Who doesn’t love peanuts, crackerjacks and hot dogs at the ballpark? At every MLB stadium, though, there’s bound to be at least one food item that goes way outside the batter’s box of traditional catering for America’s pastime.
Whether it’s exotic desserts, mash-ups of bankable fan favorites or something entirely innovative, massive concessions at these venues are always trying out fresh options each year.
Let’s dig in for one food item from each MLB stadium that qualifies in one way or another as the craziest the park has to offer.
Note: All information and images for each food item courtesy of cited sources.
Angel Stadium (Los Angeles Angels):
Everything Cookie Marshmallow Sandwich (h/t The OCR)
This ambrosia is made up of two cookies crammed to the max with chocolate chips. Between the “buns” are highly unusual toppings: potato chips, popcorn and bits of pretzel.
There’s also some marshmallow filling, and the torched ends give the sandwich a nice crisp finish fans are sure to enjoy.
Oracle Park (San Francisco Giants):
Cinnamon-sugar nachos (h/t SF Travel)
An uncommon nacho flavoring to say the least, AT&T Park’s Blue Shield Field Club features a Snack Stand concession and this item as the new headliner. It’s a ballpark staple mixing some flavoring better reserved for breakfast, but it’s apparently a big hit in the Bay Area.
Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals):
The Bratzel (h/t MLB.com)
Busch vendors have achieved a stroke of genius by combining a pretzel and a bratwurst into one. A massive, knotted piece of dough engulfs the traditional piece of meat, and the results are spectacular.
Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks):
Churro dog (h/t MLB.com)
If you’re attending a D-backs game, save some room for this monstrosity: a chocolate frosted doughnut in the shape of a hot dog bun, with a big churro and frozen yogurt, topped by whipped cream and a caramel and chocolate syrup drizzle.
Citi Field (New York Mets):
Wowfulls (h/t AM New York)
How about some egg waffle ice cream cones, packed on the inside with toppings and ice cream? Sounds excellent.
A staple on the Big Apple’s Lower East Side for years, Citi Field now has Wowfulls at its venue — no doubt a win-win situation for both business parties and fans alike.
Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies):
Italian roast pork stack (h/t Crossing Broad)
The “stack” part of this All-American entree is a mountain of fries, melted with the pork by a ton of provolone cheese, keeping with the Philly cheesesteak tradition.
Adding a little extra flavor to the proceedings is a cherry pepper aioli and roasted chopped long hot peppers.
Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers):
Apple pie egg roll (h/t Eater Detroit)
At the Big Cat Corner near Gate A of the park exists a strange but wonderful creation. It’s apple pie, only with an egg roll wrapped around it.
A warm, soft finish on the inside makes for an unusual roll-eating experience. Here’s a bonus food of similar aesthetic: Comerica Park features egg rolls filled with Nutella.
Coors Field (Colorado Rockies):
Apple pie nachos (h/t Coloradoan.com)
Keeping with the apple pie theme, it’s applied at Coors in perhaps an even more bizarre way than at Comerica.
The cheddar cheese common in nachos is still there, yet there’s whipped cream and caramel stacked on the pile of cinnamon sugar chips, and the chips have an apple pie filling.
Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles Dodgers):
The Cheeto-lote (h/t Eater Los Angeles)
Elysian Park Grills is dishing out perhaps the oddest mixture of ingredients at any ballpark with the Cheeto-lote.
The ubiquitous Los Angeles street food gets a crazy twist in the form of being crusted by Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. These little cheesy chips can wreak havoc with their spiciness, so beware if you’re not a fan of a little heat on your food.
Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox):
Crème brûlée French toast (h/t Boston.com)
Arguably the most historic park in baseball, Fenway is still finding ways to innovate through its concessions.
The blend of a dessert dish and a rich breakfast food is genius, and has only been added to menus this season. Red Sox fans are just winning all over the place in 2018, supporting a team with easily the best record as of this writing.
Globe Life Park in Arlington (Texas Rangers):
Dilly Dog (h/t SportsDay)
Imagine: a hot dog except it’s a pickle on the outside and has a hot dog as the filling in the middle.
