 4 Boxes!

While much-loved homemaking guru Martha Stewart curates the recipes and offers her signature sauces and spice blends, Marley Spoon also offers many other great things. 

For example, this meal delivery service has many recipes to tickle a gourmet’s palate. Family-friendly dishes like the Skillet Chicken Parmesan (pictured) will please even the pickiest eaters. 

In fact, our reviewer said that Marley Spoon is ”“possibly one of the best all-rounder meal delivery services out there right now.”

Marley Spoon also scores points for its environmentally friendly approach to meal delivery.

The website provides detailed information on everything from the sustainably sourced packaging it uses to how the company achieves total carbon neutrality. 

6. Freshly – Best Calorie-Conscious Prepared Meals

Key Features

• Allergy-friendly prepared meals low in sugar 

• 40+ dishes on the menu

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

• Current deal: Get $175 off your first 7 boxes!

Freshly brings delicious, single-serving meals to your door every week. Choose anywhere between four and 12 meals per delivery, with the price per meal dropping as you increase the number of servings. This makes them great fridge-fillers. 

The meals are designed to be a healthy upgrade on your favorite comfort foods – think beef bolognese with gluten-free cauliflower pasta. See more of Freshly’s creative meal ideas in our full-length review. 

The menu is also almost entirely peanut- and gluten-free; plus it has a limited selection of plant-based meals (though keep in mind the menu doesn’t change that frequently). 

The FreshlyFit menu offers paleo and keto-inspired options that are low in carbs and are designed to boost energy levels and athletic performance.

7. Purple Carrot – Best for Plant-Based Meals

Key Features

• Purely plant-based meal kits and prepared meals

• Around 20 dishes to choose from each week

• Dietary options include gluten-free, nut-free, and high protein

• Current deal: Get $30 Off with code carrot30

A number of meal delivery services provide delicious, plant-based meals in and around San Francisco, but Purple Carrot is the first to offer solely vegan meals. With this meal delivery service, plant-based dieters have never had so much choice!  

Purple Carrot is also one of the only meal delivery services – vegan or otherwise – to provide a weekly selection of breakfasts, lunches, and snacks in addition to dinners. They come at an extra cost, of course, but one morning with its Baklava Overnight Oats and you’ll never want to go back! 

My colleague gave Purple Carrot a try and declared it was “a perfect choice for vegans and omnivores.”

Purple Carrot is also one of the more budget-friendly meal delivery kits on the market, providing easy-to-cook meals for as little as $8.50 per serving. 

Combine these advantages with eco-friendly packaging, high-quality ingredients, and an ever-changing menu of diverse dishes and you’ll see why Purple Carrot is hard to resist. 

8. Grubhub – Best for Fast Food Delivery in San Francisco

Key Features

• Get free delivery on selected orders with Grubhub+

• Choose from more than 500 San Francisco restaurants

• Get snacks and convenience items as well as dinner

When you just can’t be bothered to cook 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 delivered ready to eat. 

One of Grubhub’s best features is its rating and review system, which gives you insight into which local eateries provide the best deals for delivery. Delivery is fast, too – rarely more than 30 minutes – and the fees are usually just a couple of bucks. 

Combine those traits with the fact that Grubhub offers delivery from more than 500 San Francisco eateries, and it’s impossible to resist.

9. Factor – Best for Keto-Friendly Prepared Meals

Key Features

• Offers nutritional coaching and a free session with a registered dietitian

• 29+ prepared meals available each week

• Dietary options include keto, vegan, and gluten-free

• Current deal: Up to $276 Off!

Factor is a great choice for busy professionals and fitness fans looking for healthy lunches. All you need is a microwave and in five minutes you can be enjoying a meal that’s not just convenient, it’s good for you! Everything on the menu is non-GMO and antibiotic and hormone-free, and all proteins are responsibly sourced.

Our Factor review goes into more detail about the company’s offerings. My colleague thought that when it came to easy, prepared meals, “Factor is up there with some of the best.”  

Factor offers four to 18 meals each week, with Keto, Vegan & Veggie, Calorie Smart, and Protein Plus labels to help you choose exactly what you’re looking for. If you want meals that are both convenient and healthy, these could be it!  

10. Sunbasket – Great for San Franciscans on Specialized Diets

Key Features

• Allergy-conscious meal kits and prepared meals

• 30+ unique recipes per week

• Dietary options including diabetes-friendly, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, and more

• Current deal: $90 off Plus a Free Gift!

We know that dinner times can get complicated, particularly if you’re on a strict diet or trying to source the most ethical and healthy ingredients available. If that sounds like you, Sunbasket could be just what you’re looking for. 

The company offers a tasty selection of quick and healthy meal kits and prepared meals – all made from fresh, organic ingredients.

It has 10 dietitian-approved plans, including Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Paleo, and Lean & Clean, all filled with adventurous meals, including Chinese, Indian, and Middle Eastern cuisine. 

Dig into the details in our expert Sunbasket review.

With busy schedules in mind, most of Sunbasket’s meals take less than 30 minutes to get onto the table. It also offers Fresh & Ready meals you simply need to heat and serve.

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Meal Delivery Service in San Francisco

Like choosing a restaurant, choosing a meal delivery service in San Francisco involves a lot of choices. Here are some professional tips on choosing the service that’s right for you: 

• Don’t settle: Trying to cobble together an order that comprises almost-vegan or vaguely-paleo meals is an exercise in frustration. Choose a service that meets your dietary needs and has plenty of choices each week. 

• Weigh-up cost vs. value: For example, if you want organic meals, Green Chef is more expensive but it’s an investment in your satisfaction and health, if that’s what is important to you. 

• Know your kitchen limits: If your culinary skills or equipment are limited, you might do better with prepared meals than meal kits. Also think about how much time you have to cook each night. 

• Don’t be afraid to switch: You may go through a few delivery services before you find the right one. Luckily, all the meal delivery services I’ve listed have easy cancellation policies and are flexible when it comes to skipping weeks. 

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 need to 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-to-make meal kits that come with portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow 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! 

FAQ

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

Home Chef offers the lowest starting price, with meals starting at just $6.99 per serving. However, keep in mind that the price does change when you make use of the Customize-It feature, and certain meals will cost more. 

HelloFresh is also a brilliant budget-friendly option for San Francisco residents.

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

Both HelloFresh and Marley Spoon win this one for their family-friendly menus and very reasonable prices. Both offer up meals that will introduce your children to new tastes, as well as crowd-pleasers that will have your kids asking for seconds.

What is the best vegan meal delivery service in San Francisco?

Purple Carrot is my choice for San Francisco’s best vegan meal delivery service. Every item on Purple Carrot’s menu is 100% plant-based, so you never have to worry about finding  unwanted egg, dairy, or seafood in your entrees.