New food and drinks hitting ballpark menus around MLB stadiums on Opening Day
Opening Day is here and as baseball fans shuffle to their seats at their favorite ballpark, they'll notice some major league menu upgrades for an exciting new culinary experience during the 2023 season.
Fans may chant for peanuts and Cracker Jacks during the seventh inning stretch, but the food and drink offerings all around stadiums are more robust than ever, making some stadiums feel like oversized food halls that happen to show baseball games.
From the AL West to the NL East, culinary teams and chefs have worked hard behind the scenes in the offseason to develop everything from over-the-top milkshakes to barbecue-filled croissants to innovative new features like ordering from a menu with emoji.
"Good Morning America" tapped Major League Baseball to round up some of the best new ballpark bites around the league to give fans a taste of what's in store on Opening Day.
Scroll below to check it all out.
New Stadium Foods around the American League
Yankee Stadium
99 Burger: The exclusive new burger, inspired by the Yankee's star right fielder Aaron Judge, is made with two 4-ounce American Wagyu beef patties, New School American Cheese, caramelized onions, secret sauce, a brioche bun and dill pickles (lettuce and tomato upon request). Yankee Stadium will sell a maximum of 99 of these burgers per game, so get to the park early to try a taste.
Chopped Cheese: The stadium is also serving up this New York classic on a sesame hero with shredded iceberg, tomato, pink sauce, chopped ground beef and American cheese.
Bronx Burrito: This new Mexican food option is made with beef barbacoa, rice, beans, cheddar, salsa verde and chipotle mayo, and also has a vegetarian version. Both are served with Melinda's hot sauce.
Cleveland Guardians - Progressive Field
From inventive grilled cheese sandwiches at Melt to over-the-top hot dogs at Happy Dog, Progressive Field has an expansive menu for baseball fans.
"Good Morning America" visited the ballpark to get a taste of some of the snacks that set their stadium apart.
Houston Astros - Minute Maid Park
From authentic Texas barbecue that expands their fresh smoked in-house barbecue in the main concourse to hot pickle nachos topped with smoked chicken or burnt ends, Houston is delivering on some serious regional eats.
Pupusa Sausage Dog: A jalapeno and cheddar sausage is blanketed inside of a cheesy griddles cornmeal cake -- pupusa.
Seattle Mariners - T-Mobile Park
The Mariner's hospitality partner Sodexo Live! GM Meagan Murray said their culinary team was "thrilled to bring in a new local favorite, Moto Pizza" to Mariner's fans, which has a nearly three month-long waitlist at their brick and mortar location outside the park for Lee Kindell's unique Detroit-style pies.
Chick Chick Boom: This playful new chicken concept located in Right Field has the first all-emoji menu where fans can grab some 🐔🧇 🍟💧 (chicken tenders and waffle fries with bottled water) or 🧄🧇🍟 (garlic waffle fries). Culinary Institute of America alum and Sodexo Live! executive chef Javier Rosa created a brand new "Mind Blown Sauce" that debuts on Opening Day.
Cal Zone: Renowned Seattle chef and restaurateur Ethan Stowell helped develop a new offering at Ballard Pizza inspired by Cal Raleigh. His New York-style thin-crust pizza is aged for two days to develop a perfectly crispy and foldable crust.
Texas Rangers - Globe Life Field
The saying "everything's bigger in Texas" holds true with this new behemoth burger.
The Boomstick Burger: This brand new take on the stadium's iconic 2-foot-long hot dog features a 2-foot Nolan Ryan beef patty topped with Texas Chili Company Chili, Rico's Nacho Cheese and Jalapenos, and crisp onion rings served on a fresh-baked brioche bun. Designed to feed up to four people, the massive meal goes for $34.99 at the Texas 24" stand in Section 132.
Brisket Croissant: Another new Texas barbecue offering added to Sweet Baby Ray's menu is this hand-rolled croissant filled with pieces of house-smoked Nolan Ryan beef brisket, baked until golden and topped with a Sweet Baby Ray's donut-style glaze for $9.99.
