Outside Lands paved the way over 15 years ago by taking the culinary festival experience to a new level, giving restaurants and wineries a starring role in this weekend of nonstop music, so don’t miss out on some of the tastiest bites and drinks.
A three-day music festival is a real marathon for anyone over 20, and at Outside Lands in particular, there are many moments when you’re simply strategizing how to get from one end of the festival grounds to the other in time for a gig—or how to squeeze your way to the front in time.
But there is a lot of great food being served, and even if you could fit in three meals a day during your stay at Outside Lands, you still wouldn’t have enough time to try everything. So if you’re a person who loves to eat and doesn’t want to miss out on some of the tastiest stuff, you need a plan.
We will create a sketch for you. However, you can also use this as a template to create your own:
FRIDAY
Diehard festival-goers will flock to the park early on Friday, and the first sets start at 12pm. That’s a great time to check things out and grab something to eat before lines form.
You could opt for a Bites of the Bay ticket booklet for $20, which gives you access to “secret” snacks at over 70 participating food vendors. That means 20 snacks for $20—and it would be a fun scavenger hunt of sorts to fill your early mornings and breaks between sets.
But let’s say you go see Rochelle Jordan at 12:45 on the Twin Peaks Stage and then head to see Adam Kraft and Beverly Chills playing in the Dolores area. Check out Bette’s for a Chicken Parm Sandwich or Konjoe Burger for a grass-fed beef burger and Wagyu suet truffle fries. Both vendors can be found in the long line of booths across from the Panhandle Stage on the way back to the polo field.
This first afternoon is also a good time to check out Cocktail magicwhich is located on the lawn near the main entrance on the Fulton Street side, where you will be treated to an array of pre-made, draft cocktails from several themed bar stands – including one located at the very bottom golden girls-topic, but they don’t have the rights, so it’s called SilverGirls2000.
And you will find that the Wine-growing regions The area, nestled in the woods, away from the madness, will be a haven on Friday night when things get crazy and all weekend long. But be warned: even the small tasting glasses will cost you quite a bit.
Friday night, when the sun goes down and Renee Rapp finishes on the Twin Peaks Stage, you might be in the mood for some warming ramen. (It’s getting chilly!) It would be good if you stopped by Ramen Shop before everyone starts migrating, maybe around 7:30pm or so. And note that around 9pm these vendors will stop operating and food options will be limited to what you can get on the polo field. There won’t be many late night options left.
SATURDAY
You can start the day with a coffee from one of the roasters that will be setting up their booth here, including Abanico Coffee Roasters (near the Panhandle Stage) or Timeless Coffee (on vendor row closer to the Twin Peaks Stage).
Use Saturday to explore the food vendors you’ll find on both sides of the Polo Field and in the sprawling Beer Lands area. (Also, don’t miss the installation of Gray Whale Gin, now in its third year near the Dolores area, offering tasty gin drinks.)
K.Flay starts at 2:45 p.m., and the park might fill up around that time. But for a few hours, you should have a good chance of getting something good to eat, like Sandy’s excellent muffaletta sandwiches, Arabic lamb and garlic fries from Reems, and some delicious Malaysian noodles from Azalinas.
Most of these food stalls get busy between 4pm and 7pm, but try to satisfy your hunger at a stall where the line isn’t too long – you can’t really go wrong with this unless you have major dietary restrictions. Other And Cups will be out there serving great tacos, and Dali (from Top chef‘s Laura Fame) serves calamari po’boys and Mediterranean pita burgers.
SUNDAY
With Chappell Roan now performing at 4pm on the main Land’s End stage at Polo Field, this whole part of the festival grounds will likely be packed starting around 2pm. Come early and try any food on your list that you may have missed – especially if it’s from one of the vendors at Polo Field.
And don’t be fooled by the longest lines! Long lines don’t always mean the best food, but sure, sometimes it’s very good, like The Garage‘s Quesabirria Tacos. Try Citric Hot Fried Chicken from Poultry and food (over near the Panhandle Stage), get some gumbo from Gumbo Socialor get a Colombian Chorizo Corn Dog from Patch.
For dessert there is a Cookie Dough Sundae from Out of the dough (see figure above).
Also keep in mind that many of these local retailers may sell out of stock on Sunday, especially later in the day, and therefore close their stores early – as their employees are also exhausted after a long weekend.
Feel free to add your favorite festival finds in the comments!
Related: How to get in and out of Golden Gate Park
