The best new food at Citizens Bank Park this season
Citizens Bank Park has added some new food options to the concourses, and honestly, some of it seems pretty damn good. Of course, The Liberty Line wasn’t invited to taste the new offerings (which is total horseshit by the way), but as the site’s resident food commentator (pending probationary review), I feel qualified to pick my favorite items from the full list.
Ballpark food is a staple of baseball culture, and CBP has certainly stepped it’s game up over the last few seasons. If you want to see every vendor selling their wares this season at Citizens Bank Park, click here and see how the new additions stack up.
Uncle Charlie’s Steaks
Liscio’s seeded roll. Cooper Sharp. Cheese Whiz. Charlie Manuel. That’s really all you need to know to understand why folks are excited about this new addition to Section 109 of Citizens Bank Park.
I’ve personally never truly enjoyed cheesesteak at a sporting event, but if they’re putting Charlie’s name on the thing, it better be damn good. Whiz and Cooper Sharp can be a bold move from a cleanliness perspective, especially in a packed stadium after a few too many beers.
Even so, Charlie’s Steaks will definitely be where I’ll be eating first at Citizens Bank Park.
Federal Donuts Chicken Tenders
Okay, maybe I lied. FedNuts tendies are simply out of this world.
There’s not much I can say about them that everybody in this city doesn’t already know, but this is a landmark moment. The chicken sandwich bangs, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something about Korean-fried tenders that just riles up my tastebuds.
I see they had the Rooster Sauce as part of the official unveiling, but I’m curious to see if they expand their sauce options at any point. It’s pretty damn good anyway, though, so that impacts my enthusiasm an infinitesimal amount, if at all.
The Federal Donuts line at Citizens Bank Park can already get pretty deep. I have a feeling these tenders will draw an even larger crowd than usual.
Jerk Chicken Sandwich with Pickle Slaw and Fried Plantains
This is a bit of a sleeper pick, mostly because if you don’t do it perfectly, it goes horribly wrong. Aramark is personally handling the production of this dish as part of a series of limited time offerings called Seasons Inning Stretch.
Awful name aside, I’m still incredibly intrigued by this item. A seasonal menu at Citizens Bank Park also isn’t the worst idea I’ve ever heard. What’s terrible is that is will likely suck even though they had the answer right in front of their faces.
There’s plenty of good Jamaican spots in the city. If I was them, I’d partner with a local spot or two to make their recipes their way. Now, they may have done that. So if they did, excuse me for doubting a massive corporation’s ability to care about anything but the bottom line.
Aside: my thoughts on the plant-based stand at Citizens Bank Park.
Obviously it’s a good move, more and more folks are going that route and it’s about time they get some good options at sporting events. They’ve got a nice gyro and something called a “Grilled Chick’n parm panini.”
I can only assume the latter of those two is another thinly veiled attempt at disparaging the Italian-American community. But the gyro genuinely sounds delightful.
But I can’t get past the chick’n. I have trouble supporting vegetarians who eat fake meat. You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.
What I can’t help but wonder is, how will the pitch clock affect my ability to enjoy these food items? Gone are the days of spending 4 hours at the ballpark
Pair that with a baseball team that is projected to pack Citizens Bank Park with fans at the highest rate since the 2010s, and you’ve got a ton of people waiting in line on a time crunch. How much of a problem that will be directly correlates to how good these new menu items truly are.
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Mandatory Credit: Ballpark Digest
