The 7 Best Food Delivery Apps In Metro Manila
What you should know about their service, pricing, safety protocols and more
Thank the heavens for food delivery apps!
They really shone during this pandemic. Without them, how much harder would it be for us to taste and experience restaurant food? Dining out used to be such an important part of our lives, a way to connect with others, to de-stress, and to simply be happy. What would our lives be in quarantine without our apps?
Before the pandemic, only a handful of food delivery apps dominated in Metro Manila, but we now see more and more apps popping up to take advantage of the growing market. Some are offshoots of logistics platforms, others are designed to service just a specific group, and some others are entirely new services who want to have a slice of the pie.
You may already have a favorite app that you use frequently, but it will do you no harm to check out the others. Who knows? You might find one that will suit you better, or give you access to food cravings that your usual app can't get for you. We decided to review food delivery apps, asking these questions: Which apps will deliver to a bigger geographic radius? How do the apps compare in terms of fees? Which apps serve specialty stores or have exclusive access? Check out our review in the gallery below.
App Grades
App Grades
1. GrabFood
There’s no denying that GrabFood is the biggest food delivery service in the metro, thanks to its super app that combines logistics, car services, grocery and food delivery services all in one nifty app. Grab has really leveled up their service, and have now partnered with many more stores. We love their “prepare first” option, which means your food is being prepared already before a driver is matched to pick it up. This makes the process such an improvement from their previous one, where the driver had to order the food himself. Grab has always prioritized speed, and that’s why they usually service around a given radius from your location. Recently, they added a long-distance delivery, so you can now use the app to order from participating stores in farther locations.
Photo Credit: @grabfoodph
1. GrabFood
GrabFood allows cashless payment via GrabPay, which you reload as needed. You can even use it to tip your rider for a fully contactless experience. It’s a bit of a hassle set up GrabPay because they require so many verifications, but once done, it's fairly easy to use. Overall, GrabFood remains at the top of the food delivery service chain, what with its countless restaurant partners, payment options, and promos. Just pray you don’t get matched with a driver who asks you to cancel! When it comes to safety protocols, Grab encourages contactless delivery, where the driver can leave your order on a prearranged surface area just outside or within your door.
Photo Credit: @grabfood
2. FoodPanda
FoodPanda has been around even before quarantine, and I’ve always found it very convenient to use. You can save your credit card details for easy ordering and checkout, without the need to keep reloading a virtual wallet like GrabPay. Even before Grab’s long-distance offerings, FoodPanda already had a wider delivery radius. This is where FoodPanda really shines. I love how it enables me to order from restaurants halfway across the metro.
Photo Credit: @foodpandaphilippines
2. FoodPanda
FoodPanda also offers more deals and promotions that give more substantial discounts compared to Grab’s rather stingy rewards. But for some reason, FoodPanda orders usually take much longer to arrive, averaging 40 minutes or more. When it comes to safety protocols, FoodPanda riders are briefed to always carry hand sanitizer, and to wash their hands after each delivery. The rider bags are also sterilized at the end of every shift.
Photo Credit: @foodpandaphilippines
3. LalaFood
LalaFood is an offshoot of the more popular Lalamove app, which is one of the most trusted logistics partners of small and online businesses. Although LalaFood started a little buggy, they have revamped the app so it’s sleeker and easier to use now.
Photo Credit: @lalafoodph
3. LalaFood
Unlike GrabFood and FoodPanda, LalaFood has more fees added on top of the usual delivery fee. Stores that don't have check icon in the app will charge a Purchase Fee. There's also a Small Order Fee for orders less than P200. So for example, if you order a P180 milk tea from an unchecked store, this will actually cost you a total of P269 pesos. Currently, their only payment method is cash. When it comes to safety protocols, LalaFood encourages contactless delivery, where the driver can leave your order on your doorstep.
Photo Credit: @lalafoodph
4. Mr. Speedy
We’re including Mr. Speedy in this list because it has become one of the favorites in terms of business-to-customer deliveries. There are still many restaurants that remain independent of GrabFood and FoodPanda, and usually, you can order from these restaurants directly, then let Mr. Speedy handle pick up and delivery. They have a dedicated Mr. Speedy Eats program, where they’ve partnered with restaurants as the official delivery partner. So when you order from one of these restaurants, the restaurant staff will book delivery to you using Mr. Speedy.
Photo Credit: @mrspeedyph
4. Mr. Speedy
What I like about Mr. Speedy is how affordable it is in comparison to other delivery services, and how matching with a driver is faster. And I never get the “Ma'am, pa-cancel na lang po” request from their drivers, either. Currently, their only payment option is cash.
Photo Credit: @mrspeedyph
5. Pick.A.Roo
Pickaroo is a newbie in the online food and general goods delivery arena, but they have created a niche for themselves by catering to premium brands and its market. Their directory lists the more premium restaurants, including hotel outlets, alongside high-quality everyday restaurants. It’s a smaller selection of stores, but with some that are not available on the other platforms. Pick.A.Roo claims “quality over quantity,” and we think this shows in their curated roster of local and international merchants.
Photo Credit: @pickarooph
5. Pick.A.Roo
We love how Pickaroo lets you schedule your order up to three or four days ahead. If you’ve got a weekend lunch planned, you can order the food well beforehand, so you don't have to stress about it on the day itself. Apart from food delivery, you can also order goods from delis, specialty stores and groceries. And, you can check out everything in one go, instead of having to check out per category, so you save time. You can pay using cash, or credit or debit card via PayMaya. When it comes to safety protocols, Pick.A.Roo encourages contactless delivery, where the driver can leave your order on your doorstep. Cash payments are handled by putting the cash inside small plastic bags provided by the rider. Riders are also strictly tasked to sanitize their bags before and after their shifts, and after every delivery.
Photo Credit: @kevintan_
6. Central Delivery
Craving Popeyes' chicken sandwich? You can order from Popeyes and the other restaurants under the Landers Group through Central Delivery. Only six stores are included in their roster: Popeyes, Kuya J, Landers Central, Da Gianni, Dough and Co., Isla Sugbu Seafood City.
Photo Credit: @centraldeliveryph
6. Central Delivery
What’s great about Central Delivery is they always have great deals going on, and they usually change things up every week or month. You can score buy 1 get 1 deals or up to 50% off certain items at the different restaurants! When ordering, I advise you to use the website because their app is still very buggy. You can only check out with a cart that’s at least worth P300, and pay with cash, PayMaya, or with your credit or debit card.
Photo Credit: @centraldeliveryph
7. Moment Food
Just like Central Delivery, Moment Food is dedicated to delivering only from restaurants under the Moment Group: 8Cuts Burgers, Manam, Ooma, Din Tai Fung, Mo Cookies, The Mess Hall, Shawa Wama, Mecha Uma, Phat Pho, and BankBar. To order, go to momentfood.com (they have no app as yet). All orders are available for same-day delivery with a 7:00 p.m. cutoff, and can even be pre-ordered for up to two weeks in advance. All delivery orders also require a minimum transaction of P500, which you can pay via PayPal, or using your credit or debit card.
Photo Credit: @themomentgroup
7. Moment Food
Unlike the other food delivery apps that limit your choice to a only a small geographic radius, Moment Food covers a 25-km delivery radius from the restaurant you want. So you can order food from Taguig even if you’re in Quezon City. Just expect a higher delivery fee because the rates increase the farther you are from the restaurant. When it comes to safety, Moment Food encourages contactless delivery, where the driver can leave your order on your doorstep.
Photo Credit: @themomentgroup
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