March 29, 2025
Shamus Clancy/for PhillyVoice
A cheesesteak at Phillies game? Yep, Citizens Bank Park will obviously have those yet again.
There's beautiful spring weather in the Delaware Valley this weekend. The Phillies have a pair of afternoon games down I-95 against the Nationals before their home opener on Monday. The vibes are tremendous.
Before Phils fans flock to Citizens Bank Park this upcoming week for the first shot at seeing the Fightins this season, the team unveiled its new food options at the stadium on Friday evening. It's perennially my favorite work day of the year where I stuff my face and have a couple of drinks, reviewing and ranking everything.
I did a running commentary about everything on Friday on my Bluesky account. I'll do some embeds here with pictures and add some additional takes as well.
Let's get after it...
14. Gluten-Free Turkey Club on Ciabatta
This was just okay to me. You could certainly do a lot worse for ballpark food. It appears that it'll be outside Section 124.
13. California Black Bean Burger
I enjoy a black bean burger on occasion. This works well enough.
12. Four Walls Irish Coffee Tiramisu
I liked this a lot, but I think it would be a pain to eat at a ballgame. Famed baseball scribe Michael Baumann alerted me that Yankee Stadium sells its tiramisu in batting helmets like CBP does with ice cream. That's a massive improvement. There needs to be a step up in this department next season.
11. Blackened Shrimp Wrap
Maybe if I was eating this at a bar or whatever, I would enjoy it more, but it was a tad messy and I don't know how well a fish wrap plays outside in a crowded section in the middle of summer.
10. S'mores Quesadilla
Good? Sure. Importantly, it's far from messy. Maybe it's ultimately an Instagram friendly novelty or for kids, but, for me specifically, I don't know when I would want to eat this at a game.
9. Howard's Spritzer
Made with ZOMOZ mescal, which Phils legend Ryan Howard is an investor in, this was more than solid.
8. Kyle's Cutlets
People are excited for this one, and while it was still good, I was a tad disappointed. It didn't "wow" me, but, again, it was enjoyable nonetheless. A portion of the proceeds from every sandwich sold will be donated to Schwarber's Neighborhood Heroes, founded, naturally, by Kyle Schwarber himself.
7. Bull's BBQ House Chips and Grillo's Pickle Bacon Ranch Dip
I worry the spices from the chips might be annoying to get on your hands mid-game, but the Grillo's dipping sauce was heavenly. I love Bull's. Their burnt end cheesesteak from a couple years ago was the best thing I ever had at one of these tasting events.
6. Pass and Stow Crispy Chicken Sandwich
I liked this better than the Schwarber chicken sandwich. Crispy chicken with pickled slaw and hot honey aioli was all I needed for an enjoyable sandwich. It'll be available at the lovely Pass and Stow spot by the third base gate.
5. Philly's Best Cheesesteak
I'm a firm believer that 95 percent of the cheesesteaks people consume in the greater Delaware Valley are good. This doesn't come with the brand notoriety of something like Tony Luke's or Geno's, which have been at CBP in the past, but I dug it!
4. Liscio's Hot Dog Rolls
It appears that Liscio's is taking over as the hot dog bun/roll provider for all hot dogs at the ballpark this season. This is definitely an improvement over the hit-or-miss traditional buns the ballpark has had over the years. There will be three "BOGO" hot dog nights this season after the formerly discontinued "Dollar Dog Night." They will be April 14, April 29 and May 12. Two hot dogs for the price of one will run fans $5.
3. PJ Whelihan's Onion Rings
These were high quality. It was a full onion encrusted. I've never been to a brick and mortar PJ's, but I truly trust them when it comes to stadium and arena food like CBP and the Wells Fargo Center. The creole mayo as a dipping sauce was a nice, unique touch, too!
2. Wrexham Lager
I'm typically a "less is more" guy when it comes to beer. I like craft brews, but typically stick to lagers or pilsners (sometimes sours) from those smaller breweries. An IPA? Maybe from time to time, but that's far from my go-to. I like a Miller High Life or a Kenwood or a PBR. Wrexham Lager keeps it simple. The sample I had was ice cold. It was refreshing and crushable. That's exactly what you want from a beer at the ballpark on a hot summer day.
I also like a lime beer at the ballpark. Bud Light Lime in an aluminum bottle? Oh yeah. It appears that they'll have a lime offering from the Kelce brothers' Garage Beer this season, but I wasn't able to try that myself.
Shoutout to Mac, of course, too.
1. Many Hands Coffee Co. Cold Brew
Yes. A thousand times yes. This has been missing! On numerous occasions, I've craved an iced coffee at a Phils game, but there was none to be found. The full espresso bar outside Section 114 that has hot options for those cold April night games and, of course, potential Red October matchups is so, so key.
Well done on this addition, Phillies, but what took so long?
Oh, yeah. The cold brew itself was excellent too!
There were also a couple things I didn't see or didn't get to try, like the Red Velvet Affogato, which could be an intriguing dessert option for sure.
Hope you enjoy your time down in South Philly this spring, summer and, hopefully, fall, Phils fans.
Follow Shamus on X: @shamus_clancy
Follow Shamus on Bluesky: @shamus
