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2 Parks, Top Picks: A Girl’s Guide to Food at the Ballpark

Casey McLaughlin Student Contributor, Pace University
amanda miano Student Contributor, Pace University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pace chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

The best time of the year is almost upon us…baseball season. There’s truly nothing more magical than a summer Friday night at the ballpark with friends, hot dog in one hand, and a goddamn beer in the other. We, the writers of this article, are huge baseball fans, Casey being a Philadelphia Phillies fan, and Amanda for the New York Yankees. You may be wondering how these two teams could ever get along well enough to co-write this article, and for that, we have one answer: we both hate the Mets. No baseball game is complete without some good food, so here are some of our favorites! 

Citizens Bank Park: Surfsides (21+)

Who doesn’t love a fun little drink? Surfsides have been sweeping the East Coast the past few years, and I don’t think I’ve met a single person who has disliked them. Surfsides are the hottest product of the Philadelphia vodka brand Stateside — canned vodka cocktails with different variations of iced teas and lemonades. With simple ingredients and the perfect balance of vodka and iced tea or lemonade, these are the quintessential beverages to have alongside your ballpark snacks.

Yankee Stadium: Nathan’s Footlong Hot Dog

One thing that’s a rite of passage at any baseball game is the stadium hotdog. Yankee Stadium offers two kinds of Nathan’s Famous hotdogs: the regular dog, and the footlong dog. Some people say this is one of the best hotdogs amongst all stadium dogs. This hotdog pairs well with Nathan’s famous crinkle cut fries, and whatever toppings you like on your hotdog. This footlong dog can be found in sections 127, 224, and 312 of the stadium. While there are so many options to choose from at Yankee Stadium, you can’t go wrong with this ballpark classic. 

Both: Soft Serve

On a hot summer night at the ballpark, there’s nothing better than soft serve ice cream. Yankee Stadium has Mister Softee in sections 110, 125, 205, 224, 305, and 318. They offer vanilla, chocolate, and twist soft serve in a cup or waffle cone, topped with navy blue and white sprinkles. At Citizens Bank Park, Old City Creamery is serving Richman’s ice cream helmets— the true star of the show— offering vanilla, chocolate, and twist, topped with red, white, and blue jimmies. You can find them at sections 110, 137, 205, 322, and 330.

Citizens Bank Park: Federal Donuts

Sometimes I’m craving something a bit fancier than just a hot dog or burger, so I walk over to section 140 for Federal Donuts. Founded in Philly, Federal Donuts is pumping out freshly made old fashioned donuts, as well as the most perfect fried chicken sandwiches you’ll ever sink your teeth into. A stop here will make you question why you’ve ever gone somewhere else for stadium food. And don’t forget to check back regularly— they have specials that change throughout the season!

Yankee Stadium: Chicken Tender Bucket w/ Garlic Fries

My personal favorite food at Yankee Stadium is the chicken tender bucket with garlic fries and some barbeque sauce on the side. I genuinely look forward to spending money on this bucket. The bucket comes with 8 tenders and an insane amount of fries; perfect to share (or have for yourself, no judgement regardless). The bucket is typically served with regular fries, but I’ll upgrade to having the garlic fries every single time, and I strongly suggest giving them a try. Garlic fries can be found in section 107, right in the main concourse of the stadium.

Both: Chickie’s & Pete’s

Now, let it be known, Amanda has never had Chickie’s & Pete’s, so she’s going to leave this one to the Philadelphia native herself, Casey.

Casey can’t believe this has to go in the “both” category, but apparently the world famous Crabfries have branched out of their hometown. Casey is a former Chickie’s employee, and she can attest that anything on their menu will be outstanding, from wings, to cheesesteaks, all the way to their seafood menu. At the ballpark, there’s nothing better than a bucket of Crabfries (which, by the way, don’t have crab on them)!

We’re so excited for baseball season to be back. Thanks for reading, and as always, MUCK THE FETS!

Casey McLaughlin is a chapter member of Her Campus at Pace. She is a Senior, and this is her second year as a contributing member. She covers areas such as music, sports, pop culture, personal experiences, and concert reviews.
Casey is majoring in Communications and Media Studies, and has a minor in Digital Media. Her goal is to either work in Social Media or Public Relations, and she would love to work at a music marketing agency or a record label. Along with being in school, Casey has worked as a barista for the past two years. She also volunteers with HeadCount, an organization that encourages concert goers to register to vote.
In her free time, Casey enjoys reading, watching Philadelphia sports, and going to concerts. Her favorite thing is live music, and has been to many concerts, such as Harry Styles, Remi Wolf, and SZA. Casey’s favorite band is The Band Camino, and she has seen them 11 times. When school is not in session, Casey goes home to suburban Philadelphia, where she likes to go to Phillies baseball games, where she boo’s the other teams. She also likes to hang out with her puppy, Sammy, and her cat Milkshake.
Amanda Miano is a member of Her Campus at Pace University. She is currently a senior at Pace, and has been a member of Her Campus since 2022. She is originally from Long Island, New York, and she is majoring in Communications and Media Studies while minoring in Sports Marketing.

When she is not at Her Campus, Amanda is also involved with an organization called Cusp of Clarity, a student-run organization that raises money to donate the Urban Indigenous Collective, an organization that addresses the needs of the Urban Indigenous people.

Amanda enjoys writing about topics such as sports, fashion/makeup, and music. She is interested in all sports, mainly hockey, graphic design, and hopes to work as a social media manager. In her free time, Amanda enjoys thrifting, going to concerts, and watching hockey and baseball. Her favorite music artists are Harry Styles, Noah Kahan, and Taylor Swift. Amanda also loves the New York Rangers hockey team, and sees herself working with them in the future.