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Do All Your Holiday Shopping on Goldbelly

The online food marketplace is a one-stop shop for tasty last-minute gifts, and everything’s on sale for Black Friday

by Hillary Dixler Canavan Updated

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Hillary Dixler Canavan is Eater's restaurant editor and the author of the publication's debut book, Eater: 100 Essential Restaurant Recipes From the Authority on Where to Eat and Why It Matters (Abrams, September 2023). Her work focuses on dining trends and the people changing the industry — and scouting the next hot restaurant you need to try on Eater's annual Best New Restaurant list.

Not to alarm anyone, but it’s already late November. Hanukkah starts on December 7, and Christmas is right behind, if you haven’t yet taken care of your holiday or New Year’s gift shopping you better get on it.

Thankfully for you, I’ve taken the liberty of consulting with Eater staffers and diving deep into the options on Goldbelly — an online marketplace that acts as a middleman for restaurants to ship food across the country — to see what’s available for the best food gifts, including some gifts that would make an excellent addition to a copy of the Eater cookbook. One more reason to start shopping now: Goldbelly’s Black Friday sale means you can take 20 percent off everything (with the code GOLDFRIDAY20) through November 27.

Fried chicken ice cream

Life Raft Treats “Not Fried Chicken” Ice Cream Bucket

  • $110

Prices taken at time of publishing.

The good thing about gifting ice cream through a nationwide frozen food delivery service is that ice cream is meant to be frozen. The creations by Cynthia Wong are also delightfully off-kilter, and would make an unexpected dessert presentation for any holiday dinner.

A selection of three cheeses

Classic Cowgirl Creamery Cheese Collection

  • $90

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Cheese subscriptions are go-to gifts, but for something that’s less of a commitment, this assortment from Cowgirl Creamery includes some of the brand’s finest offerings, including my personal favorite, the cult-classic Mt. Tam.

bowls of salatim, including carrots, cucumber salad, beets, greenbeans

Zahav Hummus & Salatim Spread

  • $110

Prices taken at time of publishing.

We’ve got a recipe for Zahav’s legendary hummus in the Eater cookbook, but if you want to do a full Zahav-style spread, consider this kit which also comes with a dozen pita and six different salatim to complement two pints of the good stuff, straight from the source.

A sliced brisket

Franklin Barbecue Brisket

  • $270

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Do you know someone who still talks about the time they waited in line for hours to get a taste of Franklin Barbecue in Austin? This is the gift for them. Or, if you want to make sure you get to enjoy some of the smoky brisket yourself, go in on this with a few friends and serve it at your holiday party. These routinely sell out so if you want to give the gift of some of Texas’s finest brisket, hurry. (If they do sell out, check out Snow’s BBQ Brisket – another great option.)

A mutton chop on a plate with a side of lettuce

Keens Steakhouse Legendary Mutton Chops

  • $190

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Encourage your friends to use their Eater cookbook to create Keens’s iconic wedge salad and some classic martinis, and then make a full Keens dinner at home when you give them Keens’s famous mutton chop along with it. 

A layer cake with the sides covered in nuts

Peninsula Grill’s Ultimate Coconut Cake

  • $270

Prices taken at time of publishing.

The recipe for Peninsula Grill’s famous coconut cake requires a minimum of 24 hours and comprises a full three pages in the Eater cookbook. For the cake lover in your life who might not want to attempt it on their own, consider sending one directly from Charleston. 

Lox on a board, a plate of bagels, a container of caviar, and a dish of cream cheese

Russ & Daughters Smoked Salmon Medley

  • $195

Prices taken at time of publishing.

I started ordering this Russ & Daughters package during the early days of the pandemic to lift my mood and it has since become one of my go-to gifts, particularly for new parents in the height of sleep deprivation: A dozen bagels (I recommend immediately freezing some since a dozen is kind of a lot for a small family), fixins, and a half-pound each of gravlax, pastrami-cured salmon, and Scottish smoked salmon. If you’re feeling generous, add an order of salmon roe which takes any salmon-topped bagel over the top.