That’s the reality of what’s sold in the form of Globe Life Park’s Dilly Dog, which according to the source, was forced to open a second stand at the stadium once it had sold over 2,500 dogs through the first weekend of the 2018 season.
Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati Reds):
Cotton candy waffle cones (h/t CincinnatiUSA.com)
Exactly what it sounds like. Cotton candy engulfs the tasty cone, which has Cincinnati-headquartered United Dairy Farmers soft serve ice cream at its base. Sundae toppings are at customer disposal to boot, too.
Certainly one of the most potent sweets on this list, Cincinnati proves it’s versatile beyond its signature Skyline chili.
Guaranteed Rate Field (Chicago White Sox):
Banana split sundae (h/t ESPN’s Darren Rovell)
The three-pound ice cream helping is served in a White Sox helmet and looks astonishing. It’s a 12-scoop serving that could easily be enough to fill your ballpark date or a small family. Although it’s a steep cost at $17, that’s quite a bit of food for your dollar.
Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals):
Pork patty melt (h/t KansasCity.com)
This sounds like a normal, hearty American dish, but there’s a catch — baseball pun intended.
Instead of buns or bread, the sandwich is comprised of funnel cake, along with jalapeno poppers on top, plenty of bacon and lots of slaw. It’s an expensive $18 but gives plenty of bang for the buck.
Marlins Park (Miami Marlins):
Fresh yellowtail snapper (h/t Miami News Times)
Garnering attention for hosting last year’s MLB All-Star Game, the concessions here are savory. Although not as unhealthy or hodgepodge as some selections on this list, the prestige and scarcity of the dish make this fish the top choice.
Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers):
Steak and cheese chips (h/t Fox6now.com)
Feel free to grab a brew at Miller Park in support of the home team, but don’t forget to absorb some of that booze with a hearty meal. Or a jumbo-sized appetizer, such as the loaded chips.
This brand-new 2018 menu entry boasts a Sargento cheese sauce, slow-cooked sirloin steak and braised onion. Sounds simple, but the size is indeed crazy.
Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros):
Three Little Pigs (h/t Chron.com)
One might first think of “pigs in a blanket” or something of the bite-sized variety. Indubitably not the case here at the residence of the World Series champions.
“Three Little Pigs” is insanely massive burger is served on a pretzel bun, with spicy Italian sausage, bacon and pulled pork, capped by mustard barbecue sauce and citrus kale bean cabbage slaw. That’s a mouthful in more ways than one. More like Three Little Bigs.
Nationals Park (Washington Nationals):
Vegetarian chili fries (h/t The Washington Post)
Usually this type of eat would send even the best of us running for the restroom, but the vegetarian, healthier alternative may have Nationals fans feeling a little better in the tummy.
By many accounts, the chili fries are still tasty and don’t pack on the loads of cheese that could lead to double, double, toilet and trouble.
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland Athletics):
Fried crickets (h/t Athletics Nation)
Yes, this is a thing. Adventurous eaters will be pleased to devour the little insects on sale at the Coliseum.
Granted, even looking at the picture of all those critters jammed together in a giant bowl make yours truly a little squeamish. Since they’re still on sale, though, fans bold enough to try the Oaktown Crickets may find this crunchy treat rewarding.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles):
Crab mac and cheese dog (h/t Baltimore Sun)
Mixing seafood and mac and cheese is an interesting proposition, much less doing so outside the atmosphere of a sit-down restaurant.
However, Orioles fans at Camden Yards who are currently weathering a tough 2018 season can at least indulge in this rich but scrumptious cuisine from Stuggy’s hot dogs.
Petco Park (San Diego Padres):
Baked Bear ice cream sandwich (h/t SanDiegoville.com)
Some of the photos of these beauties from the source are incredible, and are definitely not of the “serves one” variety. Well, unless you’re a world-renowned eating champion.
Joey Chestnut took on the famed sandwiches and claimed victory in an eating contest at Petco Park prior to a Padres game this season, devouring 25.5 of them. The hope is the food will inspire an annual contest, says Baked Bear’s Shane Sanger, per ABC10 News’ Mark Saunders.
PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates):
Fluffernutter Pie (h/t Pittsburgh Magazine)
It’s a pretty straightforward pie dish, featuring marshmallows and peanut butter as the foundational ingredients.
What makes this one special, though, is the Nutter Butter crust. For those who are massive fans of the famous cookies and peanut butter-based treats in general, this pie can do no wrong.
Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians):
The Flamethrower (h/t Cleveland.com)
A new addition to the ballpark menu in Cleveland this season, Indians fans must have courage and stomachs of steel if they’re meant to take this epic sandwich on.
Appropriate in name, it has a healthy pulled pork helping, and other fascinating elements between the burger buns: green apple slaw, barbecue sauce, bacon jam and — wait for it — Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Good luck!
Rogers Centre (Toronto Blue Jays):
Churro “Dessert” Poutine (h/t MLB.com)
Poutine is a staple of Canadian cuisine, but throwing in a churro element and jumbo sizing it creates all kinds of intrigue inside the Rogers Centre.
Some tasty-looking vanilla ice cream is sandwiched between the stacks of churros, drizzled in caramel to cap off one of MLB’s most delicious confectioneries.
Safeco Field (Seattle Mariners):
Toasted Grasshoppers (h/t Eater Seattle)
It must be a West Coast trend to offer up critters at the ballgame.
Adding to the crickets of Oakland’s Coliseum, Seattle’s Safeco boasts toasted grasshoppers on the menu that is, according to the source, a best-seller since its 2017 inception. Chile-lime salt seasoning is a big contributor to the apparently winning recipe.
SunTrust Park (Atlanta Braves):
Tomahawk Chop sandwich (h/t ESPN’s Darren Rovell)
For $26 this sandwich can be yours, but according to Rovell, the gigantic portion serves four or more patrons.
It’s a fried pork chop, pictured with a big sesame seed bun, and has collard green slaw and white barbecue sauce to top it all off. Worth the investment, but goodness is it something to behold.
Target Field (Minnesota Twins):
Bloody Mary with breakfast garnish (h/t CityPages.com)
Yes, it’s a beverage — only not quite. On Sundays exclusively, the alcoholic drink features two kabobs in CityPages.com image, depicting all kinds of breakfast meats on one stick, and actual, two mini breakfast sandwiches on the other.
Two hands are required just to wield this Target Field specialty, so be careful wading your way through the crowds.
Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Rays):
Mac Bat (h/t MLB.com)
Not a ton interesting at “The Trop,” but let’s cut the domed venue a break. For six straight years, the Rays have had the lowest attendance in baseball — they’re currently second-worst — so anything tried in the past, cuisine or otherwise, hasn’t really impacted turnout.
In any event, the Mac Bat is a neat little dandy of mac and cheese topped with such things as jalapenos, tomatoes and bacon. Based on the MLB.com picture, it appears you can toss in some peppers and chili to add flair to the drab Tropicana Field atmosphere.
Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs):
Smoked bone-in short rib (h/t Eater Chicago)
Prided on a storied history, the Cubbies’ legendary park keeps it pretty simple, but Levy’s, who owns Wrigley Field concessions, came out firing in 2018, highlighted by this dish. The 12-hour smoked rib weighs in at two pounds, flanked by sliced bread, pickles and coleslaw.
Since there’s only a select amount of these tasty meats available at each game, be sure to hit the lines quickly before they’re out.
Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees):
New at @Yankees games in 2018: Tater Kegs — Jumbo tater tots with sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon bits, scallions, served on a skewer. pic.twitter.com/I1UXXn3B4X
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 26, 2018
Tater Kegs (h/t ESPN’s Darren Rovell)
Last but certainly not least, Yankee Stadium goes appropriately big to conclude the foodstuff proceedings.
Fans can purchase a skewer full of jumbo tater tots, enhanced by delectable sour cream, cheddar cheese, scallions and bacon bits on top. It’s a more elegant presentation of the fried food and has the superior flavor to back it up.
