9 AAPI-owned restaurants to support this month
These amazingly delicious establishments ship nationwide.
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I love traveling, especially visiting the food-centric neighborhoods in cities across the country. Whether it’s the bustling Koreatown in Los Angeles or the historic Chinatown in San Francisco, places that serve authentic Asian flavors are also a reminder of how diverse our country is.
There are so many Asian American and Pacific Islander-owned restaurants on my bucket list that have yet to be checked off—here are some of my favorites that you can enjoy without hopping on a plane, thanks to food delivery services.
1. Ice Cream Jubilee
The owner incorporates flavors from Asia to her ice cream offerings, including Sichuan peppercorn and pandan leaves.
Named one of America’s best ice cream shops and voted best ice cream in Washington D.C., this handmade, small-batch ice cream parlor serves inventive flavors such as Thai Iced Tea and Banana Bourbon Caramel. But you don’t need to travel to D.C. to get this treat—now Ice Cream Jubilee is shipping a decent selection of its top-selling products nationwide via Goldbelly.
Get the Choose Your Own Ice Cream, 5 Pints from Ice Cream Jubilee at Goldbelly for $90
2. Curry Up Now
You can order burritos or a family meal for four people.
You may have seen this San Francisco-based Indian street food vendor on the hit Netflix series Ugly Delicious. Founder Akash Kapoor’s desire to put his own spin on traditional Indian street food gave birth to one of the most popular items on the menu: the Indian Burrito, which wraps fillings like butter chicken and chicken tikka masala in tortillas. Other offerings include classic Indian mainstays such as Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, and Daal Lentils or snack food with a “modern twist,” like samosas and Kulcha naan.
Get The For the Love of Tikka & Butter Family Meal for 4 at Goldbelly for $120
3. Pipeline Bakeshop and Creamery
These doughy Portuguese treats are a favorite in Hawaii.
Originating in Portugal, these cute little yeasted donuts—called malasadas—are a favorite among the locals in Hawaii. Pipeline Bakeshop has been serving this confection since it opened in 2016, along with cake bombs and cookies. There are five flavors available: Cocoa, Classic, Coffee, Cinnamon, and Li Hing, which is a salty dried plum sugar that adds an unexpected zing to this particular donut.
Get the Famous Malasadas in a 12-pack from Pipeline Bakeshop and Creamery at Goldbelly for $50
4. Calic Bread
The Korean-style garlic bread is everywhere in the streets of Seoul.
After amassing a cult following in South Korea, this buttery bread with garlic and cream cheese filling is moseying its way into L.A.’s Koreatown. Founders Alex and Sun Sohn, both passionate sourdough bakers, took on this popular street food with their own interpretation. Sweet and crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside, the bread consistently sells out within five minutes every day when the shop opens.
Get a 2-Pack of the Original Garlic Cream Cheese Bread from Calic Bread at Goldbelly for $80
5. Nong La
Nong La brings authenticity and flavorful experience to local patrons.
If you live in the Los Angeles area, Nong La is worthy of your attention—honestly, I could eat a bowl of Vietnamese pho every day. According to friends who’ve visited this establishment, Nong La stands out because of its exceptionally smooth rice noodles that are softer and more flat than the noodles used in other restaurants.
6. Xi’an Famous Foods
Their noodle meal kits will make a fun family activity—you'll learn how to pull these chewy noodles by hand.
Since being featured on the likes of Vice’s Munchies show on Youtube, Xi’an Famous Foods has started to appear on the travel itineraries of visitors to New York City. For any serious noodle slurpers, Biang Biang noodles from this restaurant are a must-try dish. Packed with flavor, the noodles themselves are distinctively chewy, thanks to the tireless pulling and time spent on gluten development. This is the only place on this list that I’ve personally visited more than once—I love Xi’an Famous Foods place so much that I also own their cookbook.
(These noodles—and all of Xi'an Famous Foods' items on Goldbelly—are currently out of stock, but you can join the waitlist to be informed when they become available again.)
Get the Hand-Ripped Noodle Kits 2-Pack from Xi’an Famous Foods at Goldbelly for $126
7. Black Seed Bagel
Don't miss out on the opportunity to get your hands on these bagels.
I was hooked on Montreal-style bagels after watching Matty Mattheson’s explainer on kosher Montreal foods. I haven’t seen many places in my area that offer this unique bagel, so I was excited to find out about Black Seed Bagel in New York. Their version, which is a hybrid of the time-honored traditional New York bagel and Montreal-style bagel, is hand rolled, boiled in honey water, and baked in a wood-fired oven to attain a crisp and smoky exterior.
Get Two Dozen Bagels from Back Seed Bagels at Goldbelly for $60
8. High Street Philadelphia
These cinnamon buns use soft sourdough challah bread.
Founded by restaurateur Ellen Yin and chef Eli Kulp, High Street proudly serves its delicious foods with locally sourced ingredients, including the grains that go into their phenomenal breads. High Street cinnamon buns are made with sourdough challah and cream cheese icing. The best part? They deliver. The buns will last two days at room temperature and up to two months in the freezer.
Get the 4-Pack Cinnamon Bun from High Street Philadelphia at Goldbelly for $40
9. S’MAC
S'MAC offers a variety of macaroni and cheese, including masala and cajun styles.
S’MAC, also known as Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese, wants to elevate this perennial side dish to stand on its own. It’s one of the first restaurants to dedicate an entire establishment to mac and cheese, so it must be good! Its menu includes classic Four Cheese, as well as creative takes such as Masala, Cajun, and Cheeseburger. The mac’ ships pre-made and is packaged in containers that are ready to heat upon arrival.
Get the Choose Your Mac n Cheese 4-Pack from S’MAC at Goldbelly for $110
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