All it takes is a visit to another stadium–or even just a quick trip across the river to the PPL Center–to find out that the IronPigs do food differently. It’s been a guiding philosophy for them over the years, to make sure there are fun and unique dining options available–even if it hasn’t always been executed as well as it could be. It’s just another way to make sure a night out at the ballpark is a special night and a good time. Out of town baseball travelers I’ve met have often asked me what to eat at the park. My first answer is always “The Corn” but after that….
There’s just so much. It even got to the point that they had to introduce PigsFoodFinder.com to help folks navigate the multitudes of choices and where to locate them–an idea likely born of my Coca Cola Park Beer Map from years ago. The downside of all this, is that it’s difficult to execute each menu item well, and consistently, and have everything always available. It’s tough on that scale and they do fall short sometimes.
Today, they announce the new additions for the 2024 season. Some parts of this column are unfinished and left blank while we await the location of some of the items, and the pricing. This post will be updated going forward to include that information as well as actual food reviews where possible. Check back often.
Oh, one more thing. Remember that Coca Cola Park remains a cashless environment, so bring a plastic card or your Apple-Pay.
New Changes
Some general things that are new, or new-er, for the 2024 season:
- Beer Bats: These showed up at the mid-point or so of last season. They are 24-oz bats which can be filled with draft beer. They likely have the team logo on them. Reading has had them for a few years. They are a lot of fun. You’ll be able to find them at the Klyr Bar, Biergarten, and Tiki Terrace. $21.00 for “Domestic” beers, $23.00 for “Premium” and $25.00 for “Super Premium.” No refill prices have been listed, but in Reading it’s just half-way between the 16oz price and the 32oz draft prices.
- $2 Tacos: Taco and Tallboy Wednesday will feature $2.00 tacos in chicken, beef or chorizo. I expect a “street taco” type of preparation. Find them at the Plaza Promotional Stand.
- $5 Tall Boys: Similarly, on Wednesdays you’ll be able to grab a 16oz can of your favorite brewed domestic beverage. Available at all locations that carry 16oz cans.
- Ritas: One of the biggest reveals of today was that the “Soeete Spot” frozen yogurt bar will now be a Ritas location with Gelati and Blended available. Line management will be important.
Club Bar Menu
Out of the pandemic came the “order your own” bar menu in the club level. Overall, it’s been an improvement as the bartenders no longer have to spend so much time chasing food orders around, which makes it easier to order drinks. Since the food is delivered directly to you, it can come to your stadium seat or your table or bar seat in the club area. Super convenient and usually pretty good service. One of the only downsides is that you cannot use a gift card; it must be credit card. Apple Pay usually works pretty well, though. It appears we have the same chef back from last season, which is good because for a while there we were going through chefs like Spinal Tap goes through drummers. Sometimes the kitchen can have delays due to preparing the food for the suites or due to staffing shortages. I hope that gets ameliorated this season.
Here are the new items for the Club Bar Menu. When visiting the club, scan the QR code at the bar and place your order on your smartphone along with payment and a location for it to be delivered. The full menu will be revealed later, but here are the additions. (No photos as these were not available for media to sample today.)
- Nashville Chicken Sandwich. The classic spicy fried chicken will be served on an onion roll with cole slaw, pickles and spicy mayo. It does indeed include fries. It was really good and it was “Kickin Chick’n” on the menu and it was $13 before tax and tip.
- Flat Bread Marguerita Pizza. Another classic. Homemade pizza sauce with fresh mozz and basil. $10.00
- Charcuterie Pretzel. Deli meats and cheese will arrive on the colossal pretzel along with cheese sauce and honey mustard. Folks next to me ordered this. It was big, but they were somewhat disappointed in the quality. $21.00
- Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich. The description says “BBQ Sauce” but we’ll await mustard-based versus vinegar-based versus mis-named Kansas City tomato based. Like the Nashville, this will be topped with slaw and pickles, served on an onion roll and comes with fries. $12.00
- Chili Poutine. Fries topped with cheese curds, homemade chili, and cheddar cheese. Called “Tex-Mex Poutine” on the menu. $12.00
- Pork Poutine. Fries topped with cheese curds, pulled pork, and gravy. $12.00
- Chef’s Signature Burger. 8oz Angus beef patty topped with BBQ pulled pork, cheddar cheese, signature sauce, and served with fries. $13.00
Aside: There’s a lot of fries there. Perhaps they found a good deal on a bulk of french fries. Only one order so far, but the fries were really good and I got them nice and fresh and hot. Hopefully that continues. One of the challenges for the chefs has been the margins and the profitability of the menu, as they’re under high pressure to achieve certain numbers. That’s why you won’t see expensive things like regular chicken wings on there. I digress. The Club Bar Menu is part of the reason I pay for club seats.
