Raising Their Food Game: NFL Stadiums Go Gourmet

By Andy Wang


Tailgating before football games is a good way to spend an afternoon. You can get buzzed before kickoff and maybe make some new friends while avoiding the pain of paying $8 for a beer once you get inside the stadium.

But at many NFL venues, you won’t want to fill up on chips and dip before you get inside. Instead, save your appetite because stadiums across the country have gotten serious about food. Some have partnered with celebrity chefs and world-famous restaurants, and others have taken gut-busting dining to delicious new extremes.

Here are the seven best NFL stadiums for gorging on game day.


CenturyLink Field, Seattle Seahawks

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(Photo: Maxx Wolfson/Getty Images)

The defending Super Bowl champions have a diverse stadium-food lineup that’s tough to beat. There are sandwiches made by Salumi, the legendary deli from meat maven Armandino Batali, who happens to be celebrity chef Mario Batali’s father. And Salumi is just the beginning of the insane meat options, which also include Chinatown favorite Kau Kau’s pork rice bowl, new-school butcher Rain Shadow Meats‘ porchetta sandwich, and the McCoy’s Firehouse brisket sandwich. This is the Pacific Northwest, though, so you’ll also want some seafood, especially a bowl of iconic Ivar’s clam chowder. And who needs a lobster roll when you can have a Dungeness crab roll.

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Rain Shadow Meats’ porchetta sandwich sure beats the typical stadium hot dog (Photo: Rain Shadow Meats/Facebook)

Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco 49ers

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(Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Celebrated San Francisco chef Michael Mina has unveiled Bourbon Steak & Pub, two venues in one, open daily at the stadium. Bourbon Steak, which serves dinner, has 18-ounce bone-in ribeyes and Mina signatures like his Maine lobster pot pie. Bourbon Pub, which serves lunch and dinner, offers a more casual experience, where you can eat Dungeness crab deviled eggs and Berkshire pork ribs. On game days, Bourbon Steak & Pub turns into Michael Mina’s Tailgate, a members-only experience for season-ticket holders, complete with assorted grilled meats and signature cocktails. Mina is a longtime 49ers fan who’s had season tickets for more than two decades, so you know he’ll be amped to cook on every football game day.

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Berkshire pork ribs from Bourbon Pub are a game day treat. (Photo: Levi’s Stadium)

Related: We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Belt: The Top Barbecue Spots in America

Lambeau Field, Green Bay Packers

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(Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

It can get really cold in Green Bay, so the Packers are wisely offering some of the heaviest and most ridiculous stadium food in the country. The Brat’chos are a bucket of sliced bratwurst and potato chips topped with sauerkraut, jalapeños, and a mix of sour cream and beer cheese sauce. You’ll also get that beer cheese sauce on the Horse Collar, a 22-inch, horseshoe-shaped smoked sausage served on a bun with fried sauerkraut. Bring your own defibrillators.

Related: One-of-a-Kind Football Stadium Food

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It’s called a “Horse Collar,” but it’s really sausage. (Photo: Lambeau Field/Facebook)

Related: Woof Woof! America’s Best Hot Dogs


LP Field, Tennessee Titans

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(Photo: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

You’ll have no doubt that you’re in Nashville when you devour sandwiches like the Music City Meatloaf with fried onions and chipotle mayo or the Nashville Hot Chicken with spicy chicken breast and a side of blue cheese. And as part of the LP Field Burger Brawl, visitors can hit the Nashgrille stand and cast their vote for which new burger should become a permanent menu item. Contender No. 1 is the Nashburger, which is topped with pimento cheese, applewood-smoked bacon ,and pickled green tomatoes. Contender No. 2 is the even more over-the-top Big Daddy Burger, which includes macaroni and cheese made with Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Ham atop the Angus beef patty along with barbecue sauce.

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The Music City Meatloaf Sandwich is one of the meaty delights in the Titans’ home stadium. (Photo: Aramark)


MetLife Stadium, New York Giants and Jets

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(Photo: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

You can get sushi, Asian noodles, tacos, gyros, and, of course, chicken wings at this stadium, but it’s best if you stick to local favorites. The Prime steak sandwich from Lobel’s is rightfully famous, and the meatball sandwiches and rice balls at Nonna Fusco’s are made with amore. Bonus: If you’re going to drink inside a stadium, MetLife is a fine choice with its Irish whiskey bar and vendors with international and craft beers.

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The Lobel’s Steak Sandwich is one of the tons of choices you have when you see New York play (in New Jersey) (Photo: MetLife Stadium/Facebook)


Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans Saints

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(Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)

There’s no stadium that takes nachos more seriously than the Superdome, where the signature seafood nachos include shrimp, crawfish, and scallops in the requisite creamy queso sauce. Other nacho options include barbecue pork and, of course, the more traditional Nacho Grande with ground beef. And because this is Louisiana, ordering a chili dog means you’ll get black-eyed pea chili.

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“Get in my belly!”: The “Drunken Pig Po-Boy” at Champions Square (Photo: Food Drunk/Facebook)

Ford Field, Detroit Lions

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(Photo: Mark Cunningham/Detroit Lions/Getty Images)

Slows To Go Bar Bq is a Detroit institution, and its sandwiches might be the finest sandwiches you can get at any stadium. Try the Reason (pulled pork butt with barbecue sauce, coleslaw, and pickle strips), the MaryAnn (chopped brisket, drenched in sauce and topped with pickles and onions), or the Yardbird (pulled Amish chicken breast with mustard sauce, sautéed mushrooms, cheddar cheese, and bacon). You’ll want an order of macaroni and cheese, too. It all pairs well with the Michigan craft beers Slows has on tap. For dessert, hit Zingerman’s Creamery for gelato or sorbet.

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The Yardbird from Slows Bar B Q (Photo: calamity_hane/Flickr)

WATCH: “Ford Field Brings Detroit Food Culture to Game Day”

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