Hey Everyone! If you have been following me on Instagram I have been showcasing some food from a new service I started using called MealPal. MealPal is a lunch program where you pay a subscription fee every month (based on how many lunches you want for that month) and get to choose preset lunch options from great restaurants all over the city. Every night at 5pm the menu comes out for the next day and you have until 9am the day of to decide what you want for lunch. You choose from a list of hundreds of restaurants who each offer a specific meal for that day and then select the time that works best for you to pick it up. Once you have reserved your meal all you have to do it go to the restaurant the next day – tell them you are there for Meal Pal, pick up your food and go!
The cities currently offering MealPal are Chicago, Boston, NY, San Fransisco, Philadelphia, Miami and Washington D.C.
What I LOVE:
- Meals end up costing around $7 a day! This is especially amazing in New York where you could easily spend $20 on a salad and Diet Coke.
- You can select a “more food” button to see restaurants with big portions. I always tried to do this and save half for dinner!
- You don’t have to hassle with waiting in line to order and pay for your food. It’s ready to go as soon as you get to the place!
- It’s an easy way to try restaurants all over the city for super cheap.
What I don’t love:
- You can’t change any of the preset meals – so if you don’t like onions.. too bad so sad – you will have to pick them out or choose something different that day
- You have to pick it up – some of the healthier options (aka smoothies) were about a mile away from where I worked.
- It’s a subscription so if you forget to cancel you could end up paying for a month you don’t want- this is something I’ve learned the hard way with my recent change in travel plans. Luckily I have friends in the city that can use them for me – but it would have been preferable not to pay for all the meals in the first place.
My first month is done and overall it was a huge success! I tried so many new restaurants and saved a decent amount of $$$. Below is a list of the places I tried and my opinion on the food. If you have any questions about this service feel free to leave a comment and I will give you my open and honest opinion. Also – I believe there is a waiting list, so if you are interested I can send you an invite email where you will get to “skip the line” and automatically start using the service.
Restaurant |
Meal |
Rating (1-5) 1 = not good 5 = would definitely order again |
Location |
Seoul Garden |
Jap Chae Dup Bap |
3 – OK but nothing mind blowing |
34 W. 32nd St. New York, NY |
Café Nunez |
Buffalo Chicken Wrap |
2 – good the day of – not so much the day after |
240 W. 35th St. New York, NY |
Natureworks Restaurant |
Hearty Chicken Caesar Salad |
2 – they pre-dressed the salad so it was a little soggy |
144 W. 37th St. New York, NY |
Friedman’s |
Veggie Bowl |
3 – Good – not a lot of dressing so a very healthy option |
132 W. 31st , New York, |
Friedman’s |
B.L.A.T Sandwich |
5 – Delicious – you can’t go wrong with their sandwiches |
132 W. 31st , New York, NY |
Lemony |
Beef Bifteki w/ Pita |
3 – Good but not my normal go-to for lunch |
224 W. 35th St., New York, NY
|
Mario by Mary |
Modern Caprese Sandwich |
5 – YUMM – only complaint is it doesn’t come with chips… hahah I love a little crunch with a sandwich |
2 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY |
Mario by Mary |
Truffle Honey Grilled Cheese
|
5 – this place is so good! Everything i had here was A+ |
2 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY |
Fresh & Co |
Wild Ginger Quinoa Bowl |
3 – good but nothing special |
363 7th Ave., New York, NY
|
Fresh & Co |
Falafel Salad
|
5 – their salads are great and they package them with dressing on the side so you can add it once you’re ready to eat |
363 7th Ave., New York, NY |
Organic Avenue
|
Pink Dragon Fruit Smoothie |
4 – Great options when you’re trying to be healthy or don’t like to eat a big lunch. |
216 8th Ave., New York, NY
|
Organic Avenue |
Green Protein Smoothie |
5 – I love green smoothies and this place made a pretty great one! they also have a Kambucha tap at this place. I would pick one up for the walk back to the office. |
216 8th Ave., New York, NY |
Here is a few pictures for those of your who are more visual when it comes to picking food!
Seoul Garden – Jap Chae Dup Bap
Buffalo Chicken Wrap
Lemony – Beef Bifteki w/ Pita
Friedman’s Veggie Bowl
Friedman’s – B.L.A.T Sandwich
Mario by Mary – Modern Caprese
Mario by Mary – Truffle Honey Grilled Cheese
Fresh & Co – Falafel Salad
Organic Avenue – Pink Dragon Fruit Smoothie
Thanks for stopping by!
XOXO,
Thanks. Now I have to get something to eat. Great to hear from you again.
I’ve already said this on insta, but this is such a cool service! Also now I’m starving!
Author
Isn’t it! I’m so glad I found it and was able to try it out while I was in NY. It helped me save a lot of money and try a bunch of places I wouldn’t have otherwise! Thanks for reading 🙂