Oakland A's - RingCentral Coliseum
The East Bay team that dominated the American League from 1970 to 1975 could be on the brink of its final season in Oakland if its owner and the MLB commissioner can't strike a deal to approve plans for a new waterfront ballpark that would keep the franchise from leaving locals teamless.
In the meantime, the Coliseum has a few new offerings for fans this season, like a burnt ends brisket sandwich, Oaktown barbecue sliders, a strawberry churro shortcake parfait and adult-only beverages like the new Swingin' A's slushie margarita, named in honor of the team.
Toronto Blue Jays - The Rogers Centre
Poutine Hot Dog: The stadium has a new "hot dog headquarters" called the Schneiders Porch and one new item available throughout the park are these hash brown potato, cheese curds and gravy-smothered hot dogs.
New Stadium Foods around the National League
New York Mets - Citi Field
Donut Popcorn Milkshake: MLB writer Matt Monagan visited the park ahead of Opening Day for a taste of the over-the-top treat and told "GMA" that "although it looks intimidating, it was maybe one of the better things I had all day." He also made a modification, swapping out the popcorn topping for Oreo crumbs, which "although incredibly sweet, went down smooth."
While you could dunk the donut or alternate between bites and sips, Monagan said, "I'm not going to tell you how to eat. Just remember: If you do eat it, you just might not be hungry the rest of your time at the ballpark."
Chiddy's Cheesesteak: "There's a reason Chiddy's was named the best cheesesteak on all of Long Island," Monagan said. "The cheese oozes out of the bun, the steak smells fresh off the grill and the peppers add a jolt of flavor you need to round out a sandwich. You may have always thought the best cheesesteaks are just down I-95 from Citi Field, but Chiddy's might prove otherwise. They even say so on their website."
San Diego Padres - Petco Park
With the stadium right on the waterfront, America's Finest City has long included local brews and fresh Southern California cuisine inside the ballpark.
Mexican Street Corn: This dish has variations at many ballparks, but with San Diego less than 20 miles from the Mexican border, the new cart concept on the Main Concourse is offering an authentic iteration with two styles of elote to choose from, either on or off the cob. The classic is served with fuego sauce, lime crema, Cotija cheese, Tajin and cilantro. The second version, elote especial, is prepared in the classic style with the addition of Tajin Pop Rocks and a chicharron-crusted carnitas stuffed jalapeno popper.
Hawaiian Short Rib Bowl: Petco Park also added a new Pacific-inspired concept at the Kona Big Wave Patio in Section 227 and partnered with Brandt Beef to serve up marinated beef with steamed rice, green onions, pickled daikon and carrots, furikake, and big wave sauce.
San Francisco Giants - Oracle Park
Up the coast of California, another picturesque waterfront park known for its Gilroy Garlic French Fries has some delicious new items.
Crab Fries: This twist on classic ballpark fare is made with Old Bay-seasoned waffle fries topped with Dungeness crab, smothered in garlic lemon aioli, and sprinkled with fresh chives. Fans can snag this savory seafood snack at Murph's Pub in Section 122 and The Cove in the Blue Shield Field Club Lounge.
Miami Marlins - LoanDepot Park
Cubano Gigante: The 34-inch, 2.5-pound sandwich is served on locally sourced Cuban bread and filled with 12-hour in-house roasted pork, marinated in a homemade mojo and layered with ham, mustard, Swiss cheese, pickles and special sauce that can only found at LoanDepot park.
Chicago White Sox - Guaranteed Rate Field
The Champagne of Dogs: A new half-pound Vienna beef foot-long frank is served on a brioche bun, topped with champagne Vidalia relish and habanero mustard.
Atlanta Braves - Truist Park
The Cleanup Burger: Made to serve up to four hungry fans, this burger is made with four grilled all-beef patties, topped with golden hash brown potatoes, hickory smoked bacon, cheese and a sunny side-up fried egg, served on a buttermilk Belgian waffle with maple syrup.
