Here's What 11 Big Cities Have Been Eating in Quarantine, According to DoorDash

Everyone's still obsessed with chicken sandwiches apparently.

COLE SALADINO/THRILLIST
COLE SALADINO/THRILLIST

There are two types of quarantiners out there: those who are whipping up Bon Appétit recipes like they belong in the IRL test kitchen and those who rely on food delivery to stay fed. I am, admittedly, in the latter camp. But even if you've been cooking up a storm, 47% of surveyed Americans say they're sick and tired of it. It's time to fire up the food apps if you haven't already.

Need a little inspiration on what to get? Just take a cue from those of us who have been ordering in all along. DoorDash has compiled a list of our eating habits across the last six months. In a poll of 2,000 people, collected between January 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020, New Yorkers and Washington, DC residents reported a lot of chicken orders. We're talking chicken sandwiches, quesadillas, fried chicken, and chicken parmesan. 

Comfort food in general was unsurprisingly a major trend for 2020, as well. We all know we needed it. Mac & cheese, shrimp tacos, pizza, iced coffee, queso blanco, cinnamon rolls, cheesecake, and breakfast burritos all saw a rise in orders. But regional location also had a major impact on answers. 

Here are the top ordering trends in major US Cities: 

  • Los Angeles: Sushi -- California roll, spicy tuna roll, salmon avocado roll, rainbow roll, and shrimp tempura roll.
  • San Francisco: Indian -- chicken tikka masala, garlic naan, basmati rice, samosas, and saag paneer.
  • Denver: Cheese -- mac & cheese, mozzarella sticks, cheesy garlic bread, chicken quesadillas, and chips & queso. 
  • Chicago: sandwiches & hot dogs -- Italian beef sandwich, hot dog, chicken sandwich, chili cheese dog, and beef croissant sandwich. 
  • Austin: Tex-Mex -- chips & queso, burritos, baja shrimp taco, fried avocado taco, and chicken fajitas. 
  • Atlanta: sweets -- chocolate chip cookies, cookies & cream milkshake, brownie, apple pie, and banana bread.   
  • Miami: Latin American favorites -- sweet plantains, fried yuca, jerk chicken, tres leches, and tostones.
  • Washington, DC: roasted chicken, chicken noodle soup, grilled chicken sandwich, chicken tenders, and curry chicken.  
  • Philadelphia: American staples -- chicken nuggets, cheesesteaks, cheeseburgers, Italian hoagies, and boneless wings.
  • NYC: chicken -- spicy chicken sandwich, chicken quesadilla, chicken parmigiana, crispy chicken BLT, and buttermilk fried chicken.   
  • Seattle: Seafood -- California roll, fish & chips, crab rangoon, spicy tuna roll, and tartar sauce.

But whether you're craving Tex-Mex or dying for a good sushi dinner, it doesn't much matter. We can all agree on one thing: we're missing pre-pandemic dining. DoorDash reported that 88% of people were "excited for the day when I can eat restaurant food the same way I could before COVID-19."

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Megan Schaltegger is a staff writer at Thrillist.