Home Restaurants, nearby.Real food, made at home.
Discover local home-cooked food businesses, browse their menus, and order from cooks you can get to know. It's not just single dishes - each cook has a Home Restaurant presence, with their regular offerings and what they're making on the schedule.
Available on iOS and Android. Currently serving California.
Why Choose Abuela's
Home Restaurants, not just dishes
Abuela's helps you find local home-cooked food businesses, explore their menus, and order in one place. For cooks, it's the home base for your own Home Restaurant.
Find Home Restaurants
See who is cooking near you, browse full menus, and learn what each home food business is about - not just a list of one-off dishes.
Order from their menu
Choose from their regular items and what they have scheduled, then check out the way the cook set it up. No app middleman taking a cut of the food.
Message the business
Talk with the person behind the Home Restaurant. Ask about ingredients, timing, and how to pick up or get your order.
Legally Permitted
Cooks operate as permitted home food businesses. Food is made in a registered home kitchen under California's MEHKO rules where applicable.
Close to you
Focus on what's around the corner: nearby Home Restaurants you can support again and again.
Community impact
Every order backs a local home food business, keeps culture on the plate, and grows neighborhood connections.
Early Chef Guarantee
Chefs who join now get lifetime free access. Even when we eventually introduce platform fees, you will never pay them. This is our thank you for being part of the movement from the start.
Your kitchen.
Your Home Restaurant.
Your people.
California MEHKO permits allow up to
$50,000 - $100,000/year
depending on your county
For home cooks & kitchens
Your Home Restaurant, from your own kitchen
Abuela's helps you set up a real home food business from your own kitchen. Customers see your Home Restaurant, your menu, and your schedule — not just a list of individual dishes. Start small, build trust, and grow something people can recognize and order from again.
Get paid directly
Abuela's does not collect or process payments. Customers pay you directly using your preferred method, like cash, Venmo, Zelle, or card. Many cooks prefer this because it is simple and they get paid right away.
- Create a real Home Restaurant profile with your story, identity, and style
- Offer a full menu with regular items and scheduled specials
- Keep 100% of your earnings with no platform fees
- Set your own prices, hours, and order process
- Run your business from home with no storefront needed
- Build repeat customers who know your Home Restaurant
If you order food
Find Home Restaurants. Choose from real menus.
Each local cook has a Home Restaurant: a home food business you can get to know. Browse their menu, see regular items and scheduled offerings, and order home-cooked food from people in your area - not just another faceless app tile.
- Browse Home Restaurants and full menus, not a random list of one-off items
- See who is behind each kitchen: their story, their regular offerings, and what they are making next
- Order the way each business runs it, pickup or delivery as they offer it
- Skip the chain apps and get food from a real home food business near you
- Support independent cooks in your own neighborhood
- A simpler way to discover and reorder from the same place
Tamales
Mexican
Falafel
Middle Eastern
Lasagna
Italian
Biryani
Indian
What's on offer depends on your area
Each Home Restaurant sets its own menu
Getting Started
How It Works
Whether you're looking to order or cook, getting started is simple.
Download the app
Get Abuela's on iOS or Android. Create an account in a minute.
Find Home Restaurants
See nearby home food businesses, open a profile, and browse full menus and what's scheduled.
Order & message
Pick items from the menu, message the cook, and sort out pickup or delivery their way.
Enjoy & come back
Eat real home-cooked food and follow the same Home Restaurants you like.
Mid East Eats: Palestinian home kitchen in Watts serves food, raises funds for Gaza
Mid East Eats is the first legally permitted home kitchen in Watts, serving authentic Palestinian cuisine while raising funds for humanitarian relief in Gaza. Owner Fatima Saad operates under California's MEHKO program, turning her family recipes into a community gathering point.
Read the Full StoryAvailable in 18 California Jurisdictions
MEHKOs (Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations) are legally authorized home-based food businesses with annual sales caps ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 depending on your county. Learn about permits and regulations at mehko.org.
*Los Angeles County excludes the cities of Pasadena, Long Beach, and Vernon
Pricing
No Platform Fees. Direct Payments Only.
Abuela's does not collect or process payments. Customers pay cooks directly — it's simpler for everyone and chefs love getting paid immediately.
Join now and get lifetime free access. Even when we introduce platform fees in the future, early chefs will never pay them.
For Cooks
Build your Home Restaurant business
Free Forever
for early chefs
Lock in lifetime free access now
- List your menu: regular items and what you put on the schedule
- Present your business as a Home Restaurant - story, hours, and how you work
- Keep 100% of your earnings
- Set your own prices, hours, and how orders work
- Message customers and manage your profile your way
- Build repeat customers for your home food business
Payments go directly to you. We never process or collect any fees.
For Customers
Discover local Home Restaurants
Free
to browse & order
Support local home food businesses
- Browse Home Restaurants in your area and open full menus
- Save kitchens you like and see what is offered now or soon
- Message each Home Restaurant directly
- Arrange pickup or delivery the way the cook offers it
- Order home-cooked food, not a generic chain
- Support independent cooks in your community
Pay cooks directly using their preferred payment method.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Abuela's and home kitchen operations.
Yes! The app is available on both the Apple App Store for iOS devices and Google Play for Android devices.
Open a nearby Home Restaurant, pick items from their menu (including what they are offering on the schedule), and message the business to confirm. You will arrange pickup or delivery and pay the cook directly with whatever method they use (cash, Venmo, Zelle, card, etc.).
You can legally operate a Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) in California counties and cities that have opted into the program. Currently authorized jurisdictions include: Alameda, Amador, Contra Costa, Imperial, Lake, Los Angeles (excluding Pasadena, Long Beach, and Vernon), Monterey, Riverside, San Benito, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, and the City of Berkeley. Check with your local county health department or visit mehko.org for the most current list.
Abuela's does not collect or process any payments. All payments happen directly between you and the cook using their preferred method — cash, Venmo, Zelle, card, or other mobile payment options. Many chefs prefer this because it's simple and they get paid immediately.
The sales cap varies by county, ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 per year. Most counties allow up to $75,000-$100,000 annually. Check with your local county health department for the specific limit in your area.
The cook determines whether they offer delivery, pickup, or both. When you message a cook about your order, they'll provide specific instructions for fulfilling it.
Use the app to see Home Restaurants on the map and list near you, then open each one to read the menu, story, and what is available. Filters help you narrow by cuisine, distance, and what matters to you.
Yes, in California, you need a Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) permit to legally cook and sell meals from your home kitchen. This permit ensures compliance with local health and safety regulations. Visit mehko.help for a streamlined application process.
Abuela's is completely free — we don't charge platform fees and we don't process payments. Cooks keep 100% of their earnings. Early chefs who join now get lifetime free access, even if we introduce optional premium features in the future.
Chefs who join Abuela's during our early launch period are guaranteed to never pay platform fees. Even if we eventually introduce fees for new users, early chefs will retain free access to the platform forever. This is our way of thanking the cooks who are helping us build this community from the ground up.
Your neighborhood's Home Restaurants
Order from local home food businesses or set up your own Home Restaurant in the app. Simple for diners, a real storefront-style presence for cooks. Early chefs get lifetime free access.
Available on iOS and Android. Currently serving 18 California jurisdictions.