We tried PNC Park's new food
⚾️ The intrigue: The Pirates unveiled their concession lineup for 2026, with a mix of savory surprises, sweet pastries and inventive yinzer comfort foods.
🏟️ Driving the news: Axios previewed what's new at PNC Park on Tuesday ahead of the Pirates home opener on Friday.
Do's
🌽 Heavy Hitter Dog: A footlong corn dog with yellow mustard and pickle salsa, aka pickle de gallo, had a pleasant crisp and added freshness from the salsa.
🍟 Chipped Ham Fries: An emulsion of Pittsburgh comfort foods: fries, chipped ham, cheese sauce and sweet and vinegary BBQ sauce. Extremely satisfying.
🐓 Coop Puppy: A nice surprise to have a piece of fried chicken on a hot dog bun.
🥔 Kettle Nacho: Smoky, savory and a tad spicy thanks to the Sriracha ketchup. The potato chips stayed surprisingly crispy.
🥟 Vegan Empanada: The plant-based meat filling was well-spiced, and bits of corn added sweetness. The dough was light and crunchy.
🍗 Smoked Turkey Leg with Mac and Cheese: Tender, smoky and very rich.
💭 Alexis' thought bubble: The turkey should have been served with fries. Keep it all finger food. I don't want to use a fork at a ballgame.
Skip
🌭 Boricua Dog: Sofrito beef dog has good flavor, but there's too much bun, and the potato sticks felt a bit distracting.
🍫 Nutella Beignets: Not crispy enough as a beignet should be, and not nearly enough Nutella filling.
🍔 Beer Cheese Burger: Pretzel bun is a nice elevated touch, and it's comforting like a cafeteria burger, but the beer cheese doesn't shine enough and chips inside get soggy.
💬 Ryan's thought bubble: I don't want a burger at a ballgame. I need my hand free to catch a foul ball.
🧢 What's next: First pitch for the Pirates home opener is 4:12pm Friday.
