# Shmeal — user reviews

> 36 indexed App Store user reviews of Shmeal by Shmeal, LLC, rated 4.11/5 from 55 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shmeal/id1158487753/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shmeal/id1158487753.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 39 · 4★ 3 · 3★ 2 · 2★ 2 · 1★ 9

## Newest reviews (13 of 36)

### 5/5 — Great concept

*2020-12-09, version 2.2.2*

I love this app. It is very new so it can use some logistical improvements but the concept is brilliant. Order delicious food for pick up from home cooks for $8 per meal. It’s truly shopping local. We’ve loved every meal we have tried so far and can’t wait to keep trying more. A lot of authentic international options that are fun to try.

### 5/5 — So delicious!

*2020-01-31, version 2.1.5*

Super cool idea for an app. I loved my first Shmeal! Quicker than fast food and definitely a healthier option. I’ve been telling all my friends about it. My mom wants a Shmeal app in California now!!

### 5/5 — Great customer service !

*2020-01-22, version 2.1.3*

Unfortunately had the issue of being locked out of my account and I thought it’d take forever to get back in. Fortunately Shmeal is current on tech and you can actually text them for support, which was so cool! My account was a bit problematic to get reset for some reason, but the constant communication was reassuring they wanted to resolve the issue. Eventually helped reset the account and I’m waiting to pick up some Spring Rolls for dinner tonight ! Thanks Shmeal support !!

### 5/5 — Really cool idea for food & community

*2019-11-01, version 2.1.0*

Nowadays we’re busy, eating bad takeout, isolated, not really know our neighbors. Shmeal is the answer to all of this. You get to eat delicious home cooking (which we all know is the best cooking) at a reasonable price and meet some cool people while you’re at it. The app is super easy to use; meals listed by closeness to your location. A really cool thing is the variety of cuisines too. Really cool.

### 5/5 — Yoooooo

*2019-10-23, version 2.0.7*

Sick food app🤙🤙🤙

Best barbecue. Of. My. Life. And the cook was real polite which is also a plus :)

### 5/5 — Delicious affordable food option

*2019-07-08, version 2.0.4*

I love this app! It’s a great departure from other takeout options and the food is much better than what you can get from most restaurants for $8. Some of the cooks are professional chefs cooking in their spare time. It feels good to support local cooks and get to know your neighbors a bit at the same time. It’s also great for trying different types of cuisines. Highly recommend!

### 5/5 — Awesome!

*2019-06-08, version 2.0.4*

Well-designed app, highly recommended!

### 5/5 — Awesome concept! Excited to see it grow.

*2019-04-11, version 1.3.10*

My good friend recommended I download this app because he got approved as a cook for it and the concept seemed awesome. I just completed my first transaction (with a stranger) and it went very well. There are a few areas for improvement but I didn’t let it dock my rating because I am so impressed with the concept and functionality. The ordering process was easy, the channels of communication between myself and the cook were available and clear. The food I received was very good and the post-sale flow was easy and, theoretically, seamless. The one hiccup I did encounter was that there seemed to be some lag in the order fulfillment during the food exchange and immediately afterwords which left me a little unsure about whether the transaction went through correctly. I’m chalking it up to growing pains of a new app. It could very well have been user error since it was my first time using it. I will definitely be using this app a lot more and am excited for its growth.

**Developer response:** Hey Woody! Awesome, we're glad you're enjoying Shmeal! ❤ Thanks for the feedback. After the cook gives you your meal, they have to go into the app and confirm that the meal was served. They don't always do this immediately after service. Hope that explains the lag! We'll look to improve this in future versions.

### 5/5 — Great

*2018-11-22, version 1.3.4*

My favorite part of using Shmeal is knowing that a neighborhood person is preparing my meal, in their home, and i get to go to their home and meet them one on one. It has a much more personal feel than an eaterie-along with being much more affordable. If a meal is home cooked, it tends to be delicious or at least close to. I have ordered MANY unsatisfactory meals/food from UberEats and the like. I have never had a Shmeal i regretted buying.

**Developer response:** Hey Ugh! That's awesome, we're glad you're enjoying Shmeal! ❤

### 5/5 — Life Changing - Real Person

*2018-10-04, version 1.3.2*

Home cooked meals by people who actually care. Seriously makes my life 100 times easier and it only costs me 6 bucks a meal. Food has been outstanding every time and fills me up. Try it, you won’t regret it. @nathan_and_kira on IG I’m a real person and this review is real af

### 5/5 — Idea is great/app could use some help

*2018-09-20, version 1.3.2*

Love the idea, owners are friendly,  but the app tends to run slow and is a bit glitchy.  Chat logs will show in notifications but will not refresh in real time.  I’ve had some issues with the app crashing as well.

