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The Best New Things to Eat During a Mariners Game at T-Mobile Park

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The Seattle Mariners didn’t just spend the offseason upgrading their offense with new players like Adam Frazier, Jesse Winker, and Eugenio Suarez. They also boosted the quality and variety of food options available at their home stadium. While unique Northwest fare like Lil’ Woody’s burgers, Din Tai Fung wontons, Ivar’s clam chowder, and Salt & Straw ice cream are all still available, elevating T-Mobile Park food above what you’ll find at most ballparks, there are a good number of new, tasty options this season. (Just keep in mind that you might need to miss a few batters to wait in a long line, given the influx of fans coming out to support the team.) Here are my picks for the best new things to eat at a Mariners game in 2022.

BBQ Platters and Pulled Pork: At Holy Smoke near sections 105 and 313, hungry eaters can order combo meals with brisket ($18) or a long rib ($22) that come with mac-and-cheese, cornbread, and coleslaw. A good value at these stands is the mac-and-cheese with pulled pork ($12), or you can get it meatless for a couple dollars less. If you prefer your pulled pork with a bit of crunch, order the “Holy Moly” loaded Kettle Chips, smothered with white queso cheese and BBQ sauce and topped with citrus coleslaw and green onions. (You can also get the “Holy Moly” chips at a stand on the Terrace Club level near section 221.)

Pineapple Pizza and Meatball Subs: Ethan Stowell’s Ballard Pizza Company (section 241 and the ‘Pen) is offering a new “Staple and Fancy” slice ($10) that includes pepperoni, pineapple, and jalapeños. Also new this season is a meatball sub ($15), baked to order on an Italian roll with tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella.

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches: David Chang’s Fuku (the ‘Pen) was a late-season addition in 2021, and its spicy chicken sandwich ($13) is still one of the best things to eat at the park. The buttermilk-battered breast is served on a potato roll with habanero pepper and “Fuku butter,” a puree of pickles, butter, and garlic.

Fresh Mexican Flavors: At Edgar’s Cantina, also in the ‘Pen, new options include “Tacos del Barrio” ($13), with your choice of barbacoa chicken, green chile pork, or fried avocado (tacos are also available in section 212); a shrimp tostada ($14); and a brisket quesadilla served with pineapple salsa ($13).

Hawaiian Plate Lunches: Seattle’s well-regarded Marination is a rookie-of-the-year candidate for T-Mobile Park food this season. Its offerings near section 119 include a luau plate lunch ($15) with either huli huli chicken, kalua pork, or tofu along with rice, macaroni salad, and a Hawaiian roll; a kalua pork sandwich that’s one of the best deals at T-Mobile ($10.50); and one of the two places in the park where you can order spam musubi ($6).

Poke Bowls and Sushi: Near section 132, Just Poké serves up ahi tuna or salmon bowls ($17) with avocado, edamame, pickled ginger, and seaweed salad over sushi rice, as well as spicy tuna or California sushi rolls ($14 and $13, respectively) that can be upgraded to “Hall of Fame” style with a topping of poké for an additional $9. You can also get your spam musubi fix here ($6).

Açai Bowls and Toasts: Pure Açai (section 132 and 328) offers three different açai bowls ($14) with a variety of toppings including granola, bananas, strawberries, and nutella, as well as multi-grain toast with either avocado and cherry tomatoes, or nutella, banana, coconut, and granola ($12).

Gourmet Sit-Down Meals: One of the best-kept secrets of T-Mobile Park food is that you’re allowed to order food at a table in the Hit it Here Café, regardless of where your seat is for the game. Appealing options here include the “Hit it Here” burger, with a grass-fed beef patty topped with Tillamook cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, and burger sauce ($15.50); the “loaded mac & cheese” sandwich, with four-cheese mac, caramelized onions, and bacon on Texas toast ($18.50); and the bacon and blue chese wedge salad, including iceberg lettuce, bacon lardons, blue cheese crumbles, marinated tomatoes, pickled red onions, and ranch dressing ($13).

What are your favorite things to eat at a Mariners game? Leave a comment and let me know!

To get updates on new posts, you can follow me @seattlefoodhound on Instagram, or @seafoodhound on Twitter.

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What I Ate: Meatball sub from Ballard Pizza Company at T-Mobile Park

T-Mobile Park food options this season include this meatball sub from Ballard Pizza Company.

