Another post I should have written months ago… I was offered the opportunity to try a new lunch delivery service, bonbite. It’s not really new anymore (I tried them in September… eesh, I suck at this) and they’ve changed their pricing structure a few times (now accepting credit cards and lowered the price), so I am going to focus on the food aspect.
Because that’s the most important part, isn’t it?
They graciously sent me both lunch options that day for me to try (they previously had two different lunch options each day, Tuesday through Thursday; that’s since changed). Unfortunately, I’m allergic to coconut and the lamb meatball lunch had coconut in it – which, though I’d mentioned the allergy initially, they didn’t realize until after delivering said lunch to my office… and began frantically calling and emailing me to stop me from eating it and potentially getting very, very sick. I appreciated the vigilance.
With each lunch came a card explaining what was in it, and naming the source of each part of the lunch that was sourced locally. For those interested in responsible eating, this is key. I liked that touch. They throw in a little sweet treat to end the lunch, which is nice.
Though they are delivering in a fairly wide range, I thought the food was arranged pretty attractively. Notice that on the right are the boneless wings: arranged to look like wings. I like that they were boneless because depending on your office and how it’s arranged, eating wings with bones can be a bad idea for lunch… even though sometimes you just really want wings!
As I was allergic, I enlisted someone else to sample this. Lamb meatballs without a trace of game, a lovely dipping sauce, and “the pasta is good” – sigh, I need more companions who can elucidate more clearly what makes a dish good or bad. The squash’s texture against the pasta’s texture was a nice contrast.
The wings were seasoned really nicely, and the salad had that peppery bite from the watercress that really went well with the dish overall. I enjoyed my lunch very much, and enjoyed how, while I was satisfied at the end of it, I wasn’t ready for a nap. I’ve noticed that when I go out to eat, I frequently receive way too much food and simply lack the discipline to eat half and save the rest for later. I prefer this much more – receiving the appropriate amount of food, so I can start a totally new meal next time! (I love leftovers, but generally prefer homemade leftovers to lunch leftovers from the local deli or whatever.)
The cookies were nice and not too sweet. I’m not a sweets person so I ate these for breakfast one day, I think.
Overall, you have to weigh the pros and cons for yourself. It’s a little more expensive than what you might expect to pay elsewhere, but it’s responsibly and locally sourced, and they frequently have a vegetarian option that’s not just salad (because let’s face it, if you’re a vegetarian, what ARE your lunch options when you don’t bring your own? Pizza? Salad? Don’t you get bored of that?). It’s delivered to your office directly (currently serving Chelsea and Midtown, check the website for exact boundaries), and you know you’re getting something thoughtfully prepared by a chef. Everyone has different requirements for lunch, but I see this being a really great option for vegetarians that have less budgetary concerns.
I definitely recommend checking out bonbite to add to your lunch rotation if you’re in their delivery range.
*I received my lunches compliments of bonbite, but was under no obligation to post about my experience – positive or negative. I received no monetary compensation… but delicious lunch that day!
esther says
“The pasta was good.” that’s so funny to me! 🙂
One of my pet peeves is food at odd temperatures – how does this work with hot food/cold food? For example, I would imagine the lamb meatballs & pasta should be hot…
Feisty Foodie says
Kind of like “the muffins were bad” …
Good question, Esther, sorry for failing to mention that. Like most delivery guys, they had an insulated bag for the food. This was in September when I tried it, so it wasn’t 20 degrees outside with the food in danger of freezing – I’m not sure any amount of insulation helps with those low temps – but my food was warm enough for my tastes. However, I’m less picky than a lot of people about food being warm/room temp vs. hot or cold.