**Developer response:** Hey dseon, thanks for reviewing us! 🙏 Some users have been experiencing crashing in the last update like you described - we're working on getting an update out soon that will fix this issue. Thanks for your feedback! We're also hard at work making the app faster and the chat better! ❤

### 5/5 — Eat J.C.’s food

*2018-05-16, version 1.2.6*

J.C. makes the best fried chicken sandwich I’ve ever had in my life. Thank you Shmeal I owe you one

### 5/5 — Impressive, very cool original app

*2018-03-02, version 1.2.2*

Saw an ad for this on Instagram and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. But wow, I tried a Shmeal and I was quite impressed. They give you your first one for free which got me past my initial hesitation. I got a salmon, baked potato, Brussels sprouts meal. It was really delicious. It reminded me of a meal you would get at a steakhouse for like $20. And here it’s only $6. The only drawback is that you have to go pick up your food from the cook who made it. They don’t deliver. But I was only a couple minutes from this guy in Humboldt so it worked great for me. I’ll be back Justin! 🙌

**Developer response:** Thanks for your feedback Aumcderm! We're glad you liked Justin's Shmeal! The reason we don't do delivery is because we want Shmeal to be affordable, and doing delivery would about double the cost of a Shmeal. Maybe someday we'll add it if the cost of delivery comes down!

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Sadly

*2021-03-05, version 2.3.1*

I can’t get my app to open. When I tried to create an account I got all the way to creating my profile and my app closed. I figured it may have been my phone so I tried opening the app back up with no luck. I’ve restarted my phone, deleted and downloaded the app again and I checked to make sure both my phone and app were up to date. It’s sad I won’t be able to use the app I was so excited.

### 1/5 — Can’t sign in

*2019-06-19, version 2.0.4*

Says they already have an account with my number

### 1/5 — The app won’t let me login

*2019-05-03, version 2.0.0*

Glitches need to be fixed. Love the idea but can’t get into the app.

### 1/5 — Crashes Everytime

*2018-12-28, version 1.3.5*

Signed in, verified, now the app crashes and I can't do anything

### 1/5 — Can't sign up

*2017-10-08, version 1.1.6*

When I try to verify my phone number sign up breaks. I try to log in and my user account doesn't exist, and when I try to sign up again the account already exists - I'm locked out.

### 2/5 — Nervous

*2019-05-25, version 2.0.3*

Just downloaded the app and before you can even see anything it makes you agree to some stuff:
1) Shmeal does not guarantee that meals are safe for consumption
2) Shmeal does not screen cooks or users of the platform 
3) Shmeal is not liable for any harm that may arise from the use of the platform

I understand why these clauses might be required for an app like this, but I would have liked to see what the company DOES DO to protect its users, because it’s hard to want to pay money for someone to potentially put my safety at risk. Are there any safeguards or requirements at all for the home cooks?

### 2/5 — Concept is great BUT

*2017-11-07, version 1.1.7*

Concept is great, BUT as a cook/chief we would have to use lower & cheaper quality food, less protein & more carbs to make a decent profit. If the price per meal was increased to $10 or $11 it would allow us to use better quality products knowing we could make a fair & decent profit. 
My speciality is smoking meat & for $6 a plate I'd be loosing money. That would get you like 2 ribs, 1/2 sandwich & the rest would be a scoop of 2 different cheap carbs in hopes it fills you up.

**Developer response:** He elscion111! Thanks for your feedback! We came up with Shmeal as a fun way for people to meet their neighbors and share affordable meals. We want Shmeal to be something you can use everyday, and for most people it's too expensive to spend $10 on a single meal every day. For people who do cook on the app, they like the $6 price because it makes you be creative with what you cook, it means there's no pressure, and it keeps the focus on fun and sharing and not on the money. There's lots of ways to cook cheap without sacrificing quality, you just have to be creative!

### 3/5 — Locations

*2018-05-21, version 1.2.7*

I live in California and I don’t see any users. Bummer . I live in Tracy ca

### 3/5 — Love the concept, but looking for improvements

*2017-11-07, version 1.1.7*

Surfing through the week’s list of things being cooked up is a mouth watering experience. I think the food looks great and the concept is a great way to try new foods. Shmeal asks about food allergens when setting up the app, but there’s nothing about being Vegetarian/Vegan/Pescatarian. I have to scroll through days worth of menus to find something without meat which is something you’d imagine would already be cooked into the app. For an app developed in Chicago, you would expect the developers to have some foresight about this.

