Too busy to read? Here's the move:
Every intro deal available in Chicago right now
What's actually on the menu this week
Real meals delivering to Chicago right now, from national services and local kitchens
Our picks at a glance
How I actually tested these (no, seriously)
Scores are updated quarterly. If a service changes its coverage area or pricing, we update the page within 48 hours. Have a correction? Email eric@mealfan.com.
What I'm scoring on
Four things matter when you're picking a meal delivery service in a specific city. Here's how I weight them:
Every service is scored out of 100. Full transparency: some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means I earn a commission if you sign up. But that never changes the rankings. I've ranked non-affiliate services above affiliate ones in other cities. The methodology is the same everywhere.
Chicago-specific stuff that matters
Let's talk about what you're actually spending on food
Which one should you actually get?
| What you need | Get this one | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I literally do not cook | Factor | 2 min microwave. That's it. Done. |
| I'm broke | Dinnerly | $4.69/meal. Less than a coffee at Frothy Monkey. |
| I get bored eating the same thing | CookUnity | 300+ dishes. New chefs every week. Never the same meal twice. |
| I care about what's actually in my food | Sunbasket | 98% organic. Dietitian-designed. Ingredients you can pronounce. |
| Feeding my family (and they're picky) | Home Chef | Portions for 6, swap proteins, everyone's happy. |
| I actually enjoy cooking | Blue Apron | $7.99/meal, solid recipes, you're the chef. |
| I want to support Chicago businesses | Music City Meals | Chicago-based, TN farms, macro-labeled. Scroll down for 3 more locals. |
The full lineup, side by side
| Service | Rating | Starting price | Type | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FactorTop pick HelloFresh Group* |
★★★★½90/100 | $11.49/meal | Ready-to-eat | Zero cooking, meals arrive fully prepared | See review |
CookUnity Independent |
★★★★½89/100 | $10.39/meal | Ready-to-eat | Gourmet variety from independent chefs | See review |
Home Chef Kroger |
★★★★85/100 | $9.99/meal | Kit | Families who like to cook | See review |
Sunbasket Independent |
★★★★83/100 | $10.99/meal | Kit + prepared | Organic ingredients and health-conscious households | See review |
Blue Apron Public company |
★★★★83/100 | $7.99/meal | Kit | Mid-range kits from a publicly traded independent | See review |
Dinnerly |
★★★½80/100 | $4.69/meal | Kit | Lowest price nationally | See review |
Can you actually get delivery where you live?
This is the part most review sites skip. "Chicago delivery" means different things to different services. Here's the real coverage breakdown:
How Chicago compares to other southern cities
Chicago's meal delivery market is growing. You can compare coverage and services across different metros.
Full reviews
Every service below delivers to Chicago. Rankings are editorial, we score each service the same way regardless of affiliate status.
I tested Dinnerly with my own money in Bucktown and the value is unbeatable for Chicago families. $4.99 per serving means a family of four eats for under $20. Your kids get recognizable comfort foods - spaghetti with meatballs, cheeseburgers, Swedish meatballs with egg noodles. Not gourmet. Not trying to be. But when your six-year-old actually eats dinner without a fight and you spent less than a single Lou Malnati's pizza, that's a win. Simple 5-step recipes take under 30 minutes. The ingredients come pre-portioned so there's no waste, unlike buying a full container of sour cream at Jewel that goes bad.
Home Chef wins if you've got multiple kids with different preferences. The customization options are insane - swap chicken for steak, adjust spice levels, choose 2 or 4 servings per meal. I tested this in Lincoln Park with a family of four scenario and used the protein swap feature to avoid the fish my imaginary kid hates. 40 weekly choices with family-friendly tags make it easy to filter. The step-by-step photos are great if you want to cook with your kids. At $7.99/serving for the Family Plan, it's more expensive than Dinnerly but still cheaper than a Mariano's run where you buy ingredients you'll only use once.
CookUnity surprised me for families. I expected it to be too gourmet for kids, but they have a dedicated kids meals line with hidden veggies and balanced nutrition. The chef-crafted variety (300+ dishes) means parents can eat actually interesting food while kids get chicken tenders and mac and cheese from $4.99. Ready in 2 minutes, which matters when you're coming home from daycare pickup in Lakeview and nobody wants to wait. The shareable portions work well - some of the adult meals are big enough to split with older kids. Coverage in Chicago is solid from downtown through the North Side.
