With summer upon us and families out and about looking for fun things to do while school is out, it’s a good time to see a Major League Soccer game. With soccer considered the world’s game, it stands to reason that the food choices at MLS venues would reflect culinary cultures from all over the globe. In the mood for something exotic and tantalizing? Check out these five concession stand food items available at MLS stadiums around the country.
El Grande Jefe Colombian Dawg
Houston Dynamo – BBVA Compass Stadium
This is no ho-hum, run-of-the-mill frankfurter. Instead, the El Grande Jefe Colombian Dawg is a gargantuan two-foot hot dog with a metric-ton of toppings reflecting the city’s international culture, including a sweet and creamy salsa, crushed sea salt potato chips, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and pineapple crema. This enormous hot dog made it’s debut in the stadium’s Diggity Dog Too stand and is a bit pricey at $25, but that works out to only $1.04 per inch, so not too bad considering.
Kalbi Sausage
Los Angeles Football Club – Banc of California Stadium
They asked for best eats at @BancStadium — @BeerBelly_LA , @SeoulSausage, @bludsosbar, and @chicastacosla delivered (s/o to co-owner @BrandonBeck and other food-forward folks pulling strings to get good stuff into @LAFC's home) — https://t.co/mBXb0qWcz3
— Alex Dwyer (@Adweezy) April 26, 2018
The newest stadium in Major League Soccer, Banc of America Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Football Club, officially opened in April 2018, making a splash not only for its amenities but for its fresh and fearless take on ballpark food. One of the most interesting items is the Kalbi Sausage from Seoul Sausage, a beloved Korean-inspired street food vendor with two brick-and-mortar locations in LA. The Kalbi sausage is a Korean barbecue pork sausage with kimchi relish, fried onions, and garlic-jalapeno aioli.
Chicken and Waffles
Seattle Sounders – CenturyLink Field
Chicken and Waffles. Courtesy of Seattle Sounders FC.
In the Pacific Northwest, the Sounders FC have an interesting item combining two Seattle favorites into one dish, chicken and waffles. Featuring hand-breaded chicken tenders from Ezell’s Famous Chicken in between two waffles from Sweet Iron Waffle Bar, this concession stand chicken an waffles comes complete with powdered sugar and bourbon maple syrup.
Kim Chi and Pulled Chicken Fries
Toronto FC – BMO Field
New foods at BMO Field this year to get excited about! Here's a sneak peek of what to look forward to this season… pic.twitter.com/rjf4JTkYLE
— BMO Field (@BMOField) May 5, 2015
North of the U.S.-Canada border, soccer fans can find more interesting fusion food at BMO Field, the home of Toronto FC. At Frites, hungry fans can nosh on Belgian-style fries (we won’t refer to them as French fries here), with a variety of toppings, including an Asian-themed snack, kim chi and pulled chicken fries.
Cuban Bowl
Orlando City SC – Orlando City Stadium
I'd love to get to Orlando and try this while watching an Orlando FC game. Sounds delicious!
Posted by Loyd McIntosh on Monday, May 28, 2018
A nod to Florida’s vibrant Cuban communities, fans of Orlando FC can get a taste of the Pearl of the Antilles with the Cuban Bowl. Fans can customize their bowls with an array of protein choices like carnitas and picadillo, a Cuban mixture of ground beef, tomato sauces and other herbs and spices such as cilantro, garlic, and oregano.