Baseball season is here, and you can get a look inside every major league park with MLB EXTRA INNINGS on DIRECTV. But there’s one thing that you simply can’t access from your living room: ballpark food. When you think of food at baseball games, your mind might go to classics like hot dogs, peanuts, Cracker Jack and popcorn.
These days, though, you can find so much more. The choices are seemingly endless: Local delicacies. International cuisine. Creations from celebrity chefs. Gluten-free and vegetarian fare. And bizarre treats unique to certain stadiums.
Here’s some ballpark fare from the NATIONAL League you don’t want to miss.* But save your pennies — a lot of these aren’t cheap!
Your guide to top food options at NATIONAL League ballparks
This Tijuana-style hot dog is wrapped in bacon and served with mustard, ketchup, mayo, red onion, tomatoes, chopped jalapeños, cilantro, crunchy garlic, grilled onions, cheddar, sour cream, salsa verde and sriracha aioli.
Barrio Dogg’s El Xolito
Petco Park, San Diego Padres:
This jumbo frank is wrapped in applewood-smoked bacon and smothered in baked beans, pico de gallo, spicy aioli and crispy fried onions.
(See what else chefs can do with hot dogs on Chopped)
Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog
Busch Stadium, St. Louis Cardinals:
You can’t go wrong with the classic Dodger Dog, but if you’re feeling more adventurous, try this chipotle sausage fried in corn batter, covered in cheese sauce and dusted with . . . hot Cheeto powder!
Hot Link Corn Dog
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Dodgers:
Hot dogs — with a twist
Fries, cheese, cheese curds and bacon: the best that Wisconsin has to offer.
Ultimate Cheese Fry
American Family Field, Milwaukee Brewers:
These fries are so good that the Food Network named them among America’s 10 best French fries — not ballpark fries, but French fries period.
Gilroy Garlic Fries
Oracle Park, San Francisco Giants:
(Take a tour through other Chicago dishes on Food Paradise)
These fries are indeed loaded: with gyro meat, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, red onions, pepperoncini and feta cream sauce. Bonus: they come in a souvenir helmet.
Greek Loaded Fries
Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs:
FRENCH FRIES
Four beef patties (yes, four) topped with hash browns, hickory-smoked bacon, cheese and a sunny-side-up egg. Oh, and instead of a bun, you get it served between Belgian waffles with maple syrup.
Cleanup Burger
Truist Park, Atlanta Braves:
(Find out more about goetta and other Cincinnati staples on Delicious Destinations)
Save room for this burger that comes with onion rings, bacon, jalapeño slaw and barbecue sauce served on a jalapeño cheddar bun.
GABP Burger
Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati Reds:
(See how the burger craze started on The Food That Built America)
No egg on this one, but it comes with Caribbean jerk sauce.
Jammin’ Island BBQ Burger
Nationals Park, Washington Nationals:
BURGERS
(There are lots of ways to use churros, as Carnival Eats shows)
Tuck into this churro wrapped in a chocolate-glazed donut and covered in vanilla frozen yogurt, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and caramel.
Churro Dog
Chase Field, Arizona Diamondbacks:
It’s official: you can deep-fry anything and it will probably taste good. Powdered sugar raspberry sauce adorns this fried New York–style cheesecake.
Fried Cheesecake on a Stick
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Dodgers:
Spicy chicken sandwiches are everywhere these days, but this one uses two glazed donuts in place of a bun and comes with a special hot honey. A fun treat from a popular southern comfort food restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Jacob’s Pickles’ Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich
Citi Field, New York Mets:
RARE FINDS
Jaime Pesaque, named one of the world’s top 100 chefs, brings you a taste of his native Peru with this “culinary mindbomb”: shredded chicken breast over rice and potato pieces, covered in aji amarillo (yellow chili pepper) cream sauce.
SuViche’s Adi de Gallina
LoanDepot Park, Miami Marlins:
Tony Luke’s has been a Philly favorite for more than three decades — and sure, you can get the cheesesteak, but the real find is the roast pork sandwich.
TONY LUKE’S ROAST PORK
CITIZENS BANK PARK, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES:
(Watch Sunny Anderson each week on The Kitchen)
Food Network personality Sunny Anderson serves up chilled layers of toasted marshmallows with marshmallow spread, chocolate hazelnut mousse, salted dulce de leche and crumbled graham crackers.
Sunny’s Campfire Parfaits
Citi Field, New York Mets:
From acclaimed chefs
Beyond peanuts and Cracker Jack:
If you know what “Rocky Mountain oysters” are, you may not look at this as a delicacy!
Rocky Mountain Oysters
Coors Field, Colorado Rockies:
* Menus at major league ballparks may be subject to change
(Check out other Pittsburgh cuisine on Man v. Food)
Pierogies are a big deal in the Steel City, so much so that the Pirates hold the Great Pittsburgh Pierogi Race every home game. Sample these cheese-and-potato-filled dumplings, which come with roasted shallots, garlic-chive butter and pulled pork.
Mrs. T’s Mini Pierogies
PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates:
Don’t miss the chance to sample the chili and half-smokes from Ben’s, a D.C. institution that has served everyone from Ella Fitzgerald and Martin Luther King Jr. to Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy.
Ben’s Chili Bowl
Nationals Park, Washington Nationals:
LOCAL DELICACIES
