Joe Mock| Special to USA TODAY Sports
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“A hot dog at the ballpark is better than steak at the Ritz.”
– Humphrey Bogart
This old quote has been repeated so many times over the years that it’s become as ubiquitous as Wee Willie Keeler’s “Hit ‘em where they ain’t” and Yogi Berra’s “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
But Bogart’s remark conveys the undeniable truth that concessions at ballparks are pivotal to the enjoyment of a game.
We learned this a decade ago, when USA TODAY Sports Weekly published a 30-week series that featured one Major League ballpark per issue. While each stadium’s history, architecture and gameday experience were examined, readers made it clear that they wanted to know much, much more about one aspect of each park: food.
So we modified the format of the articles to devote significantly more space to this topic, culminating in a special pull-out section in the publication devoted to nothing but concessions.
The readers were happy.
It’s now time to provide an update on this all-important subject matter. And make no mistake about it, the front offices know full well the necessity of offering top-notch eats to fans.
These are our top eight MLB ballparks in concessions for 2024:
1. Oracle Park, San Francisco
The park where you smell the garlic fries long before you see them has been considered the pinnacle for ballpark food since it opened in 2000 – even if some of it is a little unconventional. You’re probably not shocked to hear there are offerings called “roast pea protein-based hot dog with roasted red pepper chutney and arugula” or “impossible cheesesteak,” but head out to center field for two standouts.
One is Orlando’s Caribbean Grill, with its new jerk chicken chimichanga, and the other is the Crazy Crab’z. A strong case can be made that the Dungeness crab sandwich here is the single best food item at any ballpark anywhere. No wonder about 2,500 of them are served at every home game.
2. T-Mobile Park, Seattle
Like San Francisco, it’s worth a trip here just for the food. The Mariners have always been adventurous when it comes to concessions (remember when they introduced grasshoppers?), and the trend continues with crab pizza, açaí bowls, Chinese dumplings, tofu tots, katsu and Seattle’s own take on a Dungeness crab sandwich.
3. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
For decades, the Dodgers felt confident that fans only wanted to eat Dodger Dogs. Following a massive renovation of the infrastructure in the stadium a decade ago, food-prep areas were added directly behind every concession stand. Suddenly, fans had options like Korean, Japanese, Mexican, Italian and much more.
Your grandfather who grew up attending games in Chavez Ravine would be shocked to know that sushi, chicken katsu, and carne asada are on the menu. And don’t look now, but these variations of Dodger Dogs are being offered this season: Extreme Bacon Wrapped; Gluten-Free; Fried; Grilled; and even Plant-Based.
4. Citi Field, New York
Because the two ballparks are so incredibly different, it’s hard to conceive that Citi Field and Yankee Stadium were designed, constructed and opened at the same time. When it comes to fun concessions, the Mets’ home beats its counterpart in the Bronx hands-down, with the incredibly popular Shake Shack on the center field plaza and a rotating line-up of local restaurants (RyRy’s jerk chicken, chicken skewers from Poprice, and Benny’s Cubanos) in the Taste of Queens carts in right field. And early reviews of the new Korean fried chicken are extremely positive.
5. loanDepot Park, Miami
Many fans outside South Florida aren’t fond of the color scheme and avant-garde design of the Marlins home, but we should all be able to agree that the concessions here are terrific. Look for Intentional Wok and Sliderz at the mini food court near the left-field foul pole. If you’re hunting for a bargain, there are “3o5” stands (which means “$3 or $5”) on all three seating levels. Here the hot dogs and sodas are $3 while beer is $5.
6. Petco Park, San Diego
A number of big-league parks have started using the online ordering feature of MLB’s Ballpark app. Petco Park is one of them, so fans can now order from their seats. New food offerings for 2024 include Italian, Mediterranean and gelato. Don’t worry, the famous fish tacos are still on the menu!
7. Coors Field, Denver
Sometimes a certain concession item becomes synonymous with a ballpark. A classic pairing is Coors Field with Rocky Mountain Oysters (for the uninitiated, they are deep-fried bull testicl*s). There is still a stand near the left-field foul pole that sells this acquired-taste item, but nearby is one of baseball’s best burger stands, the Helton Burger Shack. Don’t miss Biker Jim’s gourmet hot dog stands on both the field level and the upper deck, and The Rooftop in right field, where millennials flock to eat and drink (and not pay much attention to baseball).
8. Rogers Centre, Toronto
It’s hard to imagine that when the Blue Jays debuted the modern marvel known as SkyDome in 1989, there was considerable buzz over the fact that there was a fully operational McDonald’s inside (touted as being the largest in North America!). Today, the Golden Arches are long gone, but in their place are exceptional food offerings, particularly in the rebuilt outfield “neighbourhoods.” Here you’ll find local favorites like poutine and a new hot maple and bacon hot dog, and underneath the field-level seats, there will shortly be fine dining for season-ticket holders.
About Joe Mock: Joe has examined all 30 Major League parks, all 23 spring training parks and all 119 affiliated Minor League parks – plus plenty of indy league and college facilities. He covers sports facilities for USA TODAY publications and he’s operated BaseballParks.com since 1997. There he’s posted nearly 100 in-depth reviews of pro parks that have opened in the last quarter century. His ballpark expertise has landed him appearances on the Travel Channel and History Channel. You can follow his ballpark escapades on X @baseballparks.
