What to Eat at Wrigley Field

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend.

Wrigley’s in-park food lineup leans heavily on Chicago names: Vienna Beef Chicago dogs on the main, upper, and bleacher concourses, Vienna Beef Italian beef, Home Run Inn thin-crust pizza by the slice, Garrett Popcorn, and Hot Doug’s at its own stand on Platform 14 in the upper bleachers. The North Side Twist is a roughly two-pound pretzel with three dips and is the right group order. Old Style was the Cubs’ official beer for decades and lost the partnership to Anheuser-Busch in 2014, but it is still poured at stands on every level of the park. Alcohol sales stop after the 8th inning at day games. At night games, they stop after the 7th inning or at 10:30 pm, whichever comes first. Backpacks are not allowed, including clear ones.

Verify before you go: the in-park concession lineup changes year to year. Confirm any specific vendor against mlb.com/cubs/ballpark/concessions within 30 days of your visit.

Chicago names and slow lines

Wrigley’s food gets a lot of national attention. The Cubs lean into local Chicago names that mean something to anyone who has lived in the city, and the bleacher Hot Doug’s stand is a rare ballpark food stand that not every ticket can reach.

The reality on the ground is more measured. The Chicago names show up and the food is generally good for ballpark food. The lines move slowly during the rush, and prices are ballpark prices.

The Chicago dog

A Chicago-style hot dog, as defined by Vienna Beef itself and as repeated in every Chicago food guide written in the last 50 years:

• Vienna Beef all-beef frank
• Poppy seed bun (steamed)
• Yellow mustard
• Neon green sweet pickle relish
• Chopped white onion
• Tomato wedges
• Sport peppers
• Dill pickle spear
• Celery salt
• No ketchup

Vienna Beef has been the Cubs’ official hot dog supplier in recent seasons.

Where to find Chicago dogs in the park. General concession stands throughout both the main and upper concourses, with additional locations in the bleacher concourse. Order it “dragged through the garden” for the full build and skip the ketchup. The Chicago-dog purism is a meme but it’s also real. Ordering ketchup at a Wrigley dog stand will draw a comment from the vendor or the line behind you.

Hot Doug’s at Wrigley

Doug Sohn’s original Hot Doug’s at 3324 N. California Avenue closed in October 2014. The Hot Doug’s stand at Wrigley Field opened in partnership with the Cubs in July 2015.

Location. Platform 14 in the upper bleachers.

Menu. Hot Doug’s at Wrigley rotates specialty sausages named after former Cubs players, and the lineup changes during the season. The first lineup in July 2015 had sausages named for Carmen Fanzone, Dave Kingman, and Rick Reuschel. During the 2016 World Series the names were Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance, and in 2024 they included Randy Martz and Jody Gerut.

What to expect. This is the encased-meat counter you walked into on California Avenue, reduced and adapted for a ballpark stand. The line builds quickly once first pitch nears. Going during the second or third inning is usually faster than the pre-game rush.

The North Side Twist

The North Side Twist is an oversized soft pretzel, roughly two pounds, served with three dipping sauces: chipotle honey mustard, cheddar cheese, and a cinnamon frosting. It is pitched as a group share.

Location. The pizza stands at Sections 103 and 129.

For a group of three to four people, the Twist is the easiest single order to share. Order one, walk back to your seats, eat through the dips. Don’t expect to finish it solo.

Chicago-name vendors

The Cubs lean on local Chicago names for several in-park concessions. The lineup rotates year to year, so any specific vendor below should be confirmed against the live Cubs concessions page within 30 days of your visit.

• Home Run Inn. Chicago tavern-style thin-crust pizza by the slice, in cheese, pepperoni or sausage, at the pizza stands at Sections 103 and 129, Sheffield Market (Section 134) and the upper deck stands at Sections 309 and 324. It has been the Cubs’ official pizza since 2020.
• Garrett Popcorn. Garrett Mix, the cheese-caramel blend, at the Classics stands, the Vienna Grill, and Sheffield Market on the main concourse, at the Section 218 market, and at the upper deck and bleacher stands.
• Small Cheval. A Chicago burger stand in the upper bleachers, with cheeseburgers, fries, and milkshakes.
• Vienna Beef Italian beef. Thin-sliced Italian beef on a roll with hot giardiniera, plus a beef-and-sausage combo, at Third Base Classics (Section 110), the Vienna Grill in right field (Section 131), the Platform 14 stand in the bleachers and the portables at Sections 312 and 319.

Don’t lock in on a specific vendor before you arrive. Check the Cubs concessions page within a week of your game and pick from the actual current lineup.

Bleacher-specific food and drink

The bleacher concourse is a distinct food and drink footprint from the main bowl. After the 1060 Project’s bleacher expansion in 2015, the standing-room and counter footprint along the back of the bleachers grew significantly.

• The Budweiser Bleacher Gate at Sheffield and Waveland is the main bleacher entry, branded for the 2014 Anheuser-Busch partnership.
• The Bleacher Patio is the open-air concourse area at the back of the bleachers, with standing-room counters, food and beer concessions, and views back into the bowl. There are Goose Island taps, general concessions and standing tables.
• The Sheffield Counter is a standing-rail bar and food area along the Sheffield Avenue side, behind right field, added during the 1060 Project.
• Hot Doug’s has its own stand on Platform 14 in the upper bleachers.
• Small Cheval also has its stand in the upper bleachers.
• Waveland Grill is in the lower bleachers on the left field side. It sells the Buffalo Chicken Fries and chicken tenders.
• Red Line Grill is in the lower bleachers on the right field side. It pours Old Style and sells the Vienna Italian sausage.

