The good, the bad and the $180 burger: What to eat (and avoid) at the Super Bowl
A variety of specialty San Francisco-themed foods that will be served at Super Bowl LX are seen at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Chronicle)
The menu at Super Bowl LX will feature a giant sourdough cinnamon roll topped with spun sugar, Dungeness crab "potachos" and a $180 beef shank burger.
Those aren't the typical concessions at Levi's Stadium, the home venue of the San Francisco 49ers. The in-house culinary team, Levy's Restaurants, spent the last 2 ½ years preparing for Sunday's big game.
"I issued a challenge to all the chefs that I work with," said Jon Severson, regional executive chef for Levy's. "If you had your own restaurant, what would you want to sell? Then spin it around local San Francisco ingredients."
Chef Paul John Bernhartt carves Chef Carved Sonoma Mountain Beef Co. Beef-chetta that will be served at Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Chronicle)
Nearly all of the new items feature some Bay Area tie-in, from dim sum that nods to San Francisco's Chinatown to local cheese from Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. to Hog Island oysters served raw on the half shell. Some of the regional connections feel a little tenuous, like the Silicon Valley Grande Nachos. (Is Silicon Valley known for its nachos?)
To serve the Super Bowl's 70,000 attendees, Levy's brought in a team of 2,500 workers, including 40 chefs, said vice president of hospitality Leslie Panion. "It takes an army," she said. They're working with purveyors on making certain elements of preparation more efficient - for example, some of the Dungeness crab, 1,500 pounds of which will be delivered to Levi's Stadium on Friday, will arrive deshelled. (But for "premium areas," like suites, staff will be cooking and cracking whole live crabs a la minute, Severson said.) The team plans to make 10,000 hot dogs, 5,000 custom fortune cookies and 8,000 margaritas, and will shuck 4,000 oysters.
The "Karl the Fog" Misty Spritz that will be served at Super Bowl LX is seen at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Chronicle)
Cocktails, too, will allude to Bay Area landmarks and traditions. The Fog City Frozen Irish Coffee, a nod to the Irish coffee at San Francisco's Buena Vista Café, is made with Irish whiskey, vanilla ice cream and cold brew, garnished with an It's-It ice cream sandwich. The Vineyard Sunset Old Fashioned comes with a red-wine float (it's Kali Hart Pinot Noir, from Monterey County - not technically Bay Area, but close enough). The Karl the Fog Misty Spritz contains Aviation gin, elderflower liqueur, club soda and lemon juice, with pink cotton candy "fog" exploding from the top of the glass.
The Chronicle sampled more than a dozen dishes that will be available at Super Bowl LX during a media preview on Wednesday. Here were the winners - and the gloopy, soggy and underseasoned.
The winners
The LX Burger, a $180 4-person short rib sandwich that will be served at Super Bowl LX, is seen at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Chronicle)
Severson's piece de resistance is the $180 LX Burger, a "colossal" (according to Levy's own description) 3.5 pounds of braised beef shank with the bone sticking out through the top of the flaky, salt-dusted brioche bun. A mound of Point Reyes blue cheese fondue flows over its sides. The burger was Severson's brainchild, he said, and the dish he's most proud of. It's meant to serve four people, though for Wednesday's media preview, staff served it in a more petite slider form. The beef was tender but not so tender that it fell apart inside the buttery bun, and the silky fondue was satisfying, tasting of real blue cheese.
Available in concessions and East Field Club.
The Super-Hot Chinatown Dog that will be served at Super Bowl LX is seen at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Chronicle)
The Super Bowl's loaded dog is topped with spicy Chinese mustard, char siu pork, yellow daikon, hoisin glaze - and a fortune cookie. Despite its potentially gloopy toppings, it all held together well, the char siu adding depth of flavor within a pillowy bun. The promised fortune cookie, however, was conspicuously missing from the specimen we tasted.
Available in Bud Light concessions and East Field Club.
The Char Sui bao bun, part of the Dim Sum Duo that will be served at Super Bowl LX, is seen at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Chronicle)
In another nod to Bay Area Chinese food, stadium chefs are serving two dim sum favorites, char siu bao and shrimp har gow. The former struck a pleasant balance of springy bun and juicy filling, while the latter was delightfully spicy.
Available in suites and inclusive clubs.
The Fisherman's Wharf Dungeness Crab Club that will be served at Super Bowl LX seen at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Chronicle)
It's hard to be mad at a crab roll, even one that seems to be making every effort to distract from the crab. Here, a butter-toasted Hawaiian roll is stuffed with thick bacon, heirloom tomato, Napa County baby gems, bearnaise aioli and, oh right, some Dungeness. The other ingredients almost overpowered the flavors of the delicate meat, but the result was still pretty darn tasty - especially for stadium fare.
Available in suites and inclusive clubs.
The San Francisco Sticky Roll with spun sugar that will be served at Super Bowl LX is seen at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Chronicle)
It wouldn't be a Bay Area themed-menu without some sourdough. In this case, it's fashioned into a cinnamon bun that's coated in rich mascarpone anglaise and white chocolate, topped with sprinkles in Super Bowl LX's blue-pink-and-yellow color scheme, then crowned with a mess of spindly spun sugar. The spun sugar takes it over the edge - and makes it nearly impossible to take a full bite - but the flavors are irresistibly decadent, and the frosting stops just short of cloying.
Available in Bud Light Club.
The losers
The Dungeness Crab Potachos that will be served at Super Bowl LX are seen at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Chronicle)
A portmanteau of "potato" and "nachos," this is really just a fancy way of saying Dungeness crab loaded onto potato chips. Unfortunately, the chips turned soggy, and the chilled crab caused the Petaluma cheddar cream on them to fully congeal.
Available in concessions and East Field Club.
NorCal Steakhouse Burger
The local touch in this dish is the Point Reyes Toma cheese on top of the American Wagyu patty. Despite the extra flair - bone marrow aioli, house-brined pickles - this is your standard stadium bacon cheeseburger, and tasted just as re-heated and greasy as you'd expect.
Available in suites and inclusive clubs.
The Gilroy Garlic Steak Frites that will be served at Super Bowl LX are seen at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Chronicle)
It's a nice idea, but the hanger steak was underseasoned; we could barely detect the au poivre sauce and pink peppercorns ostensibly on top of it. The fries did absorb a pleasant amount of jus, but anyone hoping for garlic fries would be disappointed. The most garlicky touch was the garnish, consisting of a single garlic chip.
Available in concessions and East Field Club.
The Loaded Doritos Triangles that will be served at Super Bowl LX seen at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Chronicle)
This was the only dish presented during the media preview that bore no connection to the Bay Area's culinary tradition. Why purport to be a local food when you're a Super Bowl sponsor? (One could argue, however, that everyone everywhere eats Doritos.) This deep-fried, empanada-shaped bite was coated in Doritos breading, filled with creamy chive cheese and smeared with Cool Ranch dip. Consume it at your own risk; a single bite overwhelmed us.
Available in Bud Light Club.
