Shef Reviews 

237
•
TrustScore 4 out of 5

4.0

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Considering 173 reviews, reviewers had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently share that the food is exceptionally delicious and fresh, offering a wonderful variety of diverse culinary options prepared by local chefs. People truly appreciate how convenient the meal preparation and generous portion sizes are, making busy weeknights much easier to manage without any daily stress. Some reviewers were not happy with the delivery logistics, noting occasional missing items, incorrect orders, or frustratingly late arrivals that disrupted their schedules. Additionally, a few other people also felt that the heavy reliance on black plastic containers for storing hot meals was disappointing.

What people talk about most

Product

Customers consistently note positive experiences with product, frequently praising the delicious flavors,... See more

Quality

Consumers find quality to be positive, frequently describing meals as delicious, fresh, and offering... See more

Delivery service

People report ambiguous experiences with delivery service, as some customers praise timely arrivals, helpful... See more

Order

Reviewers highlight ambiguous aspects of order experiences, as some consumers frequently praise the delicious... See more

Service

Users describe ambiguous interactions with service, expressing delight over delicious meals and convenience,... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

After a few months using Shef, I've learned to stretch the meals further by adding extra rice, frozen veggies and fresh lettuce. Having meals delivered every 3 weeks streamlines meal prep a lot!

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The food quality at Shef is top rate! I’ve tried other services and they did not compare. They offer a wide variety of gluten free meals too and reasonably priced for what you get. I find the portio... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Everything I have tried has been absolutely delicious! I haven’t been disappointed with anything. My taste buds are so happy—very, very happy! 😋 Thank you so much for your dedication, care, and commi... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Food is delicious and offers varieties with different chefs preparing meals for you. I LOVE Shef’s effort towards reusing the insulated bag and ice packs. It greatly impacts our decision to support th... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Meal Delivery
  2. also in
  3. Delivery Service
  4. Online Food Ordering Service

Written by the company

Shef connects busy families with talented local chefs who cook fresh, homemade meals for small groups of nearby households each week. Think of it as having a shared personal chef—you get the care, quality and freshness of a home-cooked meal with the convenience of takeout, often at a better price. Our vetted local chefs handle all the shopping, prep and cooking, then deliver restaurant-quality meals straight to your door. It's a human-centered alternative to meal kits and traditional delivery that puts the heart back into feeding your family, while supporting local food entrepreneurs in your community.

Culinary Excellence. Guaranteed.

Written by the company

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
Local chefs submit their applications & less than 5% earn an apron.
TASTE-TESTED TO PERFECTION
Every dish is vetted for taste, quality & presentation by our culinary team.
CREDENTIALS YOU CAN TRUST
Licensed chefs & facilities — every Shef meets rigorous safety standards.
DEDICATED TO CULINARY EXCELLENCE
Every order is reviewed for the highest standards in safety and quality.

Love it, or it's on us

Money-back guarantee

If it’s not love at first bite, we’ll make it right. 100% money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied.

Contact info

Promotion box for Shef

Sign Up For Weekly Shef Service

Save 30% on fresh meals crafted by trusted local chefs - from $54/week

4.0

Great

TrustScore 4 out of 5

237 reviews

5-star
4-star
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1-star

Asks customers to review

This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative

Replied to 93% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 48 hours

How this company uses Trustpilot

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4.0

All reviews

(237)

178 reviews in the last 12 months

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Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Not fresh; decent

A lot of trash; I have no use for those red cold bags. Food was pretty good, but not better than a restaurant and almost as expensive, and really not very healthy or fresh (no greens). A few items, like the ribs, were just bad.

March 3, 2026
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Reply from Shef

Sorry to hear about the mixed experience, especially with those ribs. We'd love to make this right and hear more about how we can improve. Please reach out to support@shef.com so we can help!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I DIDN'T GET MY FOOD!!!

I DIDN'T GET MY FOOD!!!! You guys are like useless zoo animals.

March 8, 2026
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Reply from Shef

We’re so sorry your order didn’t arrive! It is unacceptable and we’re looking into what happened and will reach out shortly to make this right.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Repeat Missing Meals

For the second time in two months a meal was missing from my delivery. Shef doesn’t do anything to remedy the miss except refund after YOU contact them. Clearly no QC going on in order fulfillment.

March 2, 2026
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Reply from Shef

We understand this is really frustrating. Especially happening twice. We are looking into this issue to see what went wrong and how we can do better with order fulfillment QC. Please reach out to support@shef.com so we can make this right.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

So far (this is our second order)

So far (this is our second order), the food has been delicious and the portions perfect for me and my husband. The deliveries have been a bit late and the most recent delivery person did not pick up our container from the previous week’s delivery. Other than that— we are very pleased!

March 2, 2026
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Reply from Shef

Really happy the meals have been hitting the spot for you both! Sorry about the delivery hiccups though. If you reach out to support@shef.com, we can look into that and make sure the container pickup gets sorted.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

our fave ready-to-eat meals by far!

Shef has a great variety of options. There are so many "shefs" in my area, fortunately so I'm able to try unique things. Customer Support has been really helpful and kind, so absolutely no complaints there.

