Goldbelly - expensive famous food delivery service

[Ericandblueboy]

Goldbelly delivers well-known foods, but at high markups.  For example, I would love to have a Lou Malnati's sausage deep dish but not 2 for $67, and that seems cheap compared to 2 Central Grocery's muffulettas for $109.  

If you've experienced Goldbelly, I love to hear how it went.

[lion]

Actually shipping Chicago deep dish or stuffed pizzas to DC metro area costs ~$60 for two pizzas. Has to be 2 day shipping with dry ice and usually they only do it during weekdays. 

Never used Goldbelly but you can directly ship from various Chicago pizzerias. I've done Giordano's many years ago. 

[deangold]

Just a question. Given what we are dealing with, what is the joy of ordering pizza from Chicago at outrageously high prices {I have seen the Lou Malnati's pizzas being cooked and eaten on YouTube: they were tiny and not appetizing looking at all} when you could support miltiple meals at a locally owned small restaurant in financial danger? 

[DonRocks]

8 minutes ago, deangold said:

Just a question. Given what we are dealing with, what is the joy of ordering pizza from Chicago at outrageously high prices {I have seen the Lou Malnati's pizzas being cooked and eaten on YouTube: they were tiny and not appetizing looking at all} when you could support miltiple meals at a locally owned small restaurant in financial danger? 

Only someone who grew up in Chicago can answer this.

If it wasn't for Arrowine, virtually all my cheese would come from Formaggio Kitchen or Saxelby's right now.

[deangold]

Just now, DonRocks said:

Only someone who grew up in Chicago can answer this.

I lived in Chicago almost a decade and spent many a night at Pizzeria Due. But I would never order one frozen just as I cannot eat frozen soft shells or pasteurized MD crab. Some things are best left to memory: Cassel's Hamburgers and Madelines as examples. 

[DonRocks]

23 minutes ago, deangold said:

I lived in Chicago almost a decade and spent many a night at Pizzeria Due. But I would never order one frozen just as I cannot eat frozen soft shells or pasteurized MD crab. Some things are best left to memory: Cassel's Hamburgers and Madelines as examples. 

Touché (I have no idea about these pizzas), but I should add that Central Grocery's Muffalettas travel very well.

On a related note, does anyone know where to get unpasteurized butter? Organic Pastures used to ship here, but they no longer ship outside of California.

On another related note, I went to the original location of Giordano's in 2009, and it was still very good. I was also sitting at the bar, and watched the bartender take a cash order, ding open the cash-register drawer, and put the money in his pocket <--- Funny, because of this theft-memory, I also "remembered" the pizza as being bad, but it wasn't.

[lion]

Pizzeria Due was definitely a favorite, more than Uno, when I lived in Chicago for a year in the late 1980s. My guilty pleasure was Giordano's in the Greek town location and ate many meals there and take out. During the winter months when it's freezing outside having a stuffed pizza helps a great deal with dealing the cold wind from the lake!

I ordered many years ago since haven't been to Chicago since 2006 and my motivation was nostalgic. 

[deangold]

When I went to Greek town, it was for Greek food! I was part of a group of grad students with one actual greek member {sometimes 2} who went to Greek town every other Saturday. Having Greek guys who could say hi and curse in Greek made for already large portions seem endless. And we never seemed to pay for more than one shot of ouzo even as they put 2 or 3 bottles down for the 8 of us. 

[lion]

I lived nearby Greek Town during that time in my life so ate there all the time of course. 

One of my fondest winter memories was being in line outside the Parthenon, and the wait staff would give shots of ouzo to help with the cold and the wind. 

Down the street was Maxwell Street where everyone would go after hours to grab a polish sausage, greasy fries, and a can of soda! Those were the days when eating after a party night in the middle of the night would be okay the next day. 🤣

[genericeric]

I've ordered Goldbelly a few times and have generally had very good experiences.  I've also sent Goldbelly to family around a funeral and some new parents when I wasn't able to make something.

First - yes, many of the offerings have a dramatic mark up.  I will say there are more and more sales/deals that are substantial - for example the site currently has a 22% off everything offer.  I do wish they had more offerings for smaller groups of people - I would order Gott's Roadside but I don't need or want ten burgers for 2 people.  That being said, a lot of these foods are unique in one way or the other, and sometimes for a special treat the variety is nice.  I've yet to be disappointed in the quality received.