If you're headed to Santa Clara, Calif., for the Super Bowl, one thing's for sure - you will not leave the game hungry. Levi's Stadium is known for serving some of the greatest food in the country and making the stadium experience worth the visit.
In 2014, the new $1.3 billion stadium, which is home to the San Francisco 49ers, was created, and with that new launch came some incredible new menu options, making it the perfect location for the Super Bowl for several reasons. While it still includes all the gameday regulars like hot dogs, beer and popcorn, there are so many other delicious options that you won't know what to choose.
For starters, the beer selection alone is enough to keep fans excited, as there are more than 1,000 beer tap handles, according to Thrillist. Each "specialty" food stand even has its own specific beer pairing, so you won't have to worry about traveling elsewhere to purchase your beverage, and there are even full-service bars that serve hard liquor and 15 varieties of wine on the main concourse.
When the new stadium opened, Centerplate, the hospitality partner to the 49ers, made several additions to the food and beverage lineup for the 2015 season to continue their mission to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience. As a part of this mission, it added new locally sourced menu items to provide fans with the perfect California stadium dining experience, including Dungeness crab sandwiches, chicken and waffles, seafood nachos, Asian barbeque rice bowls, crab fondue, wedge salads, grilled artichokes, vegetable samosas, pulled pork sandwiches and even a raw bar.
For Super Bowl 50, they've specifically added some special food options created by Centerplate chefs Santana Diaz and Denari Brown. Some of the menu highlights for the big day are: BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich, Grilled Crab Sandwich, The Big 5-0 Sausage, Garlic Fries, Sourdough Chowder Boule, California Charcuterie, Local Farmstead Cheese Platter, Lobster & Truffle Mac n' Cheese and California Artichokes Display.
All of this deliciousness was in addition to the stadium's already out-of-control original menu, which included more than 180 different food items, according to San Francisco Eater. These items included vegan hot dogs and burgers, Kobe beef burgers, gas-fired pizza, nacho stacks, Indian-style food, paninis and Asian-style steamed bun sandwiches, garlic fries, burritos and Ghirardelli ice cream sundaes.
Levi's Stadium is also known for being "the most vegan-friendly stadium in the entire sports industry," Centerplate General Manager Zach Hensley said. With dedicated vegan hot dog stands, 32 vegan menu options (as of 2014) and at least one option at every stand, the vegan varieties are endless.
"We think we've really got the most differentiated food and beverage plan in the NFL, if not all of sports," San Francisco 49ers President Paraag Marathe said, while rattling off the different options, quality of ingredients and emphasis of locally sourced ingredients. "That is unheard of in our industry."
Just to give fans a quick glance at the food-related craziness going on at Levi's Stadium, prior to the stadium grand opening, it estimated that per game day, 13,500 slices of pizza, 5,000 burgers, 7,000 frankfurters, 12,000 garlic fries and beers from 1,000-plus handles would be sold.
And to top it all off, local celebrity chef Michael Mina even has his own restaurant in the stadium that's open year-round and is an upscale take on traditional tailgating, according to Mercury News. On game days, he serves up a whole 1,200-pound ox roast, a few 500-pound crane-lifted pots of hundreds of lobsters and a Ferris wheel-style, two-story rotisserie that can cook 12 animals, such as ducks and chicken, all at once. Bourbon Steak & Pub is unlike any stadium restaurant out there, and even features a $28 wagyu burger with bacon marmalade that's a must-have.
"We wanted it decadent but keep it in the theme of tailgating," Mina, who's had 49ers season tickets for the past 24 years, explained. "I think there's a stigma of what kinds of restaurants are in stadiums. Whether this is in a stadium or not, there's nothing like it...This is a dream come true for me. I wanted to create a place that's all about food and sports."
There's even a special gameday tailgate season special that Mina offers, but it costs $5,000 per 10-game season, and only 500 of these season passes are sold each year.
If you're headed to Levi's Stadium for the big game on Sunday Feb. 7, make sure to download the Super Bowl 50 app so you can place your food orders on your phone to avoid waiting in long concession lines, according to Mobile Sports Report. The app also allows you to order drinks and have them delivered directly to your seats.
