Peanuts and Cracker Jacks are standard ballpark fare, but if you're headed to a Braves game this season, there is a long roster of creative bites to keep you content from first pitch to final out.
The Braves, in partnership with Delaware North Sportservice, which manages food and beverage service at SunTrust Park, have cooked up a locally focused lineup with concessions that spotlight many notable names from Atlanta’s food scene as well as regionally inspired dishes.
A “Taste of Braves Country” program showcases Southern cooking from six states considered to be “Braves Country”: Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. These dishes and flavors from the region can be found on concession menus throughout the ballpark.
Highlights of Georgia restaurants include Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, with a stand in the stadium as well as the food partner at the standalone watering hole Terrapin Taproom. Hugh Acheson's First & Third Hot Dog and Sausage Shack is the other standalone eatery. (Acheson's sausage joint and Terrapin Taproom are the two establishments that ticket holders can access from inside the stadium and that the general public can enter through a separate entrance located in the adjacent entertainment district called The Battery. Both will be open year-round.) Gu's Dumplings, the popular Krog Street Market food stall serving Szechuan Chinese cuisine, has added an address at SunTrust Park, and Chick-fil-A and Waffle House also have a presence among concessions.
Other themed concessions include Taco Factory, serving street tacos and bowls, and the Slice, which sells Italian fare that ranges from pizza to a burger-pizza mashup dubbed the Burgerizza to a dessert of cannoli stuffed with ricotta and cream cheese and sprinkled with chocolate chips.
Among snacks, families can check out Sandlot Snacks, a nut-free location selling a variety of kid-friendly eats. At Potato Cutter, fans can order house-cut french fries and shake them up with unique seasonings. Centerfield Market will offer grab-and-go meals, snacks and alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. Here, fans will also find gluten-free hot dogs plus frozen pops from local King of Pops. Throughout the stadium, carts will sell tomahawk-shaped ice cream bars that feature local High Road ice cream.
For 2017, Sportservice is also launching a “Farm to Fan” initiative to bring in fresh, homegrown ingredients from Atlanta-area farms and other local producers. In collaboration with Atlanta-based produce wholesaler Turnip Truck, it will draw from a network of more than 40 Atlanta-area farms, urban and college gardens, and other local producers to incorporate their produce into a variety of concession dishes. The produce and fresh ingredients will vary throughout the season based on market availability, and each game will feature a different farm or local company. The Farm to Fan logo at concession stands throughout the ballpark will indicate the featured produce item of the game.
When you’re looking for food at SunTrust Park, here’s an insider tip: P is for portable, like a food cart. C is for concession, meaning an actual stand.
Here’s our all-star menu:
Burgerizza: Food doesn't have to be serious and the Burgerizza that you'll find at the Slice stands definitely isn't serious. Making a return from the 2016 season, it's a giant burger-pizza hybrid that sees 24 ounces of ground beef, 1/4 pound of hickory-smoked bacon and six slices of aged cheddar sandwiched between two 8-inch pepperoni pizzas. (Sections C215 and C239)
Chengdu noodles: Our pick from the Gu's Dumplings cart are these cold egg noodles tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce, which then pop with color, flavor and crunch thanks to minced garlic, bean sprouts, toasted sesame seeds and green onion. (Section P148)
Chopped brisket sandwich: It's not just any old brisket on a brioche when you're talking Fox Bros. And they are smoking this thing in hickory on site. The smells alone will tempt you. The sandwich comes with your choice of coleslaw or baked beans. (Insider tip: If you dine at Terrapin Taproom, you'll find the majority of the food menu to be what Justin Fox called "Fox Bros.' greatest hits." However, exclusive to this Fox Bros. outpost will be barbecue nachos.) (Section P152 and Terrapin Taproom)
Fried tomahawk pork chop: This big-as-your-face sandwich at the Braves Big Bites stand features a whopper of a fried chop topped with collard green slaw and Alabama's gift to 'cue: white barbecue sauce. It comes on an extra-large potato roll, and if it doesn't fill you up, nuthin' will. (Section C113)
House-cut french fries: At the Potato Cutter concession stand, fans can order seriously fresh french fries made from Idaho spuds cut in house. Order them seasoned with fresh garlic and herbs (our favorite) or as Buffalo-scented "Bravos." Otherwise, buy the regular fries and doctor them up at the nearby condiment stand stocked with a variety of spice blends as well as requisite ketchup. (Section C138)
Jumbo Bavarian "Script A" pretzel: This year, giant pretzels come in the shape of the Atlanta Braves' "A" script. They're a tasty way to get your game on. (Available at numerous concession stands throughout the stadium)
Nashville hot chicken: The spicy fried chicken, a specialty of Nashville, has a regular gig at the stadium. The spice level on this bird is superb, so if you're looking for a burger alternative, this sandwich is a fine pick. Look for it at the Fry Box stand. (Section C320)
Patak German bratwurst: Dogs are getting dressed up at Hugh Acheson's First & Third Hot Dog and Sausage Shack. Custom-blend sausages are made by Buckhead Beef while sides, pickles and condiments are all made in house using locally sourced ingredients. This brat, like all meats at First & Third, is served on a butter-toasted potato roll. Order it as a single or buck up for the meal that comes with a side like potato salad or coleslaw. (Near Section 156 and the Chop House Gate, adjacent to The Battery Atlanta)
Street tacos: If you're in the mood for tacos, hit up Taco Factory for slow-roasted beef barbacoa or pork pernil tacos with cabbage slaw and pickled Georgia radishes on flour tortillas. The meat is prepared in house, as are the trio of salsas: verde, fire-roasted roja and pico de gallo. (Sections C151, C313, P160, P230 and P330)
Tomahawk ice cream bar: This frozen sundry custom designed by local producer High Road Craft Creamery is shaped like a tomahawk. Once you order it, they'll dip it in instant chocolate hard shell and roll it in crushed peanuts. (Available at carts throughout the stadium)
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