A box of chocolate cookies and other chocolate treats

La Newyorkina Chocolate Lover’s Box

  • $80

Prices taken at time of publishing.

For the chocolate lover on your gift list, this box from hit Mexican sweets shop La Newyorkina is full of unexpected chocolate options like Mexican hot fudge, chipotle brownies, and chocolate chip pepita cookies. And bonus: unlike many items on Goldbelly, these ones arrive ready to eat.

Detroit-style pizza in packaging that reads “HALF BAKED”

Buddy’s Detroit-Style Pizza

  • $105

Prices taken at time of publishing.

You already know pizza freezes well, so why not stock a loved one’s freezer with the good stuff: Detroit-style pies from the shop that created it.

packaging for Taylor-brand pork roll

Taylor Ham

  • $65

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Taylor ham is all but impossible to find in stores outside of New Jersey, so get this for anyone on your list who: used to live in New Jersey and misses it; geeks out on diner culture and will make a classic Taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwich (like the one from the Summit Diner featured in the Eater cookbook); or just loves a salty pork product.

Burritos La Palma Dinner for 4

  • $90

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Sending eight perfect burritos to someone’s door is such a power move, and I’m kicking myself that I only just thought of it now. This would make a wonderful gift to yourself, honestly: Wouldn’t it be so nice to grab these burritos out of the freezer sometime in the week between Christmas and New Years? Yes, yes it would be.

Two lobster rolls on a tray with a small pot of butter

McLoons Lobster Roll Kit

  • $78

Prices taken at time of publishing.

For the family that summers in Maine (or wishes they could summer in Maine), a lobster roll kit from beloved lobster shack McLoons will bring a taste of New England July, even in the dead of winter — and they can use the recipe in the Eater cookbook to give a go totally on their own after they’ve had a taste of the original.

A slice of apple pie

Four & Twenty Blackbirds Salted Caramel Apple Pie

  • $85

Prices taken at time of publishing.

This is an all-time great pie from an all-time great pie shop. It would be a reliable, safe option for a host gift or an in-law gift when you need something special-feeling but don’t have a ton of information about the recipient.

A plate of crabcakes

Angelina’s of Maryland Giant Lump Crab Cakes

  • $115

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Festive and iconically East Coast-y, crab cakes are a confirmed hit among Eater editors’ parents. It would be cute to round this one out with other Maryland-themed gifts too, like a tin of Old Bay for their stockings.

The cross-section of two stacked babkas

Breads Bakery Babka

  • $55

Prices taken at time of publishing.

As a Jew who regularly attends her in-laws’ Christmas festivities, let me tell you that there is no Christmas get-together that would not be improved by the presence of some of the country’s finest babka. Ordering a three-pack means your recipient has one to serve right away, one to serve later this week, and one to freeze until next month.

A shot of a The Grey Market tote bag next to someone’s socked foot

The Grey Socks

  • $30

Prices taken at time of publishing.

For lovers of Mashama Bailey, her restaurant, The Grey, or greyhounds, consider these delightfully sophisticated novelty socks. This would be the perfect gift for whoever you plan on serving Bailey’s shrimp middlins, featured in the Eater cookbook. 

The cover of the cookbook, ‘Eater: 100 Essential Restaurant Recipes.’

‘Eater: 100 Essential Restaurant Recipes’

  • $31

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Introducing Eater’s debut cookbook: Sourced from the best street carts to pillars of fine dining and everywhere in between, this diverse, powerhouse collection features recipes that have been carefully adapted for home cooks. Packed with expert advice from chefs, bartenders, and sommeliers on easy ways to level up your meals at home, Eater: 100 Essential Restaurant Recipes is a must-have for anyone who loves to dine out and wants to bring that magic home.

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