February 16, 2026
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Reply from Shef

Love hearing this! Having lots of local shefs in your area really does make it fun to explore different cuisines. And glad our support team has been helpful when you've needed them!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

My go to meal service

I’ve been ordering from the Shef marketplace platform since 2019, and it’s become a staple in my weekly routine. I joined their weekly meal subscription last year, and it makes my life so much easier — everything arrives ready to enjoy, so I can focus on my week without worrying about meals.

I’ve used Shef in SF, LA, and NYC, and no matter the city, I can always find healthy, delicious meals for a good price. The options are consistently fresh, satisfying, and take the stress out of figuring out what to eat.

February 1, 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shef

Five years with us across three cities. That's amazing! Love that the weekly subscription has made things easier for you. Thanks for sticking with Shef all this time!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I got food poisoning from a meal.

I got food poisoning from a meal.

February 2, 2026
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Reply from Shef

We're so sorry to hear this happened. Your health and safety are our top priority, and we take this very seriously. Please reach out to support@shef.com so we can investigate and make this right.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great communication and great products

I appreciate the communication when the delivery is delayed, on time, and delivered.

February 1, 2026
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Reply from Shef

Really appreciate you highlighting that! Keeping you in the loop about your delivery is something we take seriously, so it's great to hear it's making a difference. Enjoy your meals!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Food spilled out.

January 31, 2026
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Reply from Shef

That's really frustrating, we're sorry this happened! Please reach out to support@shef.com so we can make this right and look into what went wrong with your delivery.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great Chefs, Great Food.

Have been loving my weekly delivery service, even more so knowing I am supporting a local and diverse group of chefs. The food is amazing and doesn't even compare to your usual commercial or mass produced meal deliver companies.

February 1, 2026
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Reply from Shef

We love hearing this! Supporting local shefs while enjoying homemade meals is what it's all about. So happy you're noticing the difference from those big meal kit companies!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Mediocre first dish

Dish was just ok.

February 1, 2026
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Reply from Shef

Sorry this one didn't wow you! Our shefs offer such a variety of cuisines and styles, so we'd love to help you find dishes that are a better fit. Reach out to support@shef.com and we can point you in the right direction!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Terrible first experience – poor communication and no real support

My first experience with Shef was incredibly frustrating and disappointing. From the start, I tried to change my delivery date to Monday and could not find any way to do so in the app. Instead of clearly explaining or walking me through the steps, customer support initially offered to change it for me, then later said they couldn’t—without ever providing actual instructions.

Without my consent, my delivery was automatically moved to Tuesday (not the day I requested), and one of my selected meals was swapped for something I would never eat. I did not choose it, and I was still expected to pay for it. When I asked to swap or remove it, I was told it was “past the cut-off,” even though this was my very first week and I was still trying to set up my account.

What made this worse is that the app shows “settings” that are view-only, which is misleading and not clearly explained. You’re essentially locked out of making changes, but no one tells you that upfront. The response I received focused more on policies than on actually resolving the issue or offering a reasonable solution.

For a service that markets convenience and flexibility, this was the opposite. Paying customers should not be stuck with meals they didn’t select, especially during their first order. Unfortunately, this experience made it clear that Shef isn’t a good fit for me, and I won’t be using the service again.

January 25, 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shef

We're sorry your first experience wasn't what you expected. With the inclement weather, we've been doing our best to keep shefs, delivery partners, and customers safe, but we understand that any changes to your expected order can be frustrating. We'll be reaching out to you directly to make this right.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Review of N. Dallas Shef (Youssef)

This is a review of Shef for the North Dallas/Plano, TX area - specifically, Shef Youssef. We have ordered twice and found the food to be just phenomenal. (Our orders were placed for 12/24 and 12/30.) Really, restaurant quality. Packaged very well, large portions, excellent flavors, and both arrived within the promised time frame. After reading other reviews, I am a bit hesitant to try other Shefs; however, Shef Youssef has been absolutely fantastic (he also apparently runs a bakery, so he is likely familiar with food prep). If you are in North Texas and want authentic Lebanese food delivered to your door, I wholeheartedly recommend this particular Shef.

If we have any issues or if we order from another Shef, I will come back with an update.

December 31, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shef

We love hearing this! Youssef really does make incredible Lebanese food, and it sounds like you picked the perfect shef for your holiday meals. Hope you continue enjoying those flavors!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Delivered contaminated food

The first time I tried one of their dishes I threw it out immediately. It was rancid and the second most awful thing I've ever tried eating. Second week in, food still hit and miss but gave them another week.

The third week, I got food poisoning TWICE from TWO different meals in the same order. Although they did provide a refund of the order at my request, their customer support responding to my informing them about the food contamination was less than lackluster.

January 13, 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from Shef

This is really concerning, and we're so sorry you experienced this. Food safety is something we take very seriously, and we'd like to follow up directly so that we can properly investigate what happened. We'll be reaching out to you, so we can look into this further.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Expires too soon

The food is overall good. Some hits and misses. My biggest issue is the expiration dates. I order 6 meals a week plus some sides. They arrive late on Tuesday evening and they all expire Friday and Saturday. I order for a week but only get 4 days of usable food and it's resulting in some wasted and uneaten meals.

January 7, 2026
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Reply from Shef

Thanks for the feedback! Just so you know, the best by dates are guidelines for fridge storage, but all our meals can be frozen to extend their life if you'd like to space them out over the week. That said, we hear you and are working on improving freshness windows!

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