Beer and alcohol policy

Where alcohol is sold

Beer, wine, seltzers, and select cocktails are sold at concession stands on all concourses (main, upper, bleacher). Premium clubs have dedicated bar service. The Maker’s Mark Barrel Room runs a full bourbon program tied to that premium space.

Alcohol cutoff inning

At day games, alcohol sales stop after the last out of the 8th inning. At night games, they stop after the last out of the 7th inning or at 10:30 pm, whichever comes first.

Extra innings do not reopen sales, because the cutoff comes before the 9th.

Premium club differences

Premium clubs (Catalina, W, 1914, Maker’s Mark Barrel Room) continue bar service later than the general concourse cutoff in past seasons, sometimes through the end of the game.

Old Style at Wrigley after 2014

Old Style was the Cubs’ official beer from 1950 to 2013. Anheuser-Busch / Budweiser became the Cubs’ official beer beginning in 2014, ending Old Style’s 63-year run.

Old Style did not, however, disappear from Wrigley entirely after the official partnership ended. In the years after 2014, Old Style cans and pours remained available at select stands and bars inside the park, even after Budweiser took naming rights on the bleacher gate (now the Budweiser Bleacher Gate).

These days it is easy to find. It is poured at the Beer & Wine stands, the Chicago Dogs stands, Sheffield Market, the Wintrust Bar in the right field corner, Three Fingers and the Red Line Grill in the bleachers, and the portables on every level.

If pouring an Old Style at Wrigley is on your bucket list, any of those stands will take care of it. Old Style is also available at most Wrigleyville bars across Clark Street, including Bernie’s and Murphy’s Bleachers.

Bag policy on outside food and drink

• Factory-sealed plastic bottles of water are allowed.
• A personal amount of food in a small disposable bag is allowed.
• No glass containers. No cans. No outside alcohol.
• Bags must be soft-sided and no larger than 16 inches by 16 inches by 8 inches.
• Backpacks of any kind, including clear backpacks, are prohibited.
• Wrigley does not offer bag storage. If you arrive with a backpack, you take it back to your car, your hotel, or somewhere else off-site.

Premium club dining

Wrigley’s premium spaces, all detailed on the Cubs’ premium experiences pages:

• Catalina Club. Behind home plate, upper-deck level. Named for Catalina Island, where the Cubs held spring training from 1921 through 1951. Buffet-style dining and full bar.
• W Club. Behind home plate at the field level, with dugout-level views. Upscale chef-driven menu, full bar.
• 1914 Club. Premium behind-home-plate club, named for the year Wrigley opened (then Weeghman Park). All-inclusive food and beer, padded seats.
• Maker’s Mark Barrel Room. Premium space themed around the Maker’s Mark bourbon program, with cocktails, food and a high-end build.

All of these clubs have continued bar service later than the general concourse cutoff in past seasons. For groups on a marquee weekend who would have eaten and drunk before the game anyway, the all-inclusive price can come out close to break-even.

Family-friendly food options

• Helmet sundaes. Soft-serve ice cream in a souvenir mini Cubs batting helmet, at the Classics stands at Sections 105, 110, 123, and 128, the upper deck ice cream stands at 309 and 324, and Waveland Grill in the bleachers.
• Kids’ meals. The Cubs Kids Meal, the Hot Dog Kids Meal, and the Lunchable Kids Meal are sold at Left Field Classics (Section 105) and Right Field Classics (Section 128).
• Chicken tenders and fries. Sold at the Classics stands at Sections 105, 110, 123, 128, 309, and 324, and at Waveland Grill in the bleachers.
• Popcorn and pretzels. Both are sold at stands throughout the park. Cotton candy is at the portable at Section 218.
• Garrett Popcorn doubles as a family-friendly shareable.
• Allergen and dietary info. Gluten-free options are at Clark Street Grill near Section 112, and the Cubs’ online concessions guide has a Gluten-Free filter, with an ingredient list under INFO for each food item. Check each food item’s ingredient list before you order, because some items under that filter, like the fries, list wheat flour. The Cubs also note that those ingredient lists may not be complete or up to date.

The bleacher patio is family-friendly during day games but skews to an adult crowd in the evenings. Family restrooms and nursing rooms are on the main concourse per the Cubs A-to-Z guide.

What to skip

• Anything you can get better at a Wrigleyville bar that’s open before first pitch. Smoke Daddy’s BBQ, Big Star’s tacos, and Mordecai’s American menu are all within a one-minute walk of the Marquee Gate. You can find more about Smoke Daddy’s, Big Star, and Mordecai’s in our Around the Park section.
• Backpacks. The Cubs do not store bags, so a backpack at the gate means a walk back to wherever you can leave it.
• Premium clubs for a casual visit. If you weren’t going to spend the equivalent on dinner and drinks at a Wrigleyville bar anyway, the premium club price doesn’t pay off. The bowl seats serve the actual game better.

Know Wrigley Field better than we do? Tell us what we got wrong, or where we should be sending people instead.

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend.