The Foobooz Guide to Cooking Nothing on Thanksgiving
Where to buy the perfect Thanksgiving dinner — so you don't have to cook a single thing.
Thanksgiving takeout from Di Bruno Bros. / Photograph courtesy of Di Bruno Bros.
All due respect to anyone who can pull off a full-on, home-cooked Thanksgiving feast, but here at Foobooz we’re big fans of letting professional cooks shine all year ’round, especially when it comes to what is arguably the most high-pressure, stressful meal of the year. So we’ve got you covered with all kinds of takeout options. With a little planning (and advance orders), your Thanksgiving can be stress-free — at least in terms of the menu … we can’t promise that family discussion will be.
Di Bruno Bros., multiple locations
From the obvious cheese boards to fully-prepped Thanksgiving meals and everything in between, Di Bruno’s full catering menu can be whatever you want it to be. Thanksgiving options for mains include a turkey braciole (boneless turkey breast rolled and filled with sausage and herbs), prime rib, and vegetarian lasagna for your meatless guests. Add on any sides and starters, and pick up at their Wayne or Rittenhouse locations. And if you’re late to order a whole package, chances are you can find some à la carte items in the Rittenhouse location’s prepared food section and bakery, so don’t give up!
Preorders open: now through November 24th
Pickup: November 27th-29th
El Camino Real, Northern Liberties
You’ve got a lot of options in terms of meat here. Choose from traditional turkey, fried turkey, maple-bourbon ham, or red wine braised brisket. Plus, traditional sides like stuffing, potatoes, biscuits, and orange-ginger cranberry sauce. And, of course, pie: You can choose between apple and pumpkin. You can pick an all-inclusive package for two, four, or eight to 10 people; or à la carte options.
Preorders open: now through November 25th
Pickup: November 27th
Picnic, Kensington
Picnic’s $250 package serves four and subs a 3.5-pound rotisserie chicken for turkey. Sides include roasted mushrooms, potato-leek gratin, sourdough stuffing, and more classics —plus pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. Add on apps like meat and cheese, baked brie, and shrimp cocktail for extra cost. An added bonus? Wine bottles are 50 percent off for Thanksgiving! Pick up on Thanksgiving morning.
Preorders open:now until sold out
Pickup: November 28th, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Urban Farmer, Logan Circle
Urban Farmer is offering its Thanksgiving to-go menu again this year, with a full spread of holiday classics including a 12-pound turkey, cranberry sauce, red bliss smashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, cornbread, and choice of pumpkin-bourbon, apple, or pecan-chocolate pie. Urban Farmer’s package is $250 and serves four to six people. And for those looking to save on tight fridge space, all orders can be picked up on Thanksgiving Day. Urban Farmer is also offering dine-in Thanksgiving for brunch and dinner.
Preorders open: now until sold out
Pickup: November 28th, noon to 4 p.m.
Lilah, Fishtown
Lilah’s $325 takeout package feeds six, and offers a Mediterranean twist on the Thanksgiving feast. It includes a smoked moussa-spiced whole turkey with cranberry harissa, pumpkin-kubaneh stuffing, hummus and pita, salatim, and much more. For dessert? Pumpkin pie with torched marshmallow and walnut tea biscuit crust.
Preorders open: now until sold out
Pickup: November 27th
Messina Social Club, South Philly
Messina’s package serve four to six people and starts out with a half turkey that they point out, at over six pounds, gives “over a pound per person!” (They are very excited about this package.) Along with the turkey, you get fixings like gravy, Brussels, stuffing, potatoes, and cranberry. Not enough? Add on à la carte dishes like mac-and-cheese, crab dip, and dulce de leche pumpkin pie. Too much? You can also go for a smaller package that serves two people instead.
Preorders open: now until November 21st
Pickup: November 27th
High Street Philadelphia, Washington Square West
High Street’s $200 “Everything. but the Bird” Thanksgiving menu provides four people with modern classic sides like malted maple squash purée, miso-braised autumn greens, and chestnut and roasted garlic sourdough stuffing. They’ve also got pies and breads, of course. Items are fully cooked and come with reheating instructions.
Preorders open: now until sold out
Pickup: November 27th
Heavy Metal Sausage Co., South Philly
Heavy Metal Sausage Co. is all about excess, and their Thanksgiving kit is no exception. Intended for four people with leftovers, it includes half a turkey from Keiser’s, plus seven (yes, seven) sides including squash and radicchio salad, brown-butter mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables, mac and cheese, braised greens, sausage stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy. Sides are also available à la carte, plus they’re doing takeout cheese and charcuterie boards and rolls.
