It’s cold. You’re tired. You want food and you want it now. Your fridge isn’t stocked, your cupboards are bare and the last time you tried to cook, you set off your fire alarm. The most obvious solution to this dining dilemma? Ordering in. We all know and love Campusfood.com, but sometimes pizza and wings can get a little stale. To spice up your ordering experience, try these alternative options.
Tiffin www.tiffin.com With cheap, convenient and guilt-free Indian food at the touch of the mouse, what’s a samosa lover got to complain about? Recipient of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s 2007 “Best Ethnic Delivery” award, Tiffin is the brainchild of Munish Narula, a former investment banker and Wharton MBA grad. This web-based service prides itself in offering fresh, nutritious and cheap Indian food, all while providing delivery right to your doorstep (or at least the Upper Quad gate). Meals start at $7.50 and include an entrée, dal, rice, onion chutney and homemade pickles. The site also hosts an interactive Culinary Corner with recipe of the week submissions and outrageously fascinating health tips (who knew grapes could conquer kidney stones?). This site does require a little preemptive planning: make sure to place your orders before 10 a.m. for lunch deliveries or 2 p.m. for dinner deliveries. As Style puts it, Tiffin is “proof your Wharton degree is worth something.”
Delivery.com www.delivery.com Bearing a striking resemblance to its relative Campusfood, Delivery.com is truly a testament to the glorious laziness of our society. This site not only delivers from restaurants, it can bring you a whole array of additional items: groceries, household and personal goods, catering services, alcohol, tobacco, flowers and gifts. Among the restaurants serving the 19104, you will find plenty of overlap with Campusfood. Yet you can count on Delivery.com for a wider range of restaurant locations, including Café Spice in Old City. Special features include helpful restaurant reviews by members. Our verdict? Stick with Campusfood to bring you a bagel from around the corner, but try Delivery.com for new names and new tastes.
Urbanspoon www.urbanspoon.com Think of this as a hip, interactive, online Zagat forum for delivery food. Urbanspoon provides you with a wealth of information about the 150 most talked-about delivery restaurants in Philadelphia. Although you won’t be able to place direct food orders online, Urbanspoon will link you to the delivery site or menu, so that all you need to do is lift a finger and make the call. Make incredibly informed dining decisions through Urbanspoon’s comprehensive reviews (i.e. Is Al’s Corner Deli one of the city’s most romantic restaurants? Yes / No) or simply choose from their Top 10 Best Delivery list. Urbanspoon also provides a great online community for amateur food critics, food bloggers and food raters.