**Developer response:** Hey Doofendoofer! Thanks for the feedback! We haven't added any filters to the Menu yet, BUT we are looking to add these soon! In the meantime you can Follow cooks near you who make the kind of food you're looking for, and we'll notify you when they post!

### 4/5 — Great idea, looking forward to seeing this take off!

*2020-11-20, version 2.2.1*

This app connects you to great food from local chefs all around you. I've had some of the best meals since moving to my city thanks to this app. As someone who doesn't cook, I'm constantly paying high delivery fees for cold food that underwhelms- this solved all of that! I'm looking forward to this growing in popularity, both for more meal availability in my neighborhood as well as to giving me the opportunity to try many different cuisines. I love it.

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — A fun thing to try in Chicago

*2022-09-06, version 3.0.3*

I've ordered two meals so far and they were both excellent. It's also a good way to get you out on your bike and meet some real people, try some new things. I hope the concept succeeds, as Airbnb and Uber have, because I'd like to see it stick around. My only complaint is that it's really difficult to find where to add reviews for your orders in the app (answer: click the hamburger menu top-left, and then click "History")

### 5/5 — What a great concept

*2022-08-29, version 3.0.3*

So far my experience has been amazing. The cooks are friendly and so maybe options in just a quick walk. The food is also very delicious.  Can’t wait to continue trying new foods!

### 5/5 — the best!!

*2022-08-25, version 3.0.3*

an amazing app to try all kinds of foods! 
every chef i met wit was kind and all the food as a 10/10!

### 5/5 — Such a great app!

*2022-06-01, version 3.0.1*

I get super busy a lot of times - between being a mom, working, taking care of home, running errands and all those other things - life gets crazy. As much as I would love to be in the kitchen every day, it’s just not reality. This app gave me the ability to still have good home cooked meals, from all over the world, and not feel guilty about having to “eat out.”Each day of the week there are different things being offered in different parts of the city; there is so much to choose from and getting a chance to meet the cooks is always a pleasure! I’ve had the opportunity to try so many good international dishes! The best part - the prices are reasonable as well! Love Shmeal!

### 5/5 — Great app

*2022-03-28, version 2.3.20*

I love how you were able to try so many different authentic dishes! Everyone whose dish I tried did an excellent job and was extremely friendly. The food is made right before you get there so it was hot out of the oven. I can’t wait to see the new chefs and home cooks they can recruit

### 5/5 — Great idea, great app!

*2022-03-02, version 2.3.20*

This is a great service where people can get delicious meals from local (home and professional) chefs. You can see their location, all available dishes, you can also chat. I’ve tried many different cuisines without spending a dime on delivery fees. Highly recommend!

### 5/5 — Fun concept. Good experience so far.

*2022-01-26, version 2.3.18*

The app lets you discover local chefs and home cooks and try out their meals. Ordered once already and it was easy to use and food was delicious. I like how they specify food allergens. Definitely a lot of room for growth and upgrades. Would love to see search and filter functionalities. Also would love to see where this goes!

### 5/5 — Happy user

*2021-11-05, version 2.3.14*

I am cooking on Shmeal and it has been great. They were very helpful when I joined and helped making it a very seamless process.
Since then I have been getting orders and getting paid on time.
It is a good way to work from home and make some money.

### 5/5 — Amazing app for delicious food!!😍

*2021-09-30, version 2.3.10*

I love this app so much. I always want to eat real food, and different cuisines. Shmeal has a variety of good dinner to tasty desserts! What I love about it is you get to pay for only $10! healthy and affordable are my thing. You get to meet and if you're lucky be friends with the cooks. I love this app. My favorite dessert is the Ube Creme Pandesal & Vegan dishes of Ms. Daphne. The Best!! Hoping for more variety of cuisines in the future🥰

### 5/5 — Great app

*2020-12-15, version 2.2.3*

While there was some issues with app a few weeks it was still possible to pick up meals . It’s a great way to support local up and coming businesses and affordable. One suggestion, making categories for food and maybe also chefs in certain neighborhoods. I know I can put my zip code but it’d be easier to search by neighborhood other than it’s great I’ve eaten some really good meals through here!

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*