Stadium Menu Additions
Everything Soft Pretzel
What Is It? Soft Pretzel with ‘Everything’ seasoning. Looks to be served with some mustard perhaps.
Where Can I Find It? Pizza Stand
How Much Does It Cost?
What Are The Chances That It’s Good? Decent. I believe the “Bavarian Pretzel” that the IronPigs sell these days is made by the same folks who make Wawa soft pretzels, and their ‘Everything’ pretzels have been good in the past. As long as these are fresh, they are a nice addition.
Chili Corn Dog
What Is It? An “all beef” corn dog then topped with chili and cheese.
Where Can I Find It? Lunch Pail Grill
How Much Does It Cost?
What Are The Chances That It’s Good? 50/50. Should be relatively easy to execute. Not sure if the chili will be any good but they are using it on other things so that should keep it fresh. You’re gonna need two hands with this one to catch the droppings.
Rueben Burger
What Is It? Large beef patty topped with corned beef, swiss and kraut. Served on a pretzel bun.
Where Can I Find It? Plaza Portable (may not be available every day?)
How Much Does It Cost?
What Are The Chances That It’s Good? This one makes me nervous. How fresh is the corned beef? Should there be some Russian Dressing on there? I might try it anyway though.
Sweet Pig Burger
What Is It? Large burger patty topped with black peppercorn candied bacon and candied jalapeños. Served on an onion brioche roll.
Where Can I Find It? Plaza Portable (check availability)
How Much Does It Cost?
What Are The Chances That It’s Good? I will be having this one. I have high hopes. Had me at brioche.
Turkey Pesto Sandwich
What Is It? Turkey, provolone and tomato with pesto sauce served on a warm ciabatta roll.
Where Can I Find It? Pizza Stand
How Much Does It Cost?
What Are The Chances That It’s Good? Why is the ciabatta warm? Surely it’s not fresh out of the oven. The success of this depends on the freshness of the roll and whatever kind of jarred pesto they’ve found. It has a chance to be a nice alternative to standard ballpark fare. Mrs. Kram is a pesto connoisseur so I’ll get back to you.
Street Dog
What Is It? Large-size hot dog topped with chili, onions, sauerkraut, cheese and potato sticks
Where Can I Find It? Lunch Pail Hot Dog
How Much Does It Cost?
What Are The Chances That It’s Good? There’s a lot going on here. The more ingredients the more chance something’s not right. But at the end of the day it depends on if the chili is any good and if the roll can hold this monstrosity.
Yogurt Parfait [No Photo]
What Is It? 12oz cup of vanilla yogurt with granola and fresh fruit. I think this will count as a healthy option.
Where Can I Find It? Pizza Stand and Snack Stand
How Much Does It Cost?
What Are The Chances That It’s Good? Wait, how fresh is the fruit? This might be a nice option during those morning games if one wants to venture downstairs. They likely can be pre-made, so perhaps a quick option. I think it’ll be OK.
…
Conclusion: IronPigs banquet, then the promotions schedule, then pig day, then the menu update. The offseason is moving along as planned. The new Saturday and Sunday regular jerseys have been out for some time, as well as the Philadelphia (Mummers) jerseys. They’ve likely got a few more theme reveals to drop on us, but I’m not expecting any other big reveals until next spring. Baseball is coming, ready or not.
I look forward to updating the above, with locations and prices and perhaps some food reviews. As you might guess, I think the ultimate success of these new offerings is reliant on the quality and freshness of the bread products.
See you at the park,
@Kram207
Food photos from today were taken by Jack Mitroka. I thank him for his time and dedication and perhaps I’ll ask how the free lunch was! Cover photo is IronPigs Poutine available at the Blast Furnace in the TD Bank Plaza.