Words by Harris David

Stadium food has become more than just peanuts and hotdogs. Arenas and ballparks have started to take a little pride in their food programs, some hiring famous chefs and restarauteurs as culinary directors. SoFi Stadium, home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, recruited LA restraunteur extraordinaires Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Jon & Vinny’s and animal fame. Baseball has seemed to lead the way in introducing local flavors and cuisines to their concourse stands.

This past week the US celebrated opening weekend in Major League Baseball, that meant middle of the week day games with a few cold beers, a hot dog, a helmet full of nachos, and maybe a brisket sandwich. There are so many food options now that we had to investigate. For this month’s Fierce Bites Menu we sought out some of the most delicious and interesting food items from stadiums around the MLB.

CITI FIELD - QUEENS, NY: THE METS CHAMPIONSHIP BURGER

Photo via Instagram @Citifield 

Citi Field in New York are proud winners of the 2023 & 2024 USA Today Readers’ Choice Best Stadium Food and Best Ballpark Food. With a food program as eclectic as New York City itself, there is no doubt this stadium is deserving of this awesome designation. Pat LaFrieda’s Chop House and Meat Purveyors has been a Citi Field mainstay so they must be doing something right.

Pat LaFrieda’s has two locations in the stadium, one being a chop house inside of the Clover Home Plate Club and second more accessible counter up in section 416. They are meat purveyors so you guessed right, they serve meat. Pictured below is “The Mets Championship Burger,” featuring a dry-aged beef patty topped with Maine lobster salad and lobster fondue. This year, they have introduced “Mel's Butcher Box Burger” featuring a double patty, maple-bourbon bacon jam, melted cheddar cheese and crispy shallots.

AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD - MILWAUKEE, WI: SMOKED MEAT NACHOS

Photo via the Brewers

Another nationally recognized ballpark, American Family Field came in second for 2024’s Today Readers’ Choice Best Stadium Food and Best Ballpark Food. This ballpark offers a ton of regional foods including beer, cheese, sausages, and local favorite baked potatoes; but they also offers item like arepas, sushi, and that world famous Wisconsin BBQ *wink*.

This season, American Family Field introduced the 3rd Street Market Hall Annex, a new food hall paying homage to a downtown’s 3rd Street Market Hall. The hall offers a little something for everyone including Smokin’ Jack’s BBQ and their smoked meat nachos. You get your choice of chicken, pork or beef with tortilla chips, aged nacho cheese, tomato, jalapeno, chives, Smokin' Jack BBQ Sauce and sour cream.

ORIOLE PARK AT CAMDEN YARDS - BALTIMORE, MD: THE WAREHOUSE DOG

Photo via the Orioles

Oriole Park at Camden Yards celebrates their local food scene with favorites like pit beef sandwiches, gourmet hot dogs, and loaded fries. Like the other two ballparks on the list, this park finished in the top 5 of the 2024 Today Readers’ Choice Best Stadium Food and Best Ballpark Food and has a bunch of new offering for the new season.

Oriole Park concessionaire Brick & Whistle is offering a number of new signature menu items, including a Chicken Flatbread Sandwich, Rotisserie Chicken Platter with a three cheese mac and cheese, Steak Burger, and the Warehouse Dog (pictured below). This masterpiece takes a Berks all-beef footlong hot dog on a pretzel bun and tops it with horseradish infused brick sauce, crispy onions, pit beef queso fundido, and pickled pico.

PETCO PARK - SAN DIEGO, CA: THE HOT HEN

Photo via Delaware North

It is no surprise, Petco Park has been named the best MLB stadium in the nation. With its ideal location and amenities right on San Diego Bay and  in the heart of downtown’s infamous Gas Lamp Quarter. They are also one of the early adopters of the elevated concession offerings. While all the other stadiums were only offering nacho cheese and jalapenos for nachos, Petco Park said, “Throw some tri-tip on it!” San Diego is also one of the biggest craft-beer cities in the country, and Petco Park does a great job and including that in their culinary identity. Candice Woo for Eater San Diego summed up Petco’s food program nicely, “the ballpark’s concessionaires and sit-down restaurants are a winning reflection of the local culinary scene.

With two stands in the stadium, San Diego’s Finest Hot Chicken, shouldn’t be too hard to find. Their signature sandwich, The Hot Hen, is a honey agave-dipped breaded chicken breast topped with Fresno chile slaw, pickles and fuego sauce served on a brioche bun.

PROGRESSIVE FIELD - CLEVELAND, OH: THE SLIDER DOG

Photo via Cut4 by MLB.com

Like the other ballparks on this list, Cleveland's Progressive Field does a great job of showcasing local and regional flavors but also go beyond by elevating the standard ballpark fare. The local and regional dishes include foods like gourmet sausages, pierogies, and loaded nachos. But it’s the way Progressive Field takes something like a hot dog and turns into the dish that has become synonymous with the ballpark… the Slider Dog.

The Happy Dog stand also offers some pretty “out there” concoctions. The famous Slider Dog is topped with pimento mac and cheese, bacon, and fruit loops. It sounds interesting to say the least but it’s popular with kids and people who aren't afraid to combine breakfast and soul food.