The Austin FC Issue – Q2 Stadium’s Food and Bev Offerings Big and Local: From brisket tacos to bao, craft beer to Crown Royal, Verde fans have options – Features

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The concessions in the 2nd quarter in cooperation with the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Austin cover the range from grab-and-go kiosks to a seated dining experience (Photo by David Brendan Hall)

Heating up the football fans is not an easy task, but the Q2 Stadium – home of Verde – promises more than just beige concessions. There’s a unique local twist to what has been dubbed “Austin’s Largest Backyard,” and the food and drink experience is a strategic mix of hometown favorites and big name notoriety, making for pretty impressive choices for just about anyone.

Austin FC partnered with Levy Restaurants to set up 512 Food Co. as the official Q2 Stadium hospitality team. In the late 1970s, Chicago-born Levy began family recipes at a local deli remodel, and expanded into sports dining in 1982 with an upscale kitchen in Comiskey Park (then home of the Chicago White Sox), eventually graduating from Disney World and Global Consultation. The partnership promises variety in addition to community initiatives and efficient service for the 20,500 fans at every game through a combination of brand partnerships and local small businesses. While we were all huddled together in pandemic style, Austin FC and Levy worked with the Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin LGBT Chamber, Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce, and Greater Austin Asian Chamber of. together Commerce to come up with a plan to engage all types of food trucks and restaurants and set them up for the opening day. And you know we are there for that.

The “Austin Table” anchors part of the culinary experience as a rotating restaurant in collaboration with the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. You will focus on local minority owned businesses as they develop new concepts and train Escoffier students on the job.

There’s Chinese fast-casual at Bao’d Up (section 118), Tex-Mex at Casa Chapala (section 121), and Kolaches from Slovacek’s, the famous West, Texas, shop (sections 118 and 123). Austin-based franchise DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks (near sections 105 and 123), which is known for its pizza rolls, and local bakery powerhouse Easy Tiger (near sections 108 and 127), which has its beer cheese and bread Galore both have large square meters. Austin’s ubiquitous Pluckers Wing Bar (near Section 135) brings those game day favorites along with T-Loc’s Sonora Hot Dogs (near Section 119). And because tacos are so right in Austin, they have One Taco (near Section 107), Taco Flats and their Killer Quesadillas (Premium Terrace), and Tacodeli, the Austinite’s most popular green sauce, Salsa Doña (near Section 122), secured).

One of the most notable stadium gems is the forever legendary – with too many awards to even count – Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ (near section 137). When we were on tour a couple of weeks ago, they already set fire to these famous smokers, and from now on we all call this part of the stadium “Valentina’s Corner”. The menu includes a sandwich plate with chopped brisket, a sandwich plate with smoked pulled pork, a taco with sliced ​​brisket and the “El Rey” with smoked pulled pork butt and sausages with habanero mustard, their signature sauce and coleslaw flavored chips. Sure, you can visit their locations around town (and not pay the stadium premium), but there is something very special about bringing a local favorite into MLS history.

512 Food Co. will also host several dining concepts for the stadium under the direction of Chef Sam Boisjoly and his team. The list includes their interpretations of stadium classics with portable comfort in mind. ATX Doghouse (Premium Terrace) offers “local variations of traditional hot dogs and sausages,” while ATX MRKT and Austin City Goods (near Sections 104 and 127) grab-and-go markets with vegan / vegetarian options, fresh Fruits and ice cream are cream, snacks, and Valentina’s BBQ sandwiches – a great option when Valentina’s Corner looks like an anthill of people, which it sure does. Eastside Eats (near section 128) and Munchies (near 103) will offer more traditional game day dishes of nachos, chili dogs, warm Bavarian pretzels, and Slovacek sausages. El Mercado (near section 102) is a Latin American grab-and-go market with vegan and vegetarian options, snacks, hot mmmmpanadas (don’t skip the peach cobbler), and fresh organic tamales from the farmer’s market staple Tamale Addiction. (Our favorites are the Chicken Mole and the Poblano Munster.) If you’re in the mood for burgers and fries, Grilllove & Oak Hill Grill (near sections 101 and 129) is an option. And it wouldn’t be Austin without an entire food truck dedicated to our unofficial eating around town. So the queso fountain ensures that no one leaves without a breath of heaven.

The (dormant) Queso fountain (Photo by David Brendan Hall)

Of course there is beer everywhere, because for the overwhelming majority of football fans, the match day means that liters of drinks are available on the entire site, and Q2 delivers the drinks to the room – in the Beer Hall, bars, kiosks and vendors hurl the stalls. The Q2 Stadium Beer Hall (on the 200 level of the north building) is marked with a strangely tiny sign (maybe they prevent a hand-to-hand combat?) Anyone with a ticket can hang in the hall and watch the game from one of the myriad of screens chase out but get there early if you want to have a shot at the individual shuffleboard and foosball tables. The brightly lit bar has around 100 keg lights and the long bar tables are decorated with the natural oak that can be seen throughout the stadium. (See Eric Puga’s article, “Create Your Own Beer Adventure,” to learn more about drinking in and around Q2.)

The Q2 Stadium Beer Hall has a 16-tap selection list of local craft beers and a hundred kegs hanging over your head (Photo by David Brendan Hall)

If the big distribution players are more your style, there are two Michelob Ultra Bars and several portable spots, a Bulleit bar (on the porch), several locations for Heineken, Dos Equis (hello, $ 15 cans) and Bud- You can probably imagine products. Captain Morgan has a chic lounge with limited access, and both Crown Royal and Don Julio are present throughout the stadium, as are those liquid golden (brown) syrups, Dr. Pepper and Coca-Cola. What’s more interesting is that coconut water-based bodyarmor replaces the usual Gatorade, and even better, Austin Eastciders and Waterloo Sparkling Water are squeezed into the mix.

In an almost post-pandemic era, cashless orders and checkouts will take place throughout the stadium, as well as the grab-and-go markets in the hall. You can also order franchises through the Austin FC app, which means you’ll be well fed and watered no matter where you are for the second quarter.

About halfway through our tour of the huge estate, I was surprised to find myself at home in such a concrete jungle, and that’s mainly because of the feeling that Austin hospitality is at the heart of this new adventure.

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