Alright, kids.
You know that feeling you get when at a sporting event that you are medium-interested in (sorry, baseball) but crazy-excited about for food reasons? And you start to realize that it’s about time for your first food purchase of the game, and this moment is golden, right? It is a blank slate of possibility – WHAT ARE YOU EVEN GOING TO GET?
But then, reality hits and you start to run through the possibilities. If you get the polish sausage, you might regret it and wish you had gone for the more adventurous noodle stir fry from the wok stand. If you go with the non-traditional walleye sandwich, you might sit back down in your seat and suddenly feel sad feelings about not having a classic ballpark nacho platter in your lap.
And worst of all, you might order something brand new and spend way too much money doing it only to find out that it’s straight-up boring. Blah. Money down the drain. Heartbreak of heartbreaks. This is not a good moment.
Which is why we are going to avoid this moment altogether!
I take my job very seriously, so naturally, when invited to the food preview event for the 2018 season of the Minnesota Twins this week, I showed up with bells on. I feel a responsibility to help as many of us as possible avoid Order Regret this summer as we cheer on our favorite Minnesota team. It’s a passion project.
After lots of samples and lots of pictures, I’m here to give you a run down of THE BEST FOODS that will be waiting for you at Target Field this summer.
Za’atar Spiced Chicken Bowl, Cause You Fancy
This was one I would (will) absolutely order again. This diva of a bowl includes: roasted eggplant, tomato cucumber relish, fresh radish and microgreens, crispy chickpeas, za’atar chicken and herbed yogurt. You can get this over rice or rolled up in a flatbread. You can and you should.
PLEASE if you go here and order this, follow it up with a Frozen Hot Chocolate. I didn’t get a picture of mine (creamy on top, crunchy on bottom) because it was gone in literally two seconds flat.
Where to find it: AZ Canteen
Arabic Chicken ShAwarma Wrap and Friends
Pita chips and a perfect blob of hummus? Yes. Gyros with cucumber, lettuce, and mayo? Yes. Arabic Chicken Shawarma Wraps with pickled cucumbers and a tangy mayo? YEP. Bonus points for making everything in house and using no-antibiotic, free range, and grass fed meats. Personal fave was the Chicken Shawarma Wrap, but all three were on point.
Where to find it: Holy Land
The Tennessee Hot Chicken Sandwich Of Your Dreams
If spicy chicken is your thing… girl! You want this one. It’s super simple and yet somehow still probably one of the best chicken sandwiches of my life: buttery toasted bread, juicy hot battered chicken, pickles, and a drizzle of blackstrap molasses mayo.
Oh! And you can order this “Minnesota Nice” if you need to leave the hot sauce out of it. Too cute.
Where to find it: Bat and Barrel
Indo Frites
Hot Indian strikes again with these lightly battered fries (sweet potato and regular potato combo, thank you very much) with a “pickle aioli” that actually just tastes like a creamy, tangy curry-type sauce. This combo is really all I need in life. I will DEFINITELY order these at my first Twins game of the season.
Where to find it: Hot Indian
The (Honestly) IMpossible Burger
This is not a veggie burger. This is a straight-up burger that just also happens to be vegan. About halfway through eating it, I thought to myself: wait, did I accidentally grab the REAL burger? I honestly didn’t know. It’s super yummy and there is a lot of science to what makes it taste like a beef burger which you can read about here if you’re into that. I’m not super into that. I’m just mostly into eating it.
Where to find it: Bat and Barrel
Tofu Vindaloo Bowl Aka Flavor Heaven
If you love plant-based food + big flavor, say hello to this veg beauty. We’ve got garlic coconut rice piled with steamy flavor-packed tofu vindaloo, a creamy slaw, cilantro, and pappadum crisps. YES GIRL YES.
Where to find it: Hot Indian
This Ridiculously Amazing Brunch Bloody Mary
Okay, this bad boy is the real deal and would single-handedly knock out, like, five meals in one. This is a toppings party which include a bacon cheeseburger slider, a sausage sampler, a breakfast sandwich, a beef stick, cheddar and pepper jack cheese cubs, pepperoncini, olives, celery, pickle spear, and a Bud Light beer back. HELLO HI WHAT IS LIFE. This triple-decker situation can only be ordered on a Sunday, so be sure to plan accordingly.
