Super Bowl Party Food: 5 No-Cook Options so You Can Kick Back and Enjoy the Game

As much as I love cooking for my friends and family, hosting has its drawbacks. I almost always spend the first hour or two of any get-together cooking, cleaning, or setting the table. Timing's not exactly my thing in any area of life.

Lucky for me, I live in a big city (Denver), where there are tons of amazing takeout options. I'm betting with a little research you can find crowd pleasing grab-and-go party food in your city, too. Here are my top five low-effort Super Bowl grub suggestions. (Bonus: I'll fill you in on some of the best takeout spots for party food in Denver.)

1. Gourmet pizza

Gourmet is the keyword here. Sure, to a certain degree, pizza is objectively good. But skip the chains and support local. I promise, your guests will thank you for it (most of them at least — there's always that one guy who loves Papa John's [hint: it's me]).

Need help choosing toppings? Let data decide. According to a YouGov survey, nearly a quarter of Americans (24%) say pepperoni is their favorite topping. The next most popular choices are sausage (13%), extra cheese (11%), mushroom (9%), and — what in the actual — chicken (6%). My suggestion? Get something with meat, something with meat and veggies, and something with just veggies.

If you live in Denver, my favorite pizza spots in no particular order are Cart + Driver, White Pie, and Marco's Coal-Fired. (Am I missing someplace critical?! I'm begging you to leave it in a comment below.)

2. Buffalo wings

Obviously, a Super Bowl party's not a party until the wings show up. If you own an air fryer, honestly, it's almost easier and tastier to make your own. Toss some wings in baking powder, air fry them for 20-30 minutes, and douse them in a cup of Frank's and a couple tablespoons of melted butter. Just thinking about it makes me drool (and remorseful since my air fryer bit the dust — RIP Ninja Foodi).

But, if you'd rather someone else do the work for you, most pizza spots, bars, and BBQ joints have wings on the menu. And unless you live somewhere quite rural, there's probably at least one dedicated wing spot in town. My mom recently said the best she's had were from Wingstop. That makes me question how many wings she's tried in her lifetime... but hey, taste is subjective.

I'm a huge fan of smoked wings, which in Denver the restaurant Smok has unsurprisingly perfected. Fire on the Mountain is also great (so many sauce options) and I've heard great things about CD's Wings (rated 4.7 by 2,000+ Google reviewers) but haven't tried it myself yet.

Honorable mention: if you like interesting flavors, Yak and Yeti tandoori wings and Marco's Coal-Fired limoncello wings are absolutely worth a try.

3. Charcuterie

If charcuterie seems too fancy for a Super Bowl party, just call it a cheese and meat board in front of all the dudes. Undoubtedly, they'll eat it either way. Putting together your own charcuterie is absolutely possible (to varying degrees of success aesthetically speaking). But when I've DIY-ed it in the past, several times I've approached the cost of just buying a ready-to-go version made by a pro.

You can get premade charcuterie at grocery stores. Typically, they're available in the deli. Or, you can level up your game by getting one from a charcuterie shop. These have existed in bigger metros for quite some time, but during Covid, they really took off. Talented meat and cheese arrangers started small businesses peddling boards and boxes via Instagram, Facebook, and probably TikTok (but I'm unsure since I'm not on it).

Do a quick Google search for "charcuterie near me" to find out what's available in your 'hood. Amazingly, tons of sellers even deliver! (My besties all over America can attest. I had one delivered to each of them for their 40th birthdays.)

In Denver, we have some amazing options. My favorite of all time is Wander + Graze. Another company called Cheese Meat Board is available both locally for pickup and nationally for delivery.

4. Taco bar

The great thing about a taco bar is it's appealing to the masses. You can offer up both meat and meatless options so no one's left out and an array of toppings for customization. On the side, chips and guac, salsa, and/or queso are always a hit.

Qdoba has taco kits, burrito packs and nacho bars available for delivery or pickup at a cost of around $12 per person. It also offers more traditional catering, complete with chafing racks and fuel cans for a small upcharge. Chipotle has similar options.

Locally, Mestizo Brew Cantina in Denver is offering taco bars for $16 per person, flautas for $12 per person, and a take and bake nacho setup for $9 per person. If you haven't tried their food yet, I promise you, it's so good! The slightly higher price tag is beyond worth it. Here's their catering order form.

5. Finger foods

Last but certainly not least, let's consider how we shovel food into our faces on Super Bowl Sunday. If you're anything like anyone I've ever seen watch the game, football hunger comes in waves. This is less of an occasion where you load up one plate and mow it down and more of an event where every time you walk by a platter of something you grab a couple (just keeping it real). In that spirit, let's talk about apps.

Just like you can order a bunch of wings from your establishment of choice, you could pick up other apps, too. These might include but aren't limited to:

• Jalapeno poppers

• Quesadillas

• Potato skins

• Empanadas

• Soft pretzels

• Chicken fingers

• Breadsticks/cheesesticks

Whatever you settle on, I hope your game day is great! I've gotta admit... I only know a couple Kendrick Lamar songs (they are good though!), and I don't care about Taylor Swift's team or the Eagles. Thank god for the commercials (in this one specific instance), amiright? Happy Super Bowl!