Not that long ago, if you got hungry during a football, baseball or soccer game, your choices were limited to a hot dog of dubious freshness, nachos served with neon orange cheese dip or crunchy cotton candy.
To say that times have changed is an understatement.
Nowadays, famished sports fans can find a cornucopia of culinary delights that might even tempt you to forego the tailgating barbecue and focus solely on the stadium food. For example, check out these mouthwatering eats:
Macaroni and Cheese
If you enjoy soccer and scrumptious mac and cheese, head to CenturyLink Field in Seattle. There, you can cheer for the Seattle Sounders soccer team while indulging in a bubbly plate full of macaroni and cheese, courtesy of Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. Beecher’s, which is a staple at Pike Place Market, uses handcrafted cheese to make their signature dish — no orange cheese powder allowed.
Gourmet Hot Dogs
If attending an MLB baseball game doesn’t seem the same without a hot dog in hand, rest assured that you can find gourmet options that include toppings other than the ubiquitous ketchup and mustard. Case in point: Angel Stadium of Anaheim and the Halo Dog, which is named for the Los Angeles Angels. This all-beef hot dog features bacon, shredded cheese, charro beans and pico de gallo, notes Esquire, which named this delicious dog as one of the best MLB stadium foods in the country.
Grilled Fish Tacos
San Diego is well known for its fish tacos, so it’s only natural that Qualcomm Stadium serves them during the NFL San Diego Chargers games. As Food and Wine notes, these tacos are not made from frozen fish sticks and bottled tartar sauce. Instead, locally caught mahi mahi is seasoned with a jerk dry rub before being grilled to perfection. The fish pieces are then topped with shredded cabbage, crema and pico de gallo, and placed into a soft corn tortilla.
One quick word of advice: if these tacos sound so good you want to try them, make arrangements to attend a Chargers game this season. To be sure you get authentic tickets to the game and avoid standing in long lines at the stadium, purchase your seats ahead of time from Ticketmaster’s NFL Ticket Exchange. This way you’re guaranteed to see the game and get your delicious fish tacos.
Pit Beef on a Roll
Baltimore’s version of barbecue is often referred to as pit beef, and very few places cook this tasty meat better than Boog’s BBQ inside Camden Yards, home of the MLB Baltimore Orioles. The meat is grilled over a charcoal fire until it’s crispy on the outside and rare on the inside. When a hungry baseball fan orders a sandwich, the meat is thinly sliced off the larger cut and piled high on a Kaiser roll, then topped with raw onions and a mixture of horseradish and mayo.
Churro Dog
If you're in the mood for something sweet, the Churro Dog served at Chase Field in Phoenix will definitely soothe your sweet tooth. Head to the stadium to watch the Arizona Diamondbacks play, and in between innings treat yourself to a cinnamon churro served in a donut and then topped with frozen yogurt, caramel and chocolate sauce. Your blood sugar level may not thank you, but your taste buds will be ecstatic.