Where to find it: Hrbek’s
Okay, GET READY FOR FOOD FEST 2018! I mean baseball season. Are we so ready for summer or what?
What are your favoritest, most craziest stadium eats?
Bonus if you name something from Target Field! Because then I can eat it, too.
Looks like the Twins have the best food in their stadium! I would love if you would think of recreating some of these at home!
I know! I am thinking about that with the Za’atar Chicken Bowls!
Yes please!
I’ve lived in Minnesota for 3 years now (7 if you count college…woah) and I still haven’t been to a Twins game, but I think you singlehandedly gave me all the excuses I needed to make it happen this summer!
Ok, so my only question is how do you pick from this list?!?! THANK YOU for the recommendations. As a fellow Minnesotan, when I go to Twin games (for the food), I never know what to get and usually end up playing it safe and getting Pizza Luce because: food option overload. I am definitely getting my hands on some or all of the items on your list!
I’m a SF Giants fan myself, and I love going to games for the sport AND the food! One of my favorite snacks is the caramel corn, it’s served warm and gooey- a spoon often comes in handy!
I’m intrigued by all of that food, and at the same time afraid to ask the prices…just emailed my husband to see when we can plan a trip to Target Field! Gotta say, the STL Cards have a long way to go. The food choices at Busch Stadium are a letdown so far. Maybe this season they will kick it up a notch!
I live in STL as well … and I had those exact thoughts! The option of nachos, Papa John’s pizza, and McDonalds just aren’t cutting it anymore. I usually end up going to the tater tot place. Also, just found out Sub Zero sells vodka cocktails at the stadium! I normally go to Flying Saucer for a drink and order my food to go, then just eat it later during the game
I just had an Impossible Burger this week at a local restaurant and it was super yummy. And I’m not normally a fan of meat-imitating vegetarian burgers.
But that Bloody Mary… how do you set that thing down? Does it fit in a cupholder? Does it come with its own special kickstand so it doesn’t fall over?
Hurray! I’m headed out to Target Field this July. I am pretty well qualified to discuss some of the best ballpark eats since I’ve visited 24 of the 30 stadiums.
I loved my Pittsburgh pierogies at PNC. A rootbeer float in Detroit is my favorite beverage/dessert combo. And my Citifield (NY Mets, #LGM) favorite is probably the Tacqueria. It’s across from the very crowded Blue Smoke and Shake Shack, but yummy tacos.
Omg yes! I’m from Boston and I wish Fenway would do this! Please recreate the plant based options for the blog They look so amazing!
I am so jealous right now. Those are some seriously amazing food options! Our stadium is only good for their mac & cheese fetish: mac & cheese on nachos, chili dogs, pizza, and other things. This could be awesome, if the mac & cheese was actually good, or any of the rest of it. I admit it’s just a farm team, but come on.
I’m being a little harsh here. It’s a cute team, but my loyalty’s fickle and I’d gladly become a fan of any team that offered the options listed above. Also, it’s April and a snowstorm is expected tonight.
Cheers to Spring and baseball season!
Waaaaah?! This appears to be the fanciest ballpark in the world! ALL of those treats look delicious – it would be so hard for me to choose! Thankfully/Unfortunately, our local minor league baseball stadium has about 3 options 🙂
I’m such a slacker. One thing I notice is when I keep up to par on my cardiovascular activity and change my eating habits, not only does my sleep habits improve, but I also noticed I get happier and stay happy longer. I was wondering it first what’s making me feel so happy. Then I noticed now that being I’m not doing cardio at all, I tend to walk around angry at most times for no reason. So yes, I totally agree with you that physical activity not only boost self-esteem, but it also makes a person feel optimistic towards life and happier. As well as helping them sleep better also for long-term weight loss.
very interesting to see what options are available there, inspiring reason to visit, even if only for the food instead of the game, thank you!
I wish I would’ve seen this before going to opening day yesterday! I didn’t though so I tried the new Kramarczuk’s cheddar sausage and it was just okay. The sausage itself was quite tasty but they had run out of fried onions & the bun was totally cold (whereas I would’ve grilled it) so the overall dish was lacking a bit. Oh well. The First Avenue Surly beer was great though!
THAT BLOODY MARY IS LIFE. Also, those fries. Would it be wrong of me to plan a trip to Minnesota just to go to the ballpark and eat all the things?
What about ice creams ? Haha
Hi,
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