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

Thanksgiving takeout from Di Bruno Bros. / Photograph courtesy of Di Bruno Bros.

Thanksgiving can be a tricky holiday. Best-case scenario: We spend it eating delicious food with people we love. But the reality usually involves a lot of stress and overcooked poultry. 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 whether you’re just looking for a little help to make things easier on the big day, or for someone to handle the whole freakin’ meal, we’ve got you covered with all kinds of takeout options.

Oh, and if you’re looking for support on pies, we’ve got a whole other guide focused entirely on where to pick up Philly’s best Thanksgiving pies.

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. Options for mains include a turkey braciole, a boneless turkey breast rolled and filled with sausage and herbs, and a vegetarian lasagna that we’d quite happily add to our own Thanksgiving table. Add on any sides and starters, and pick up at their Ardmore or Rittenhouse locations.
Preorders open: now through November 15th
Pickup: November 22nd

Miles Tablemultiple 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. Their offerings are mostly classic, but they’ve got a ton of gluten-free and vegetarian options that could be helpful for meeting 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: Tuesday, November 21st or Wednesday, November 22nd; delivery also available

High Street PhiladelphiaWashington Square West
High Street’s Thanksgiving menu includes what we’d call modern classic sides: roasted Brussels sprouts with cranberries, onion and sage sourdough stuffing, root vegetable and gruyère gratin and more, all fully cooked and portioned for four people. You can also order a cooked Green Meadow Farms turkey, or a pre-brined and ready-to-cook bird. Pick-ups are available the day before Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving morning — helpful if you’re operating with limited fridge space. They’ve also got pies, of course.
Preorders open: now until sold out
Pickup: Wednesday, November 22nd and Thursday, November 23rd

Honeysuckle ProvisionsWest Philly
Honeysuckle’s Thanksgiving offerings toe the line between classic and reimagined. Most notably, rather than whole birds, their full Thanksgiving dinner kit includes braised legs and wings — a dish that’s great for people who can’t quite let go of turkey, but who like to complain about how dry it is. Sides lean Southern: stewed greens, macaroni and cheese, stewed yams. They’re also doing a cranberry-hibiscus sauce that seems worthwhile as a standalone. Plus, pies.
Preorders open: now until November 15th
Pickup: Wednesday, November 22nd

Mighty Bread, East Passyunk
Years ago, before Mighty Bread expanded into a larger space, they focused their Thanksgiving takeout on ingredients to help you execute a great meal — most notably pre-cubed bread for stuffing. They’ve continued to focus on this kind of service-oriented, bread-focused Thanksgiving support, but have expanded it to include fully-cooked sides like green-bean casserole, kale salad and browned-butter cauliflower, plus tons of sweets, quiche (because people need breakfast on Thanksgiving, which is easy to forget!) and sweet potato buns that allow you to have homemade rolls on the table without actually having to make them yourself.
Preorders open: now until sold out
Pickup: Tuesday, November 21st and Wednesday, November 22nd

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 pastured turkey from Kaiser’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: Wednesday, November 22nd from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Mike’s BBQEast Passyunk
If you’re over turkey and ready to do some other large cut of meat, consider Mike’s Dino rib — large beef ribs that will make just as much of an impact on your Thanksgiving table as any turkey ever could. Preorders are available via email.
Preorders open: now
Pickup: November 23rd, noon to 1p.m.

thanksgiving takeout

Nunzio’s takeout offerings for Thanksgiving include this roasted pear salad. / Photograph courtesy of Nunzio

NunzioCollingswood
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, and sides including sausage and broccoli rabe stuffing, roasted pear salad, and truffle gnocchi.
Preorders open: now through November 19th
Pickup: November 22nd, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Sweet Lucy’s SmokehouseNortheast 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 is full of meat specialists, and their menu invites you to branch out beyond just one protein. They’ve got pulled pork and chicken, beef brisket, smoked salmon, baby back ribs, rotisserie chicken, and, yes, smoked turkey breast. Oh, and sides. Or maybe you’ll just do other meats as your sides?
Preorders open: now through November 19th
Pickup: November 22nd

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 22nd

Small Oven BakeshopPoint Breeze
If we had to say what single protein is the one we’d most like to be alone with, we’d probably say porchetta, and we’d probably say you should order it from Small Oven. They’ll do it as a meal with sides, portioned for eight to 10 people. They’ll also do it on its own, priced by the pound. They’ll also do a turkey-based porchetta, which involves a de-boned, rolled and stuffed turkey if you’re not quite ready to let go of turkey. And they’ve also got excellent desserts.
Preorders open: now until sold out
Pickup: Wednesday, November 22nd and Thursday, November 23rd