Here’s What’s New and Where to Eat at Minute Maid Park, Home of the Astros

The 2023 baseball season is in the final stretch, and no one’s more excited for the postseason than fans of the Houston Astros. As Alex Bregman and Lance McCullers Jr. and the rest of the team finish up the season in full swing, fans will continue flocking to the stadium with hopes that the Astros will make it to yet another World Series. And since baseball works up an appetite, they’ll undoubtedly be looking for some peanuts, Cracker Jacks, and more delicious game-day eats to fuel their cheers for the home team.

Thankfully, Minute Maid Park is always unleashing new dishes to celebrate every Astros milestone and has made some changes this year to ensure that the stadium is a bounty of excellent and convenient dining options. With 54 permanent food and beverage locations and 69 portable concession and bars, deciding what to eat (and where to find it) is no simple feat.

Here’s a guide on what’s new and what to look out for at Minute Maid Park this baseball season:

Micahl Wyckoff

What’s new

• More technology: Last season, Minute Maid introduced multiple self-order kiosks and UberEats to the stadium, allowing baseball fans to order from multiple vendors, including H-Town Grille (Section 109), Home and Away stands (Sections 113 and 129), Pluckers (Section 156), Osso & Kristalla (Section 226), Fastball Foods (Section 416), and Killen’s BBQ (Section 433). This season it’s getting been more high-tech with its Amazon-powered Just Walk Out markets, which allow stadium goers to shop for select items and grab what they want with a cashless checkout process. A government ID is required to verify age and enter the store.
• Micheladas galore: Catch the stadium’s new portable michelada carts, which serve this Mexican beer-based drink in flavors including traditional, watermelon, mango, or spicy in a tajin-rimmed glass. Upgrade it by asking the person making it to “hook it up,” for an addition of shrimp, octopus, celery stock, and a strip of million-dollar bacon for $40. (Section 129 and 426)
• Crush City Vodka: Indulge in this celebratory concoction of Whipped vodka, Fanta orange soda, and grenadine, served in a blue sugar-rimmed cup souvenir cup, for $20. Make it a double for $36. (Section 119 – Love Street Bar; Section 128 - NUTRL Bar; Section 228 and 423 – Houston Cocktail Company; Section 434 – Ultra Bar)
• Curveball Corn Dogs: Change your perspective on what a corn dog should be with these mini corn dogs that are loaded with chili, cheese, and diced onions ($16). (Section 126 and 409 – H-Town Grill; Section 213 – Club Grill)
• AstroNautchos: Try these stadium-special nachos, made up of freshly fried Rach-dusted kettle chips topped with queso, and diner’s choice of chopped brisket, pork burnt ends, or smoked chicken, served with slaw, pico, fresh jalapenos and a drizzle of Brebby Bomb BBQ aioli, a creation made in part by Astros’ own Alex Bregman ($20). (Portable Locations: Sections 116 and 224 – The Butcher, Section 408 — Sunrise BBQ)
• Slova-Chos: These nachos, served on tortilla chips, come with a healthy heap of homemade Crawford Bock beer cheese and sauteed peppers and onions with a choice of sausage, which comes in different styles, including garlic pepper jack, Crawford Bock, or Crawford Bock & Cheese ($16). (Portable Location: Section 154)
• Texas Nachos: This Lone Star State version is piled high with queso, brisket, pickled red onions, jalapeño ranch, and green onions. (Portable Location: Atrium near Section 106)

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• The Butcher: Nachos, sandwich, loaded potato, or a platter served with sides? Take your pick. The Butcher Stand is offering your choice of its smoked brisket, beer-brined half chicken, pork loin, turkey, or Crawford Bock and cheese sausage in various forms. (Section 116 – Butcher Portable; Section 224 – Butcher Stand)
• Crawford Dog: Not your average stadium hot dog, this Crawford creation is composed of two split, griddled all-beef hot dogs topped with Crawford Bock bacon onion jam and a mustard drizzle, on a toasted potato roll. (Portable Locations: Sections 111 and 420)
• The stadium is also getting more tech-savvy. UberEats has been added to select stands in the building, including H-Town Grille (Section 109), Home and Away stands (Sections 113 and 129), Pluckers (Section 156), Osso & Kristalla (Section 226), Fastball Foods (Section 416), and Killen’s BBQ (Section 433). Visitors may place orders directly in the Uber app and pick up their food after receiving a notification that it’s ready.

