I don’t know about you, but I’m all about Hygge-ing it up on winter weekends (that’s Danish for staying cozy at home). As a bonus: It’s awards season, which means there are plenty of excuses to dial in dinner and huddle around the TV. While you’re familiar with the usual suspects for ordering takeout, there are a few new apps making waves on the food scene and all totally worth checking out.
ChowNow
Most takeout apps get the job done: They deliver pizza or Chinese food from your go-to neighborhood spots. But ChowNow does things differently, making takeout from high-end, top-tier eateries an option for those nights when you want to treat yourself, but don’t feel like getting off your couch.
Case in point: In LA, you can order best-of-class options from places like Sugarfish, Mozza and epic landmarks like Randy’s Donuts (trust me, you want a box of these to come to your house). All you have to do is log into the app—or visit the ChowNow website—to browse local options that will deliver straight to your door. Even more unique, a lot of these restaurants have set up exclusive partnerships with ChowNow, meaning you won’t find them partnering with other takeout apps.
ChowNow is available nationwide— check the app to see what restaurants are options near you.
MealPal
Giving you takeout options for both lunch and dinner, this app lets you get choose from over 1,000 local restaurants in cities ranging from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco. But the cost is what makes it a stand-out: Meals clock in at less than $6 each, regardless of whether your order includes a hearty salad or a burger and fries. (That’s about the same cost as if you were brown bagging it from home.)
It works like this: Every day, MealPal serves up a range of restaurants for you to choose from, all located in close proximity to your current address. Pre-select your order, then at lunch (or dinner), just walk to pick up your food. No delivery means big savings.
Of course it’s not quite the same as staying at home and having the food come to you, but it’s not a bad way to sample local cuisine at a serious savings.
You check it regularly anyway—and now, thanks to a new food delivery integration, you can order takeout straight from the Facebook app on your phone. Simply head to the “Explore” menu and select the option that says “Order Food.” The service is actually directly integrated with services like Delivery.com, DoorDash, and ChowNow, so it’s a breeze to log into your account once, then browse local restaurant options to choose exactly what you want to eat.
It’s great in terms of simplicity—now not only do you not have to leave the couch, but you don’t even have to leave Facebook to get dinner.
That’s progress, right?