It’s the best time of year!
Baseball is returning to Yankee Stadium, and the team and Legends Hospitality unveiled their new food and beverage offerings for 2025, with new partners including Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, Caribbean Food Delights, Nuchas Empanadas and Sweet P Bakery.
Yankees fans already have some worries ahead this season, as ace pitcher Gerrit Cole recently underwent Tommy John surgery, designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton has torn tendons in both elbows and third baseman DJ LeMahieu suffered a calf strain on March 1 and is not yet back to form.
But whether we end up celebrating or stuffing our faces with comfort food, this year’s new stadium eats can suit any mood or palate.
Tiramisu and Mister Softee sundae from Chef Christian Petroni (section 125)
Petroni, who grew up around 241st Street and White Plains Road, has become a regular on the Food Network, winning season 14 of “Next Food Network Star” and appearing on “Chopped,” “Beat Bobby Flay” and more.
At Yankee Stadium, Petroni previously debuted his family recipes for cheesy garlic bread, red sauce and meatballs, one of last year’s best offerings. This year, he was asked to dream up some dessert ideas, and he jumped at the opportunity to showcase more family recipes and nostalgic favorites.
Creating a dish with Mister Softee ice cream was particularly fun, Petroni told the Bronx Times. “I grew up seeing the Mister Softee truck, grabbing cash and running down the street,” he said. “I can hear that jingle from a mile away.”
The sundae, served in a plastic Yankees helmet, had vanilla soft serve, hazelnut hot fudge, cannoli praline crunch and vanilla panna (thick whipped cream). For those of us who love Mister Softee more than anything on earth, this sundae, with the warm sauce and mix of crunchy and smooth textures, was to die for.
The tiramisu, which Petroni said is his mother’s recipe, was also incredible and just as expected — in a good way. Made fresh by Fortunato Bakery in Brooklyn, it’s intensely flavored but not too boozy and filled with fresh mascarpone. It’s a classic for a reason.
Lobster roll from Legends (at the new “Change-Up Kitchen” in Section 105)
I rarely seek out a lobster roll, but this one reminded me how good they can be. The meat was fresh, tender, lemony and not too weighed down with aioli. Lay’s potato chips were the ideal complement. I took a sample home, and it still tasted great hours later (don’t judge me).
Beef patties from Caribbean Food Delights (FreshDirect Terrace and Toyota Terrace in the Bleachers)
Caribbean Food Delights started in 1978 on Dyre Avenue in the Bronx and has since expanded to Tappen, New York. They sell plain beef patties and a version with red cabbage slaw and jerk BBQ aioli. I didn’t try the original one, but the slaw added a crunchy tang and pop of color, and the crust was very tender.
Sando Cubano by FUKU (Sections 109, 213, 331)
The chicken joint by celebrity chef David Chang offers a Cuban sandwich with fried chicken instead of the usual pork shoulder. Otherwise, true to form, the sandwich had ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and Fuku honey mustard on a potato bun. The description also listed pork floss — a dehydrated, fluffy pork product found in southeast Asian cuisine — but my sample didn’t appear to have any. I love a Cuban sandwich, and this one was tasty, with strong pickles and a kick from the mustard.
Pastrami sandwich from Lobel’s (Section 134, but pastrami sandwich only available at the Change-Up Kitchen in Section 105)
Lobel’s is known for their high-quality butchered meats, and their pastrami sandwich was no exception. The meat was tender, juicy and sliced about half an inch thick, and the sandwich came with Mike’s Amazing deli mustard, rye bread and a kosher pickle spear. Simple and delicious.
Dumplings from Brooklyn Dumpling Shop (Sections 108, 205, 213, 321)
“Everything’s better in a dumpling” is the local shop’s motto, and their stadium location offers three flavors: kung pao chicken and Korean BBQ wagyu beef (both with their spicy dumpling aioli) and buffalo chicken (with buttermilk ranch). They were all fresh and juicy, but the buffalo chicken was surprisingly my favorite and had the most defined flavors. It would be easy to take down several of those during a game.
Empanadas by Nuchas (at the Change-Up Kitchen in Section 105)
The empanadas by Nuchas, which began in 2009 as a Times Square food stall, are baked and not fried, giving them a very soft, non-greasy crust. I only tried one of three flavors, but the Argentinian-inspired empanada with ground beef and tangy green olives was delicious. They also offer vegetarian pinto bean and chipotle chicken.
Cookies from Sweet P Bakery (Grab & Go Locations at Section 121 and 211)
Sweet P is a Connecticut-based nonprofit bakery that employs people with disabilities and ships their “Colossal Cookies” nationwide. True to their name, the cookies are large and thick in the middle. I tried the chocolate chip and sweet and salty (potato chip, toffee and chocolate chip), and while I’m typically more into less bulky cookies, an opportunity have a good sweet treat and contribute to a worthy cause is great by me.
“Bronxtail” drink
There are five new cocktails available at the stadium this year, but I only tried one because it was, after all, a workday. The Bronxtail is an off-putting, unnatural shade of blue, but it tasted better than it looked. With Grey Goose vodka, blueberry liquor and lemonade, this would be really refreshing during those hot summer games.
Other new items I didn’t get to try:
Chef Marcus Samuelsson made a surprise appearance at his Streetbird station, which offered M’s Kickin’ Tenders with M’s Famous Kickin’ Sauce, and a ridiculous but probably tasty “Birddog” — a footlong hot dog topped with Kickin’ Tenders, garlic aioli, pickles and cheese sauce.
Other new items from Legends Hospitality were the Stadium Street Taco with chicken carnitas, avocado crema, chipotle aioi, cotija cheese and pico de gallo; FreshDirect pineapple cup with sweet and spicy chamoy sauce and lime; and Melissa’s Produce Corn Esquite Cup, with fresh corn, sour cream-lime dressing, cilantro, chile lime seasoning and cotija cheese.
For a full listing of Yankee Stadium food options, go to www.yankees.com/eats
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
