Outside Lands is the prime main music competition, with a give attention to meals and drinks simply as a lot because the music. There have been near 100 meals distributors arrange at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, able to showcase their native delicacies for the upwards of 70,000 attendees per day on the fest. And identical to the music, the meals and beverage choices hold getting higher.
“You need individuals to take a look at a row of choices and have sufficient range to make their determination actually arduous on the subject of what they’re going to land on,” Outside Lands meals curator Tanya Kollar advised us earlier than the fest.
And the “Style of the Bay Space” choices did exactly that. Whereas favorites like Reem’s California and Sandy’s Muffuletta’s have been constantly promoting out of things, there was nonetheless SO a lot to select from. Ditto for the native beer slate at Beer Lands and the Wine Lands choices from close by Napa and Sonoma county wineries. With that, listed below are the very best bites and sips from Outside Lands.
Peruvian Choripán From Michoz
There have been a number of hyped pop-ups on the fest, they usually rose to the event. Michoz is a Peruvian-Eritrean idea, and their Peruvian Choripan would possibly’ve been the only greatest competition meals merchandise I had over the weekend. This was an essay in salt/acid/fats/warmth symbiosis with a Peruvian hen sausage flavored with smoky aji panca pepper on a ciabatta roll, together with zingy chimichurri, mayo, and a salsa criolla made with purple onion, lime, and herbs.
Smoked Brisket Bento From Provecho
Talking of pop-ups, Oaxacan-fusionist Provecho had constant strains all weekend lengthy; a testomony to how Outside Lands serves as a gateway for a number of the most taking place meals within the Bay. From a tuna tostada to sushi bento packing containers, Provecho’s entire menu was on level. However the smoky, salty, and umami AF brisket was my favourite among the many many brisket choices on the fest. The smoke taste was pronounced and exact, together with an exemplary smoke ring, textured pull, and ideal saltiness. In an impressed Texan-Oaxacan-Cali presentation, it was superior to see this workhorse cross-Bay pop-up operation shine.
Mala Honey Wings From Piglet & Co
Late Friday evening, The Mission District’s Piglet & Co. was like an oasis with its plump and crispy Mala Honey Wings ready for me. Sichuan peppercorns and a honey glaze gave these a spicy and candy taste. Triple-fried, they have been crispy as heck, however nonetheless wildly juicy. I used to be dipping these in a yuzu ranch as Doja Cat jumped into “Paint The City Crimson,” and if you happen to can’t get down with that, I don’t get you.
Embered Oysters From Angler
Whereas Angler’s Parker Home rolls with crème fraîche and a beneficiant dollop of caviar made the rounds on the ‘gram, it was the Michelin-starred oysters with smoked chili butter cooked in dwell hearth embers that blew my thoughts probably the most. Protecting competition meals sizzling is a problem, however the cooking approach on these was a cheat code. The smoked chili butter melded immaculately with the new brine for the alpha chunk of the weekend.
BloodRoot Trousseau Gris At Wine Lands
In 17 years of Outside Lands, Wine Lands has taken form in each one among them and, in its marvelous open-air tasting expertise, has lastly achieved its peak type. There are roughly two dozen wineries within the convivial surroundings, from Napa and Sonoma County, each inside 60 miles of the park. I dropped lower than $20 and had tastes from a number of totally different spots, however was particularly struck by the Trousseau Gris from Healdsburg’s BloodRoot Winest, a flippantly glowing pet-nat that left summer time stonefruit and limestone notes on my palate. “I’m so glad that not solely does this space nonetheless exist,” stated Wine Lands curator Peter Eastlake. “It thrives,”
Asian Cajun Surf And Turf From Brenda’s French Soul Meals
I used to be searching for a correct noodle dish on Sunday, and good lord was this IT. Brenda’s Asian Cajun surf and turf spared no particulars: Pork stomach braised and fried, then blowtorchred with a hoisin BBQ sauce, crispy taro root puffs and garlicky cajun shrimp atop pancit noodles [inhales] cooked down in a soy-based pancit juice with vinegar and sugar, topped with julienned cucumber and purple radishes flippantly marinated in a rice vinegar [exhales]. I relaxation my case.
Goin’ Dwelling ESB From Hidden Splendor At Beer Lands
Beer Lands is all the time such a pleasure to hit up, for the sheer truth you can attempt contemporary beer on draft from Bay Space breweries for a similar value as an affordable home brew from the conventional fest bar. The first kegs of native beer, OG (and Beer Lands curator) Dave McLean’s model new Hidden Splendor brewery, have been on at Outside Lands, and the English model Goin’ Dwelling ESB was killer on a heat afternoon. Caramel notes got here by on this chilly, British-style bitter, and the malty brew was as crushable as McLean’s early creations again within the day at Magnolia Brewing.
Lobster Tail Corn Canine From Um.Ma
Caviar was the development of the 12 months at Outside Lands 2025, with a dozen eateries including it to menu objects. Nevertheless it was Interior Sundown District Korean joint Um.Ma that did it greatest with this unreal lobster tail corndog that was dipped in a mochi tempura batter with kimchi and gojuchang, then topped with spicy kimchi mayo, loaded with Tsar Nicoulai osetra caviar, and dusted with chives. Solely 10 of those have been obtainable every day at $45, which isn’t too loopy contemplating how a lot high-end meals was packed onto this wonderful stick.
Butter Rooster Rice Bowl From Tiya
Is there a extra apparent competition meals merchandise for a foggy San Francisco day than butter hen? The Marina’s 1.5-year-old fashionable Indian restaurant, Tiya, was ladling this velvety goodness out in droves, and I kick-started my Saturday with a bowl. It went tremendous effectively with Tiya’s shareable crunchy cauliflower pakoda, too.
Common Roe’s Caviar Fries At Mamahuhu
The different limited-run caviar-added order that stood out, and the very best batch of fries I had all weekend, was from embellished Chef Brandon Jew’s quick informal Chinese language spot Mamahuhu. The MSG-dusted cleaver-cut garlic fries have been the best scooping form to dip right into a ginger scallion crème fraîche dip that was topped off with Tsar Nicoulai Siberian caviar. It was $35, however typically, it’s greatest to not fear about being judged and simply splurge.
