Now, we all know that food is the way to most people’s hearts. In keeping with my tradition of sending fun food gifts for the holidays, I decided to order a few fun items from Yummy Bazaar and Goldbelly to test out which delectable food curations I’ll be gifting this holiday season.
As I opened each of the boxes from both Yummy Bazaar and Goldbelly, I wanted to share a few differences in case you’re looking to buy food gift boxes this year, too! (Spoiler alert: there was a clear winner).
If You’re Looking to Buy Gift Boxes… Yummy Bazaar
A Goldbelly box typically contains only products from a single restaurant, cafe, deli, etc., while a Yummy Bazaar box often contains products from different producers around the world. If you’re looking for a gift that feels like a curation, Yummy Bazaar is for you.
For example, I ordered two boxes from Goldbelly and one from Yummy Bazaar to make a charcuterie board. Goldbelly’s package featured 3 summer sausages from Alewel's Country Meats nestled in crinkle paper.
On the other hand, the Yummy Bazaar box arrived generously wrapped in exterior packaging and even contained cold packs. When I finally got through the packaging, there was not a single dent in the actual gift box itself! The gift box was filled to the brim with different kinds of artisan cheeses (both soft and hard cheese), whipped honey, Italian salami, and even a Truffle Mousse paté, also nestled in crinkle paper.
If You’re Looking for Variety… Tie
Goldbelly specializes in selling food gifts from regional eateries in the United States. They don’t have much variety in terms of truly international food gifts, but they are unique in their offerings. Goldbelly tends to sell more perishable food gifts from local and regional restaurants in the U.S (for example: ribs from a local BBQ place).
On the other hand, Yummy Bazaar specializes in food gifts from around the world. You can find a wider selection of both perishable and non-perishable food gifts from international producers and brands, such as Lambertz Cinnamon Star Cookies Zimtsterne from Germany and First Press Yuzu Juice from Japan by Shikoku Meiji. You won’t find food gifts from specific local restaurants here, but their food gifts do appeal to a wider demographic.
If You Value Timeliness… Yummy Bazaar
Despite ordering all the boxes at the same time, all of my Yummy Bazaar boxes arrived earlier than the boxes from Goldbelly.
The Goldbelly package encountered a few delays along the way, which added another 2.5 days to the estimated delivery date. This was not my first time ordering with Goldbelly, and I’ve actually encountered delays with previous Goldbelly shipments, too.
Timeliness is so important for me, especially for holiday gifting. After all, I wouldn’t want a Christmas gift box to arrive 3 days after Christmas… so Yummy Bazaar wins this category!
If You’re Looking for the Most Bang for Your Buck … Yummy Bazaar
At the end of the day, we have to talk about pricing. After all, I know that when I’m buying gifts for 25+ people every holiday, I want to be wise with where I spend my money.
The Goldbelly box I ordered was $59.95 per box, which came with 3 full-size items - or approximately $20 per item. The Yummy Bazaar World box I ordered was $69. It came with 7 full-sized items - or approximately $9.86 per item. I personally feel like Yummy Bazaar’s curation offers the best value, as you get more items per box.
And the Winner Is… Yummy Bazaar
Having been a Goldbelly customer in the past, I thought Goldbelly was supposed to come out on top, but I was wrong. I was blown away by how every single one of the Yummy Bazaar boxes outperformed the Goldbelly boxes, especially in regards to the “giftable” quality of the boxes and the shipping times - both of which are incredibly important for holiday gifting!
