My Favorite 2024 Ballpark Eats

I love taking time during the off-season to think about my travels from the preceding months. Doing so inevitably whets my appetite for more baseball travel, but also gives me a chance to relive a long list of great memories.

It’s impossible to think about ballpark visits without reminiscing about what I ate, given that unique and tasty food is such a good way to enhance a fan’s gameday experience. I’ve eaten lots of memorable items over the years, and the 2024 season was no different. As I compiled my favorites from ’24, I noticed something a little unusual: The year’s entries are unique because none of them were from solo ballpark visits. Most of the games I attend are on my own, but sharing a handful of games with various friends and family augmented my 2024 adventures. I have fond memories of experiencing these concession items with people who enhanced my ballpark visits.

Without further delay, here’s a look at the best ballpark food I ate in 2024:

Honorable mention: Tacos (Durham Bulls)

I didn’t blog about my visit to Durham Bulls Athletic Park during May’s North Carolina trip, but that game yielded some fare that earns an honorable mention on this list. In most cases, ballpark tacos are typically some combination of ground beef, beans, lettuce, and cheese, and that’s fine, but they’re usually just a notch or two above (or, sometimes, below) Taco Bell. This doesn’t necessarily make them bad, but standard ballpark tacos are rarely memorable. Want to firmly change your view of ballpark tacos? Pay a visit to Durham Bulls Athletic Park, head to the El Jefecito Tacos concession stand in the left field corner, and order anything off the menu.

I ordered a pair of tacos during my ’24 DBAP visit — on the left is the steak taco, with grilled onions, peppers, and horseradish sauce. On the right is the chicken taco, with pimento cheese, sweet chile sauce, and pico de gallo. They were equally good, offering proper chunks of meat, flavorful sauces, and freshness from the veggies.  I enjoyed this pair of tacos with a margarita during the team’s Margaritaville theme night, which made for a perfect combination. You’ll often find a long line of patrons waiting at this concession stand — which is a testament to its quality — so it’s a good idea to grab your grub as early as you can.

3. Carolina Dog (NC State Wolfpack)

Although North Carolina is synonymous with its two unmistakable types of barbecue, the state also boasts its own eponymous hot dog. The Carolina-style hot dog, often shortened to just “Carolina dog,” is available at restaurants, food trucks, and even ballparks throughout the Old North State. I’ve eaten it at a couple of ballgames in the past, but the one I ate at Doak Field during my second-ever NCAA baseball game is the best iteration I’ve had. There’s not much room for creative interpretation with a Carolina dog — it’s strictly topped with beef chili, coleslaw, and raw onions. The simplicity works, and Doak Field’s version was memorable because the chili had good flavor, the onions weren’t overpowering, and the entire thing wasn’t soggy. (Nothing kills a hot dog faster than sogginess, in my books.)

Doak Field’s Carolina dog spanned somewhere between conventional length and footlong, which made it pretty filling. I can’t think of this hot dog without recalling the crisis I narrowly averted. After taking some photos of it, I set the food on a narrow ledge while I put my phone back in my pocket. In doing so, I clumsily elbowed the hot dog and sent the entire thing tumbling off the ledge and sliding down the back of an empty stadium seat. Quickly invoking the five-second rule, I picked up the mess, did my best to wipe the smeared chili off the seat, and started eating.

2. Puff the Magic Popper Hot Dog (Columbus Clippers)

Hot dogs with catchy names often get my attention, and this one from Huntington Park in Columbus was no different. In addition to its fun moniker, the “Puff the Magic Popper Hot Dog” was easily one of the best dogs I’ve eaten in years. Built to pay homage to the jalapeno popper, this hot dog was well executed and, unlike some novelty dogs, fairly easy to eat. Its three toppings — cream cheese, diced jalapeno peppers, and crumbled bacon — were unique enough to be memorable, but without being ridiculous. The poppy seed bun was a nice touch, too.

This hot dog gets bonus points for only being sold at the Dirty Frank’s concession stand atop the AEP Power Pavilion, a multilevel structure that towers above left field. This is one of my favorite areas at Huntington Park, and I strongly recommend that every fan spends some time there. And, hey, if the ballpark’s best hot dogs are sold just a few steps away from where you’ve got the park’s best bird’s-eye view of the action? That’s all the more reason to check out this unique part of the ballpark.

1. Hot Honey Maple Bacon Hot Dog (Toronto Blue Jays)

The hot dog I ate at Rogers Centre during a July visit squeezes past the other fantastic franks on this list to make it my favorite ballpark concession item of 2024. Although I posted about Toronto’s Hot Honey Maple Bacon Hot Dog on social media, I didn’t blog about this ballpark visit — which means that unless you follow me on the socials, you might have missed my mention of it. The Rogers Centre culinary team has been hitting lots of home runs in recent years — another of its new hot dogs was one of my favorite ballpark meals of ’23 — and this winning meal is a testament to the creativity coming out of the kitchens at 1 Blue Jays Way.

This hot dog, which was new in ’24, features Ontario honey, maple bacon, and aioli, which combine to offer sweet, salty, and spicy (from that garlic in the aioli) flavors in a single bite. At $13, it’s the most expensive non-footlong hot dog I’ve ever bought. While it’d be a stretch to say that spending $10+ on a hot dog is ever good value, this one was satisfying and filling enough that I wouldn’t hesitate to order it again.