Pros & cons of 8 Food Delivery Apps in UAE, which should you choose?

Whether you are too busy at work to take your lunch break, or you want to cozy up indoors on a Friday night with a pizza and some cake, there is nothing more convenient than to have your meal delivered right to you! 🤤 But Dubai’s ever increasing demand for food has also resulted in a lot of food delivery apps, and it can get quite confusing to figure out which one will work for you.

This guide looks at some of the most popular apps right now and will help you decide which one will satisfy your cravings 😉

1. ZOMATO

Pros:
▸ This is the only app that provides you with detailed ratings and reviews of the restaurant and what it has to offer.
▸ You can even search for a specific dish and it will provide you with options of restaurants that have it on their menu! 😍
▸ The minimum delivery amount depends on the individual restaurant and not the app.
▸ Another simple filter will help you further narrow the list down to which restaurants deliver. (p.s.-they even have a separate filter for ‘icecream’ 🍦 and ‘desserts’ 🍰. I’m SOLD!)

▸ Apart from the general rating for a restaurant, they also provide you with a separate ‘delivery rating’ (based on the ten latest completed ones). This gives the user a good idea of what to expect. 😃
▸ There are a wide variety of discounts, offers and complimentary ‘Zomato Treats’ on offer regularly.
▸ When the estimated delivery time is up, they send you a message asking if you’ve received your order. In case you haven’t, and you click on “No”, an automatic message is sent to Zomato Chat. They even call up the restaurant and check up on your order for you! 🤩 ▸ The app allows you to describe your location as you wish to, which is handy especially in Dubai as we associate locations with nearby landmarks as opposed to street names/numbers. 🏡 They also have the option to automatically identify your location.
▸ ‘Cash on delivery’ option is available for payment. 💵
▸ You can track your orders, right from confirmation (that the order has been accepted by the restaurant) up to delivery.

Cons:
▸ The don’t have McDonald’s under home delivery. 🍔

2. UBEREATS

Pros:
▸ This is the only app that lets you schedule your orders for up to five days after the date you are booking on! 😱 ▸ Like TripAdvisor, UberEats classifies its options with dollar($) signs to give you an idea of the price range of the restaurant.
▸ They keep up with current promotions and update their app accordingly. 👍
▸ The app provides a column where you can further list any special requests you may have with your order.
▸ UberEats has its own dedicated delivery team, which ensures that orders are delivered within the estimated time frame. 🛵
▸ They do not have a minimum delivery amount limit.

Cons:
▸ Unlike some other apps where delivery charges may not be present (depending on the restaurant policy), UberEats applies an AED 5/- charge on every order placed via their app. 😢
▸ Choosing your location can be tricky if you choose to order from a location different from where you want your food to be delivered

3. TALABAT

Pros:
▸ Talabat has a user-friendly interface, even allowing you to place an order without creating an account. 😃👍
▸ It allows you to select your location accurately by placing a pin on Google Maps. 📌
▸ It informs you about minimum order amount, delivery charge and mode of payment accepted, all at one glance whilst going through the list of restaurants.
▸ They have a good set of filtering options which make it very easy to navigate through the app. You will also find an ‘Offers’ tab under their menu that lists down all available discounts for you. 🤩

▸ Cash on delivery option is available.

Cons:

▸ They might not always be updated with special offers provided by the restaurants. ☹

4. DELIVEROO

Pros:
▸ They provide a good range of restaurants to choose from, along with customer ratings.
▸ The app allows you to place an order for up to the end of the next day. 😄  ▸ They have a ‘Discover’ tab under which you can narrow down your search to the kind of food/restaurant you’re looking for. 🕵
▸ While placing your order, it allows you to place special looking requests, such as allergy notes.

Cons:
▸ Deliveroo does not deliver to many areas in Dubai. It also provides very limited choice to some places that it does deliver to. 🙄
▸ Only allows payment by Credit/Debit Card.
▸ They don’t have a strict minimum order amount, BUT if your order is under AED 25 you have to pay a surchage of AED 5.
▸ McDonald’s delivery not available. 🍔
▸ The app does tend to have some glitches that may not allow you to checkout successfully.

5. CARRIAGE

Pros:
▸ You can place an order without creating an account.
▸ Cash on delivery option is available. 💵
▸ There is no minimum order amount limit. ▸ You can set expected delivery time to any time (in half hour intervals) during the day you are ordering.
▸ They have their own delivery team, who ensure you receive your order on time. ⏰

Cons:
▸ The app tends to have glitches.
▸ Carriage does not cover many areas in Dubai. Even the areas covered have limited choice in restaurants to order from. 😒
▸ McDonald’s delivery not available.
▸ Delivery fee (AED 10.50/-) is not mentioned until just before proceeding towards checkout. 💸

6. ROUNDMENU

Pros:
▸ They have partnered up with Careem to deliver orders. It also allows you to log in using your Careem account.
▸ They have a ‘Dine Out’ section that features specials offers and discounted deals. You can make a booking of your choice via the app and also use and/or earn Etisalat ‘Smiles’ in the process! 😃 ▸ They have a variety of restaurants to choose from.
▸ They have no minimum delivery amount limit.

Cons:
▸ AED 5/- delivery charge is applicable for all orders, which is mentioned only while proceeding towards checkout. 😐
▸ It only caters to very limited areas in Dubai – Dubai Marina, JBR, Dubai Media City, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Knowledge Village, JLT, Ibn Battuta, Discovery Gardens, Barsha, Barsha Heights.
▸ A glitch in the app makes it impossible to create an account using their app directly. This means you will have to create a Careem account and then use that to log into RoundMenu. 🤦‍♀️
▸ It only accepts cash on delivery.

7. EATEASY

Pros:
▸ The app interface is simple and user-friendly. 👌
▸ At a glance, the app provides you with essential information which makes it very easy to make a choice (such as user rating, minimum delivery amount, delivery fee, estimated delivery time, mode(s) of payment accepted).
▸ Cash on delivery option available. Some restaurants even offer card on delivery. 😍
▸ They have a very good range of filters to help you narrow down your search.
▸ They have an ‘Easy Points’ system, which allows you to collect points based on your orders and then redeem them on future orders. 🤩

Cons:
▸ Modes of payment vary from restaurant to restaurant. Cash on delivery option is the only one that applies to every restaurant.
▸ McDonald’s delivery is not available. 🙁
▸ May not be updated with limited-time deals offered by the restaurant.

8. SPOONFED

Pros:
▸ Both ‘Cash on Delivery’ and credit/debit card payment options available. 👍
▸ There is no minimum delivery amount limit to your order.

Cons:
▸ As of now, only restaurants located in Al Karama are partnered up with Spoonfed. A vast majority of these restaurants serve Indian cuisine. 🍛
▸ Delivery is only to select locations: Dubai Media City, Dubai Internet City, Al Karama, Jumeirah Lake Towers and Al Barsha. 🛵
▸ AED 6/- delivery fee is applicable to all orders.
▸ The app allows you to place an order to any area, even if it is not an area that they cover. The order gets cancelled after it is processed and then rejected. 🤨
▸ May not include special deals offered by the restaurant.

CONCLUSION:

Although none of them have managed to perfectly cover all bases yet, Zomato seems to be at the top of the food delivery game at the moment. 🥇 But in this ever-evolving industry, it is only a matter of time until everybody else steps up their game and gets us really spoilt for choice!

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Written and Researched by Samreen Kazia