Here at Grubhub, our employees are pretty obsessed with food. Every day, we’re making sure
delicious food finds its way to your door….and to ours. Say what? Correct, we too order from Grubhub (so meta).
With our “What I Ate in a Week” series, you’ll get a sneak peek into the lives of actual — never not hungry — Grubhub team members. A nice benefit that happens to come with our jobs is what we call “mealperks” — our weekly Grubhub stipend. Clearly, we’re using this to get the best bites in town each and every week.
On deck, we have: Kaitlyn, a senior designer on the creative team. Get the lowdown on her delivery highlights of the week and top ordering hacks.
Let’s meet Kaitlyn.
Hi there! I’m Kaitlyn–an avid runner who loves live music and really good coffee. I live in downtown Manhattan on the Lower East Side — a bustling area of the city filled with eclectic restaurants, bars and coffee shops — where I share a tiny two-bedroom apartment with my roommate. Oh, and I’m also vegan.
I know what you’re thinking… how can I possibly work at Grubhub as a vegan? Well, you’d be surprised how many options there are. When I first tried out eating plant-based over 2 years ago, I never thought it would stick (I mean I like salads and all, but come on. I also really loved meat). But as I made the transition, I felt better than I ever had. And luckily, Grubhub makes it pretty easy to keep at it — there are so many fun vegan options, so I never feel like I’m missing out — whether I’m ordering pizza, sushi, or a really good donut. Or a salad… I do eat those sometimes, I swear.
And here are my top delivery eats from last week…
Sesame Avocado Plate from The Little Beet
The Little Beet is my go-to lunch when I have a really busy day. It’s right next to our Grubhub office, so I use the pickup option and my Grubhub meal perks. Surprisingly enough, vegan is actually listed as an entire cuisine on the app, and that’s how I found it. (Vegetarian is a category as well.) I also like to use search filters on the app for “vegan,” as it lists the restaurants that have substantial plant-based options for me. Win, win.
My favorite plate to order there is the “Create Your Own Sesame Avocado” plate. For the sides, I chose the charred broccoli, sweet potatoes, roasted kale and pickled onions topped with turmeric tahini sauce. The Little Beet actually does serve meat as well, but they’re pretty veggie-centric. It’s a warm, satisfying bowl that keeps me full most of the afternoon!
Clean Green Protein Smoothie from Juice Press
I typically run or hit the gym in the morning, and I am always starving afterward. I love smoothies and I try to make one every day, even in the winter (since it’s a good way for me to get protein). But sometimes, I’m running late and just decide to grab one on the way to work. That’s where Juice Press saves the day.
Ordering on Grubhub makes it more convenient to grab this and get on the subway…because that’s precious time I avoid getting hangry after my workout (every minute counts, honestly). Right now, I’m really into the Clean Green Protein: it’s got spinach, kale, banana, hemp protein, almond butter, chia seeds, coconut nectar and almond milk all blended up. I love how it’s pretty sweet despite all the greens it sneaks in there. Highly recommend!
Rocko Sandwich from Orchard Grocer
One of my favorite local joints to order delivery from in LES is Orchard Grocer, an all-vegan deli and market. Sometimes on the weekend, I’m just craving a really good sandwich. Their menu is incredibly creative and puts a cool spin on vegan food, offering handhelds like a breakfast sandwich, a chickpea “tuna” salad sandwich and even a vegan Cubano. I have even ordered delivery from here with my non-vegan friends, and they love it as much as I do.
I opted for the rocko sandwich for lunch, which is a “BLT” with smoky tempeh, tomato, mixed greens and spicy mayo on whole wheat bread. The flavor in the tempeh is everything.
Donuts from The Cinnamon Snail
There’s obviously no better way to end this post without mentioning donuts again—and I love to order from The Cinnamon Snail. It started as an all-vegan food truck specializing in hearty burgers, sandwiches, salads, and the best vegan donuts in Manhattan (in my opinion). Their location next to Madison Square Garden in the Pennsy Food hall is where I like to order from for pick up when I’m craving sweets to bring home.
This time, I chose the pumpkin pecan, maple glazed with toasted coconut, and raspberry blackout flavors. (Let’s just say that the maple glazed one did not make it all the way home with me on the commute.) It makes me really happy that being vegan doesn’t have to mean giving up dessert, because life without donuts would be a little less sweet, you know?
