Amazon Restaurants another exclusive perk for Prime members

The Miami Herald reviewed seven of the most popular restaurant delivery services in Miami-Dade county.

Using the app

Punch your zip code into the Prime Now app, and if you’re in a part of town where Amazon has deals with local restaurants, an icon for restaurants appears. Tapping it brings up your options under Amazon Restaurants.

Restaurant options

The app offers more than 20 categories to help you choose what you’re in the mood for, from burgers to tapas, and including halal to juice bars and vegetarian options. Or you can simply choose to flick and see all the restaurants in alphabetical order. There were only 22 restaurants from which I could order. Two of them were blacked out because it was past their operating hours.

Delivering to

City of Miami, north of Coral Gables

Ordering

I chose Seven Dials in Coral Gables. I ordered the hangar steak and it gave me options for how I’d like it cooked. In a field for special requests, I asked for a green salad to replace the potatoes gratin and tapped “Add to Cart.” I added an order of Proper Sausage poached in beer ($9) with their homemade pickles. The app summed up my order, quoted me tax of $2.72 and a suggested $5 tip, which I accepted. Delivery fee is zero, thanks to being an Amazon Prime member. I had a promo code for first time users that knocked off 10 bucks.

Tracking your order

I clicked Place Your Order at exactly 7:30 p.m. A GPS map appeared showing my distance from the restaurant, with a quoted delivery window of 7:59 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. I was able to follow the driver as he set out on his delivery, as if he were an Uber driver on his way to meet me.

Delivery time

Arrived at exactly 8 p.m., one minute after the earliest time.

How it arrived

Arrived in separate takeout boxes. The green salad was crisp, not wilted despite being packaged with the steak. The hangar steak was warm, perfectly medium. The sausage came in a separate box as it would be presented at the restaurant, with a smear of mustard, atop a pile of sauerkraut and next to the pickled veggies. Just like Uber, the next time I used the app, it asked for my review of the restaurant.

Delivery fee

Amazon Restaurants is available only to Prime members, and the delivery fee is rolled into the $99 annual cost (which gives a host of perks, including movie and music streaming as well as free two-day delivery on many items.)

Overall experience

Amazon’s app makes it easy to order in. The fact that you must be an Amazon Prime member will be a barrier to some, as will the $20 minimum order. Your options, depending on where you live, could be limited.

This story was originally published November 2, 2016 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Amazon Restaurants another exclusive perk for Prime members."