Rastelli's Meat Delivery review: The best online butcher for elevated staples

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For general groceries, you can go to any number of online grocery delivery services such as FreshDirect and AmazonFresh. But if you're craving something a little more gourmet, there are even more specific delivery services. 

The magic of meat delivery services like Porter Road and Snake River Farms is this: They provide curated shopping experiences, they sell high-quality and responsibly raised meat, and they're really convenient because they'll ship fresh products directly to your door. 

Rastelli's is a family business that started in 1976 as a local New Jersey butcher shop. It supplied the neighboring deli and the community with quality meat and now has expanded into an online presence with poultry and seafood. If you live in New Jersey, you can shop in person at its gourmet market, Rastelli Market Fresh. But if you don't, you can still cook and enjoy meat, poultry, and seafood by ordering online.

How it works

On its website, Rastelli's offers various proteins made up of 12 to 24 servings of steak, chicken, shrimp, salmon, and more. If you choose to subscribe, you'll save a little money (5%), and there are various shipment-frequency options so your freezer won't get overcrowded. 

All of Rastelli's animals are responsibly raised, antibiotic-free, and added-hormone-free. The seafood is wild-caught. Each product page has a note on ideal ways to cook the meat, whether that's the best grill or on the stovetop in a cast iron skillet. You can use the "Ask the Butcher" feature to guide your ordering. The questionnaire asks about your meat preferences, how big your group is, and whether you want something special or a basic item.

We like Rastelli's selection of elevated staples, like Grass-Fed Top Sirloin and Turkey Craft Burgers. Plus, the shipping methods keep everything frozen solid, so you can order in bulk and stock your freezer for months with premium cuts.

Review of Rastelli's Meat Delivery

Rastelli's delivers orders packed in an insulated box with dry ice. From there, you can store the meats and prepped meals in your freezer and fridge until you're ready to cook. We tried chicken, salmon, and steaks from Rastelli's and were happy with the experience on all fronts, from convenience to taste.

The steaks were juicy, flavorful, and easy to cook, while the salmon came out perfectly flaky and moist. We thought the taste of the chicken breast was comparable to similar versions we've tried from stores, but we did appreciate that we could have antibiotic-free and organic options delivered right to our door.

The bulk design means that as long as you have adequate fridge space, you'll always have a protein waiting for you when you get home from work or school. 

The bottom line

If you have a busy schedule, you know that any subtle automation of a routine can help make life much less stressful. Ultimately, the Rastelli's experience was as much about the quality of the food as it was about the pure and simple convenience of the service.