Blue Apron's 4-serving family options hit a sweet spot at $5.60/serving on the low end. The OG meal kit company has figured out kid-friendly ingredients - baked chicken, pasta dishes, familiar flavors with exposure to new vegetables. 40-minute recipes with easy steps that kids can help with if you're into that. I tested it in Evanston and the portions were generous enough for leftovers. At $22.40 for a family of four, that beats both Portillo's and cooking from Jewel-Osco scratch when you factor in the cost of buying full-size ingredient containers you won't finish.
Sunbasket is for Chicago families who read ingredient labels and care about organic produce. The 98% organic focus and family-size portions work if you're willing to pay $10-$13 per serving. I tested it in Lincoln Park where that demographic actually exists, and the quality is legitimately high. But feeding a family of four costs $40-52 per meal, which is harder to justify when Dinnerly does $20. The flexible plans and family-friendly options are there. It's just expensive for what most Chicago families actually need, especially when Mariano's organic section already costs a fortune.
Factor is single-serving portions only. That's the dealbreaker. At $11.49 per meal, feeding a family of four costs $45.96 per dinner. I love Factor for myself - it's my top pick for individuals in Chicago. But the math doesn't work for families unless you're extremely wealthy or only feeding one person. The meals are kid-friendly in flavor (chicken, pasta, familiar stuff), but you'd need to order 12-16 meals per week for a family of four eating twice a day. That's $550-900 per week. No Chicago family I know spends that unless they're eating out every night, and if you're doing that, you're not looking at meal delivery anyway.
Chicago-based meal services (2 found)
These services are based in Chicago, founded here, operating here, and in some cases sourcing ingredients here. No other review site covers these. We researched each one individually.
Chicago's food culture is one of the most distinctive in the U.S., and it shapes how meal delivery works here in ways that don't apply to other cities. Understanding this helps you pick the right service.
Why meal delivery matters in Chicago right now
The money hacks nobody tells you about
Stack intro discounts like a pro
Factor's 50% off, CookUnity's 25% off, Dinnerly's 60% off, don't use all three at once. Use Factor for your first two weeks, pause it. Jump to CookUnity, get their discount. Then Dinnerly. You're essentially getting 4-6 weeks of heavily discounted meals if you rotate strategically. After the intro period, stick with whoever fits your budget best.
Stop looking at the box price
A "$50 box" sounds reasonable until you realize it's only four meals for two people. That's $6.25/serving, not $50 total. Factor at $11.49/meal is more expensive than Dinnerly at $4.69/meal, but both are cheaper than Uber Eats markup. Do the math before you subscribe.
Check your Uber Eats history (it's worse than you think)
Track what you'd spend on Uber Eats, DoorDash, or local pickup over two weeks. Honestly track it. If you're averaging $40/day ($560/month), even Factor at full price ($11.49 × 4 meals × 7 days = $322/month) is a win. If you're eating cheap tacos most nights ($8/day), meal delivery costs more.
Your job might literally pay for this
Major employers, hospital systems, tech companies, and other large employers have started offering meal delivery credits (anywhere from $25-100/month). Ask HR. Some cover meal kits as a wellness benefit. If you can get even partial subsidy, the math gets way better.
The pause button is your best friend
Traveling to Memphis for a weekend? Your family's coming to town and eating out. Broke week. Use the pause button instead of canceling. Pause for one or two weeks, then restart. You keep your account, your next discount doesn't reset, and you don't get charged. Most people don't know this exists.
Real talk: should you even get meal delivery?
I'm not going to pretend meal delivery is for everyone. Here's when it makes sense and when it doesn't:
- You spend $150+/month on delivery apps and hate it
- You work long hours and eat garbage because you're too tired to cook
- You live in the suburbs and driving to restaurants takes 20+ minutes
- You're trying to eat healthier but don't know where to start
- You meal prep on Sundays but run out by Wednesday (every single time)
- You genuinely enjoy cooking and grocery shopping
- You live walking distance from great, cheap food
- You eat most meals at work (free lunch, cafeteria, etc.)
- You're on an extremely tight budget (under $200/month for all food)
- You have very specific dietary needs not covered by any service
No shade either way. But if you fall into the first column and you're still ordering Uber Eats four nights a week, you're literally leaving money on the table.
Questions everyone asks
Meal delivery guides
Explore our in-depth comparisons and buying guides:
