One of the Best Gifts for Dad

Dads are notoriously hard to buy for. Fortunately, we all know the adage: The way to someone’s heart is through their stomach. That’s especially true for my dad, and I think I’ve found the perfect gift strategy: treats from Goldbelly.

For the past several years, I’ve been sending both my dad and father-in-law Goldbelly deliveries for Father’s Day. It started when my husband and I were living in Kansas and I had to send a gift since I wouldn’t be home for Father’s Day. Flowers and chocolates aren’t really my dad or father-in-law’s thing, so I went with a BBQ sampler from local Kansas City restaurant Joe’s for each. It was a huge hit with the dads and a fun way to bring a little bit of Kansas to them on the East Coast.

Since then, I’ve used Goldbelly to send Coney Island hot dogs from Detroit (a staple food from my dad’s hometown), bagels and lox from Zucker’s, and this year — shhh, don’t tell my dad — pastrami from 2nd Ave Deli, a restaurant near where we now live in New York City.

Each of these foods is rooted in a memory between me and my dad, so it feels special. Goldbelly makes it super easy and reliable to send, and is now my go-to place for dad gifts, especially when I feel stuck on what to get him.

What is Goldbelly?

Goldbelly is a food delivery service that partners with famous food purveyors and eateries all over the country — like Magnolia Bakery, Lou Malnati’s, and Pat LaFrieda — and ships their signature foods nationwide. There are also meal kits and monthly subscriptions for different types of food, like pizza or bagels, as well as subscriptions to foods from different cities.

How Goldbelly works

Head over to Goldbelly, and you’ll find a page filled with pictures of delicious eats from all over the country. You can browse by category of food, what’s popular at the moment, iconic shops, or check out one of Goldbelly’s curated gift guides. 

Once you find what you’re looking for, it’s just like ordering anything else online. There is also an option to add a gift message and recipient information, which makes Goldbelly packages extra giftable. Shipping time and price is dependent on the product and where it’s coming from.

Review of Goldbelly

I’ve been both the recipient and the giver of many Goldbelly deliveries. And while a few of my coworkers have been able to try Goldbelly for free, I’ve personally paid for all 11 orders I’ve placed with Goldbelly. I’ve even sent items to myself while I was living in Kansas and far from the foods that I loved. Those shipments included Birthday Cake Babka from Jake Cohen, two separate orders of Zucker’s NYC Bagels, Hot & Spicy Cheese Bread from Stella’s of Madison, and Kringle from O&H Danish Bakery. I think it’s safe to say I’m a big fan.

The food is quite a bit more expensive than what you’d pay if you were getting it in person — think $3 per New York bagel instead of $1.50 in person — but most of that cost accounts for shipping and handling. When I was living in the food desert that was rural Kansas, it was worth every penny.

Don’t just take my word for it though. My teammates have tested Goldbelly on several occasions throughout the years; here are their experiences:

Remi Rosmarin, reporter: “After visiting a friend in Seattle in July a few years ago, I was looking for the perfect thank-you-for-hosting-me gift.

Of course, there are always flowers, candles, and edible arrangements, but nothing felt personal enough for a friend who had gone out of her way to plan a wonderful weekend on the West Coast. As coincidence would have it, I came across Goldbelly the day after I returned. While in Seattle, my friend had mentioned her only real complaint about the city was that there are no good bagels (sorry, Seattle), so I figured, why not send them?

I perused Goldbelly’s curated guide to “Best Gifts from NYC,” knowing there had to be some great bagels inside. I landed on a package from Ess-a-Bagel — a New York institution and a personal favorite — which included enough bagels and fixings for six. The box cost $109.95 for six bagels, a half-pound nova lox, and a half-pound of any type of cream cheese. You can also add more cream cheese, lox, and spreads for an added price. I ordered it on Tuesday morning, and it was delivered to my friend’s doorstep the next day on Wednesday afternoon.

Even though I was able to test this service for free, it’s clear that Goldbelly provides a pretty good value. A typical nova bagel sandwich at Ess-a-Bagel costs $17, but the Goldbelly price isn’t much higher, clocking each bagel and lox combo in at just about $18.30. Of course, there is also a delivery fee to consider, and you may get a heavier helping of lox and schmear at Ess-a-Bagel, but that’s beside the point. This delivery brought serious smiles to an East Coast transplant who had a hankering from some New York bagels, and for that, I’d definitely gift it again.”

Jada Wong, former senior editor: “Goldbelly is great when you’re missing certain foods or want to deliver a special treat for someone’s birthday. It’s a delicious and practical gift for yourself or someone else.

So far, I’ve ordered fresh Maine lobster meat for homemade-ish lobster rolls from McLoon’s Lobster Shack and deep-dish pizza from Lou Malnati’s after canceling a trip during the pandemic, and cupcakes from Carousel Cakes for my dad’s birthday. 

The lobster meat prices were similar to online grocery store prices but with the added benefit that the meat was fresh from Maine. We ordered two pounds of lobster meat, which was enough to make six rolls with generous piles of meat. If you get a 4-pack of deep-dish pizzas at Lou Malnati’s through Goldbelly for $130, each one comes out to $32.50 instead of the $25 or so they’d usually cost at the restaurant, but those won’t nearly be as expensive as a flight to Chicago or Maine. 

All the orders arrived safely in padded styrofoam boxes and, in the case of the lobster and pizza, surrounded by ice packs so they were still fresh. There were easy-to-follow prep and cooking instructions for the lobster and deep-dish pizza, and the results were delicious.”

The bottom line

Nowadays, we’re comfortable with buying so many items online. If you can buy a mattress and have it delivered to your door, you should be able to do the same with bagels and lobster rolls.

Goldbelly has definitely filled a niche for food-lovers everywhere. While there’s nothing like eating the real deal in person, Goldbelly can get you pretty darn close. 

Order from Goldbelly here