Micahl Wyckoff

Where else to eat inside Minute Maid Park

El Tiempo will continue to serve up frozen margaritas alongside classic fajita beef, chicken, and carnitas this season on the Mezzanine Level. It is also the place to find the ballpark’s only on-site homemade tortillas.

Barbecue abounds at the Butcher (Section 116 and 124), which cooks up carved barbecue sandwiches, 18-hour smoked brisket, loaded baked potatoes, and other carved meats with classic cold sides. Battered Up (Section 116) puts forth classic fried foods like chicken tenders and corn dogs, while Killen’s Barbecue, a Houston barbecue staple, will offer its Southern-style ‘cue (Section 433).

Micahl Wyckoff

Take advantage of Shake Shack’s in-stadium location and order a signature burger, a hot dog, or custard (Section 157). Vegetarian? H-Town Grill offers a slammin’ Beyond Meat burger (Sections 109, 125, and 308).

If you’re going for more traditional game-day eats — think foot-long and regular-sized hot dogs, personal pizzas, and smoked sausage — visit the Club Grill (Section 213), which has all of that.

• La Stella Trattoria, an Italian vendor, will dish out belly-busting handhelds like the made-from-scratch meatball sub, an Italian sausage sub, and a hearty chicken parm sub. (Section 420)
• Peaux Boys will sling breaded catfish and shrimp po-boys, along with Cajun fries — French Fries tossed in Breggy Bomb Cajun Seasoning and served with Cajun aioli. (Section 410)
• Elote and Pupusas offers its namesake dish, elote with Yellowbird blue agave sriracha, Texas beef empanadas, and Yellowbird-sauced wings. Living up to its moniker, the stand offers elote and cheese, pork, and cheese pupusas with your choice of compliments, including red salsa, a curtido relish, and chicharrones. While you’re there, be sure to cool down with a frozen paleta or indulge in its chocolate sea salt cookies (Section 124).

Where to find margaritas, beer, wine, coffee, and more booze

Astros’ own Lance McCullers Jr. opened the first brick-and-mortar coffee and cocktails bar Maven Coffee & Cocktails inside the stadium earlier this year. There, you’ll find coffee drinks and made-to-order alcoholic beverages, like the LMJ Ranch Water, a mixture of Lalo Blanco tequila, lime, orange, and mineral water with a Tajin rim. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Astros Foundation and an additional charity each month, according to a Chron.com report.

One of Houston’s favorite breweries, St. Arnolds Bar, brings its seasonal favorites to Minute Maid in a beer garden-like setting (Section 104). Karbach Brewing is also in the building, with several of its beers on draft at its “destination bar” with views of downtown (Section 405), and its Love Street Bar, which offers cocktails, sodas, bottled wine, snacks, and signature beers (Section 119).

At the 19th Hole, (Sections 156), find a large selection of seltzers, craft beers, game-day snacks, candy, and the largest wine selection in Major League Baseball, with special offerings like Veuve Cliquot, Decoy Cabernet, and Aperture Variolites.

Also on the club level, find the Wine Bar (Section 224) serving up frosé, bubbly wines, and other offerings. If whiskey is your preference, visit the full-service Jim Beam Bar for top-shelf brands and craft beers (Section 205). Tequila lovers will enjoy Hornitos Tequila Bar on the Mezzanine, which features beer, cocktails, and unique tequila, including El Tiempo’s popular margarita on the rocks.

• El Tiempo Margarita Express brings the popular beverage to the left-center field with its new location. Here, visitors will find El Tiempos batch margaritas made with Hornitos tequila. (Section 109)
• Gentle Ben Bar puts the spotlight on its enhanced craft vodka with frozen cocktail offerings like the Blue Hawaiian and peach-mango. (Section 106)

Micahl Wyckoff

Where to satisfy your sweet tooth

If you’re craving a cold and sweet concoction to cool down, Cookies and Creamery promises ice cream sundaes, sweet pretzels, ice cream sandwiches, fresh-baked cookies, and hand-dipped waffle cones. (Section 219 & 226). You can also find ice cream offerings in Sections 106, 128, 153, 251, 411, and 429.

Is deep-fried your jam? Battered-Up serves up fried foods, including funnel cakes, deep-fried Reese’s, and deep-fried bread pudding. (Section 116)

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El Tiempo Cantina

5602 Washington Avenue, Houston, TX 77007 713 681 3645

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Minute Maid Park

501 Crawford Street, Houston, TX 77002 713 493 6558