The Best Things to Eat at a Mariners Game

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This post was written for the 2021 season. See the post for the 2022 season. 

Food options at T-Mobile Park look a little different this season. For one thing, COVID-19 restrictions prohibit fans from bringing in any outside food (which means I can’t pick up my usual banh mi at Uwajimaya before heading over to the ballpark). With a maximum of 9,000 fans allowed into the stadium per game, many fewer concession stands than normal are open for business, and there aren’t any condiment stations or vendors roaming the aisles. All of the Mariners food is being packaged in to-go containers, and all of the transactions are cashless (and for the first time this season, don’t include taxes in the listed prices). Still, along with the usual ballpark fare of hot dogs, peanuts, and nachos, there are plenty of interesting options to choose from. Here are my picks for the best things you can eat at a Mariners game.

The Best Sandwich: At Paseo in section 183, you can get a credible version of the much-loved Caribbean roast pork sandwich ($16) from the restaurant’s Fremont location. It’s served on a toasted baguette with cilantro, pickled jalapeños, and caramelized onions. For an extra $3, you can add roasted chili lime grasshoppers, which have become a T-Mobile Park staple since they were introduced a few seasons ago.

The Best Pizza: Ethan Stowell’s Ballard Pizza Co., located in the ‘Pen, has expanded this season to a second location in the Terrace Club in section 240. At both locations, you can get slices of cheese, pepperoni, or the “Ballard Bridge,” a combo slice with sausage, pepperoni, olives, and mushrooms ($8.50).

The Best Dessert (for Regular People): Stowell’s also responsible for a new dessert option that you can find at the Frozen Rope Sandwich Company behind section 132. Inspired by the name of one of Stowell’s restaurants, the “How to Wolf a Cookie” is a 4-inch, gooey treat with chocolate chips, pistachios, and cherries ($8, or $6 when it was featured as a “Highlight Bite” the night I tried it.)

The Best Dessert (for the Intrepid Eater): Adventurous ice cream lovers will want to try a scoop of the Creepy Crawly Critters flavor at Salt & Straw in section 184 ($8.50). Matcha ice cream is combined with toffee-brittle mealworms and chocolate-covered crickets in a dessert that’s creamy, crunchy, and just a little bit nutty. If eating bugs isn’t your thing, other flavors include the decadent salted malted chocolate chip cookie dough, and sea salt with caramel ribbons.

The Best Burger: Lil Woody’s, the mini burger chain with locations in Ballard, Capitol Hill, and White Center, has two outposts at the ballpark (only the one in section 219 was open the night I visited). The Big Woody, a grass-fed beef patty with bacon and cheddar, is a tasty, if somewhat messy burger ($12), and there’s also a version without bacon (The Little Woody) as well as a meatless option.

The Most Iconic Seattle Food: New this season at Hiroshi’s Sushi behind section 132, you can customize made-to-order poke bowls with salmon or tuna ($16). They’re topped with your choice of cucumber, avocado, and tobiko.

The Best-Named Menu Item: With apologies to the Marco Pollo, a new spicy shredded chicken sandwich that’s named after Mariners ace pitcher Marco Gonzales but wasn’t available the night I was at the park, I’ll pick the Moose-ubi, a two-piece spam musubi ($8) that’s also on the menu at Hiroshi’s Sushi.

The Healthiest Mariners Food Options: At the stand called The Natural, also behind section 132, you’ll find prepackaged salads and sandwiches, including a wild berry salad and a gluten-free turkey sandwich (both $10). They also offer a hummus plate and fruit cup as well as vegan burgers and sausages.

I left out one iconic Mariners food item that I won’t call one of the best things you can eat at the stadium. But if you haven’t been to a game at T-Mobile Park before, it’s practically a rite of passage to try an order of garlic fries from one of the Grounders locations that are located throughout the stadium. It’s an experience that you won’t soon forget – and a taste that will literally stay with you for a long time. The only way to cleanse your palate might be with some mealworm-and-cricket ice cream.

What are your favorite things to eat at a Mariners game? Leave a comment and let me know!

To get updates on new posts, you can follow me @seattlefoodhound on Instagram, or @seafoodhound on Twitter.

More from SeattleFoodHound: 

What I Ate: The Big Woody burger from Lil Woody’s

Mariners food options include the Big Woody burger from Lil Woody's