Preorders open: now until sold out
Pickup: November 27th
Kampar, Bella Vista
If you’re not a fan of turkey, Ange Branca and her team are offering a $200 stuffed duck Thanksgiving meal for four this year. It comes stuffed with leek-and-sausage stuffing, plus four sides: Wagyu fat mashed potatoes with duck gravy, kale salad with pomegranate tahini dressing, a root vegetable tart, and kopi buns. You can also add on desserts from Mole Street Bakers — six-inch cardamom cakes with brown sugar and caramelized pears, mil hojas, a sweet walnut and citrus kuchen, or classic pumpkin pie.
Preorders open: now through November 22nd
Pickup: November 27th
Nunzio’s takeout offerings for Thanksgiving include this roasted pear salad. / Photograph courtesy of Nunzio
Nunzio, Collingswood
Nunzio’s takeout offerings for Thanksgiving are a little fancy, and a little Italian-leaning, which feels right if you’re looking to branch out just a bit this year. They’re doing turkey scallopini with mushrooms and marsala gravy, or a turkey bolognese with rigatoni as mains. Sides include sausage and broccoli rabe stuffing, roasted pear salad, and truffle gnocchi. Plus, pecan pie for dessert. All items are à la carte and serve four to six people.
Preorders open: now through November 17th
Pickup: November 27th
Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse, Northeast Philly
If Thanksgiving is a meat-centric holiday (which it is) then doesn’t it make sense to seek assistance from folks who specialize in meat? Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse has a $182 (so specific!) Thanksgiving menu that serves six to eight people with four pounds of hickory-smoked turkey breast, plus three quarts of your choice of sides (including jalapeño-cornbread stuffing, spicy collard greens, mashed sweet potatoes, and smokehouse chili). Add on desserts like s’mores pie, apple crisp, and bourbon bread pudding for an additional cost. All items are picked up cold, with heating instructions.
Preorders open: now through November 24th
Pickup: November 27th
Miles Table, multiple locations
Miles Table is a caterer first and foremost, which makes them experts at prepped foods ready to be reheated. Their Thanksgiving takeout options range from full meals for five or 10 people with turkey, sides and pie, to an à la carte ordering option that lets you build out your own preferred menu. They’ve also got gluten-free and vegetarian options to help you meet dietary restrictions without breaking a sweat. (In particular, they’re selling quarts of gluten-free sage-infused gravy that are worth an order on their own if you’re trying to hit your GF Thanksgiving menu out of the park.) For an additional bonus, they’ll deliver your order anywhere in the city.
Preorders open: now
Pickup: November 26th & 27th; delivery also available
P.S. & Co., Rittenhouse
If you’re looking for a vegan, gluten-free option, P.S. & Co. has Thanksgiving offerings including Shepherd’s Pie, biscuits, mac-and-cheese, and quinoa salad. They also have vegan Thanksgiving desserts, of course, like pumpkin layered cake and mini tarts.
Preorders open: now through November 18th
Pickup: November 26th-28th
The Original Turkey at Reading Terminal Market, Market East
The name says it all. The Original Turkey does Thanksgiving food all year round, so when it comes to actual Thanksgiving it makes sense to simply let them do their thing. You can do full dinners for two, four or eight people, in addition to whole turkeys, turkey breads, and à la carte sides.
Preorders open: now
Pickup: November 26th & 27th (or literally today, if you can’t wait till Thanksgiving for your feast)
Wilson’s Secret Sauce BBQ, Upper Darby
Yes, we’ve all seen those firefighter PSA’s about how NOT to deep-fry your turkey on Thanksgiving. (For those of you who don’t know, if your turkey is not fully defrosted before you dunk it into a pool of hot grease, it will explode.) So leave the turkey frying to the experts at Delco’s Wilson’s Secret Sauce BBQ. For Thanksgiving they’re offering up either a fried turkey or smoked turkey breast along with a whole bunch of classic sides to choose from, like mashed potatoes, collard greens, stuffing, gravy, cranberries, and more. If you’re not into turkey, you can opt for their brisket, ribs, or pulled pork.
Preorders open: now through November 23rd (all sides must be in by November 24th)
Pickup: November 27th
