The 2026 Media Tasting at Allianz Field was my first year attending the Loons annual preseason food tasting, so I tried to go in with an unbiased palate. Before we get to the food, they made a few announcements, firstly that the kids meal will be offered once again this season. Additionally value menu, priced $4.99 and under, will be offered in the stadium this year. Allianz Field's Head Chef Adam Reitsma trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and has experience working at the US Bank Stadium for the Minnesota Vikings and has co owned Harvester Kitchen with Chef Bryan Moscatello since 2020. Lastly before I give a full review of just some of the new menu items on offer, let me just inform you that the best item today was hands down the Korean BBQ Burger. Here is a full list of the new menu items and my review of each of them
Kramarczuk's Kasekrainer Sausage: Upon appearance this sausage appears a bit different than what you would expect on a stadium bun because there are a sea of mustard seeds immediately visible. My thought at the sight of this menu item was "That looks a bit new and scary." So if I saw this listed on the menu itself, I am not sure I would've been keen to try this menu item. However, I will be the first to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. The Kasekrainer Sausage was bursting with flavor in every bite. The Caraway Saurkraut blended well with the Pickled mustard, which was a star in it's own right. Chef Reitsma explained that the mustard seeds were pickled in house when introducing this dish at the start of the tasting which explains why the taste was different than what I had expected: this sauce was made fresh in house and got the right amount of attention to make it a solid offering. Would I have seen this sausage offered on a stadium menu and bought it myself? No, but I would have missed out on a extremely solid and fulfilling item. What would I rank this 1-10? This is a solid 6 for me just because I felt like the bun was a bit thicker that I would like because it masked the pickled mustard seed flavor a bit.
Tono Pizzaria+Cheesesteaks: South Philly: When I think of cheesesteaks, I personally think of meat because it is the star of the show. However, the star of the show here was the Cheese Whiz which kept the bread from getting soggy from the meat's juices and the grilled onion's sweat. This was the perfect balance of meat and onions to bread ratio which was enhanced by the layer of cheese dividing them. Before I had even tried the cheessteak I could tell this was good just by the smell of meat, grilled onions, and fresh bread. If I saw this on a menu, I would have bought it thinking that the cheese whiz should be removed, but I am telling you now to trust the culinary team on this one because the cheese whiz makes this dish anew. What would I rank this item on a scale of 1-10? This is an 8 for me because it was perfectly balance, but not quite the best of the day for me.
Soul Bowl: Caribe Bowl: Two words, well balanced. This was the best dish as a whole meal because the dish was perfectly balanced. The rice had a light cilantro flavor that was earthy and lightening on the palate. The jerk chicken had a mild tongue forward spice that was the star of the dish. The pineapple added a zing that counterbalanced the spice of the jerk chicken perfectly. The surprise of the dish was the sweet plantains, which was the thing that makes this dish the most well-rounded of the day. The Caribe Bowl has a bit of everything and feels like a meal someone would easily find on a warm beach vacation trip instead of in a stadium when its 10 degrees outside. If I saw this on the menu, I would certainly try it because I never turn down a good jerk chicken, but I would finish this dish and probably be full for the rest of the game. On a scale of 1-10 I would rank this as a 9 because it is a sold meal that would keep me full, and it doesn't feel like stadium food.
Torta: For me the torta was the most forgettable of the day. At first sight this looked promising, so I thought would be one of my favorites of the day because the bun looked delicious and I am a fan of pulled pork. I was surprised overall by the torta, but not in the way I wanted to be. The star of the show was not the pulled pork or the bun, it was the jalapeño. The jalapeño itself mixed into the avocado mayo and added a nice, refreshing zing to an otherwise standard ballpark pulled pork sandwich. Was this a good item? Yes. Would I see this and order it? I am going with a solid maybe here because I love anything with avocados. What would I rank this 1-10? I would give this one a 5.5 mostly because I forgot everything about this sandwich except for the jalapeño.
Tofu Bahn Mi: My first impression of the sandwich was the smell. This sandwich smelled like fresh cucumbers and bread even from a foot away. Next was the baguette, that Chef Reitsma stated were from Trung Nam Bakery in St. Paul. The Tofu was marinated for over 24 hours in house, and the vegan aioli was also made in house. This sandwich is to date my favorite vegan find at any stadium I've visited. I will probably dream of this sandwich. It was spicy and earthy with a perfect crunch from the baguette and the carrot that lends well to a dense tofu center. If I saw this on a menu, would I order it? Absolutely. Would I recommend it? Yes, emphatically.What would I rank it 1-10? I'd rank this a 10, hands down. I was vegetarian for 5 year and vegan for 2 years and could not name another vegan menu item I would willing pick now as a non-vegan.
Korean BBQ Burger: In the words of Chef Reitsma "We wanted to offer more than a double cheeseburger or a bacon cheeseburger." This burger certainly did live up to that notion. My first impression of this burger was that there was a golden ration of meat to toppings and bun. I am a purist with burgers and believe that too much or not enough of one of those items messes up the whole burger. This burger has crispy onions, kimchi, pickles, and the Fireball Korean BBQ sauce. The bun was perfectly sized to fit all of these items. The Pickle was zingy and refreshing which helped the spice of the fireball sauce. The spice from this burger was more throat than tongue forward spice, which lent itself really well to the zingy pickles and kimchi. The headliner of this menu item was the hearty beef patty. Would I purchase this off of a menu? Hands down, especially if they had photos. Do I think this item would be worth it and keep me full? Absolutely, it was hearty enough that a full burger would most likely keep me full for a game. On a scale of 1-10 I would give this burger a solid 9. The ratios were perfect, but the meat was not the star of the burger which is what I think this needed to be a perfect 10.
Spicy Gochujang Chicken Pizza: My first impression of this pizza was the smell of the Gochujang sauce mixed with green onions. The pizza has the thick, perfect crust you expect from a Red Baron Pizza with a healthy amount of chicken. When introducing the pizza, Chef Reitsma explained that the kitchen staff worked very hard to evenly spread out chicken so that everyone had a decent amount on their slices. The Gochujang sauce is tangy and spicy on the back of your mouth. The chicken is crunchy as promised, and the green onions have just what is needed to balance everything together. This was a "sober you up when you take the first bite at 2AM after a pub" type of pizza. Would I buy this for myself off of a menu? Absolutely. Would I recommend this to other people? Yes. I will also say that I very much like spicy food, and this pizza was mild to me. What would I rank this item 1-10? I would give this a solid 10. This pizza had everything I wanted on a pizza. In fact, I would recommend this pizza if someone asked what to get when they aren't sure what to try.
Look for weekly MNUFC2 content and intermittent food reviews from me throughout the rest of the season and don't forget to enjoy all the food you can!
