7 Foods Perfect For Delivery And 7 To Avoid

By Emily Abrams   ‧   Updated   09/28/2018   ‧   Eat /

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America basically lives on food delivery these days. Apps like Seamless and Grubhub make it way too easy to eat whatever you want, whenever you want it. Once upon a time, delivery meant pizza and lo mein, but technology has made all types of cuisines available to us. Eater reports that Grubhub is “the middleman for more than 270,000 daily online orders in more than 1,000 U.S. cities.” When it comes to ordering food for delivery, some things hold up better than others. Here are the do’s and don’ts of ordering your favorite foods from the couch.

Delivery Do’s

1. Sushi

You can’t go wrong when you order sushi for delivery. It’s already cold and it’s usually packed tightly into a container so it won’t spill all over the place. The only part about sushi delivery that can be annoying is when the wasabi gets all over everything and overpowers the other flavors. Ask the restaurant to leave out the wasabi if this is an issue for you.

2. Indian Food

You can’t beat dinner specials from Indian restaurants when you’re fully invested in a Jennifer Aniston rom-com on your couch and don’t want to move. You can usually get a main course, appetizer, naan, rice and a few sauces for less than 20 twenty bucks and it could last you a couple of meals if you stretch it.

3. Poké Bowls


If you live in a city where poké is around every corner, chances are you’ll have some options for delivery. When you’re craving sushi, but you don’t want to be overwhelmed with all of the rice, poké is your best bet. It’s fairly light, packed with protein and Omega-3 fatty acids and you get all of your umami cravings satisfied. Ask for the sauce on the side so the rice doesn’t get soggy on the trip over.

4. Pad Thai

Pad Thai is just about one of the most comforting foods. You don’t feel overly stuffed, but you feel satisfied from the stir-fried noodle dish. The rice noodles are lighter than regular pasta, plus you get the sweetness from the tamarind paste, the tanginess from the lime and the crunch from the peanuts. You usually get a big portion of pad Thai so you can get dinner and lunch out of one order. It might taste even better when you reheat it the next day.

5. Fajitas

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Out of all of the Spanish foods, fajitas are probably the best for delivery. Everything is packaged separately and you don’t have to worry about anything getting soggy. You’re probably better off getting chicken as opposed to steak since the steak can likely become well done on its way over to you.

6. Freshly Baked Cookies

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You can’t really go wrong when it comes to dessert delivery (minus ice cream). Companies like Insomnia Cookies make all of your freshly-baked cookie dreams come true. All you need to do is pour yourself a cold glass of milk and wait for your box of melted chocolate gooeyness to arrive.

7. Chicken Wings

Besides cooling down a little bit on the way over, chicken wings might be even better with delivery. They’ll get have time to marinate in the sauce and you can just reheat them when they get to you. Wings might be messy, but they’re worth it.

Delivery Don’ts

1. BEC

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A BEC (bacon, egg and cheese), or any kind of breakfast sandwich, is probably the best thing ever when you’re hungover, but eggs get weird when they’re cold and reheating anything with cheese won’t taste as nearly as good. Just drag yourself to the corner bodega for this one.

 2. Meatball Sub

As good as a meatball sub might look on your phone, it probably won’t hold up with delivery. All of the sauce will make the bread wet and soggy and reheated mozzarella won’t do the sandwich justice. If you live less than five minutes from the place you’re ordering from, there might be hope.

3. Burger

If you really want a burger, save it for a night out. A burger needs to have a pillowy bun, gooey cheese, crunchy toppings and a juicy patty. Chances are if you order a burger anything other than well done, it probably won’t arrive how you like it. The burger will probably cook as it’s sitting in the take-out bag, the bun will get soggy and the cheese will become solid again. All of the textures will be all messed up, so you’re better off going out for a burger.

4. Nachos

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Nachos are at their prime a few minutes after they reach your table at a restaurant. Don’t count on them to hold up through delivery. You’ll end up with a soggy cheesy mess.

5. Grilled Cheese

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You’re better off a few pieces of cheese on some bread and sticking it in a frying pan to make your own. You can’t count on delivery times and the cheese won’t be gooey anymore by the time it gets to you.

6. Mozzarella Sticks

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If you’re ordering mozzarella sticks for the cheese pull, delivery isn’t the way to go. The mozz won’t stay soft for more than a few minutes and then you’ll be left with fried solid cheese sticks. No one wants that.

7. Pasta

Pasta cravings can get the best of you, but remember it’ll get soggy pretty quickly. The pasta will lose its al dente texture while sitting in the sauce so you’re better off satisfying your carb cravings with something like garlic bread.

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