The Seattle Kraken have returned to Climate Pledge Arena for the team’s second season, towing along a slate of new menu items. After debuting value food and drink options for less than $10 apiece last season, the arena has updated its menu of (relatively) cheap eats and drinks.
We went to last week’s Kraken home opener against the Las Vegas Golden Knights to report on food and beverage options for the hungry, budget-conscious hockey fan. Here’s what we found out.
First, though, a few things to know before you go:
- Only clear bags or small clutch purses are allowed in Climate Pledge Arena. See climatepledgearena.com for more details on the bag policy.
- Outside food and beverage items are not allowed in the arena.
- You can, however, bring an empty reusable water bottle and fill it up at water fountains around the arena concourses. Bottles cannot be larger than 32 ounces and cannot be made of glass.
- A list of all food and drink kiosks can be found online at st.news/Kraken-eats.
Main courses
Buns from Din Tai Fung
Veggie buns for $8.99, pork buns for $9.99; available outside Section 6
Din Tai Fung is one unique option for “stadium food” at CPA. The outpost on the main concourse has a quick-moving grab-and-go line with buns aplenty ($8.99 veggie, $9.99 pork). You’ll find Kurobuta pork in a fluffy white bun for meat-eaters; the veggie option has bean curd, baby bok choy, two kinds of mushrooms, glass noodles and jicama. The pork buns contain savory hunks of meat that get a bit overwhelmed by the big ol’ buns. The two buns are desperate for chili oil, but they’re convenient, easy to eat in your seat and cost $9.99.
Hempler’s all-beef hot dog from Hempler’s, Bavarian Meats and Uptown Market
$8.49; available outside sections 4, 108 and 124
You can score the Hempler’s all-beef hot dog from the Hempler’s stand, Bavarian Meats or Uptown Market. The dog is 50 cents pricier than last season and, frankly, isn’t the prettiest menu item. Note that the all-beef dog is different from the arena’s Kraken sausage and Seattle Dog, both of which cost more than $10 and come decorated with fixings. The all-beef dog is served plain and can be adorned with ketchup and mustard. If you want to sell out-of-towners on the Seattle Dog … don’t start here.
Seasonal chowder from Bristol Bay Chowder
$8.99; available outside sections 11 and 108
During the home opener, the seasonal salmon chowder hit the spot; it was likely the highlight of our spread of savory eats. Featuring salmon, sweet corn and braised shallots, the chowder was a nice tummy-warming option to counter the chill of the arena (and the Kraken’s cold start to their season). There were hearty chunks of salmon and potato, and at $8.99, this is a solid option for dinner at the rink.
Mini mac and cheese from Mercer Street Mac & BBQ
$6.99; available outside sections 24 and 107
The mac and cheese was, in a word, perplexing. It was almost too creamy to the point of being thick and sticky, and lacked a strong cheese flavor. (A thumbs up for using cavatappi, though — top-tier mac and cheese noodle choice.) We’d recommend adding pulled pork for an additional $3.99, which tips this dish past our $10 limit but would make for a more well-rounded, less one-note dish.
Exclusive value options
Other value options are available inside the WaFd Club and Symetra Club, near center ice on either side of the arena’s main concourse, both of which require premium tickets to enter (sections 13-15 for WaFd Bank Club; sections 01, 02 and 26 for Symetra).
In both clubs, Ballard Pizza Co. offers cheese pizza for $9.99 and gelato for $7.99. Metropolitan Grill offers a prime rib chili cup for $8.99. You can also find Ballard Pizza Co. in the American Express Hall, available exclusively to Amex cardholders.
Beer
Miller High Life/Miller Lite from various bars
$9.99; available outside sections 17 (Hennessey Bar), 20 (Coors Landing), 24 (Jack Daniels Bar), 201 (Coors Bar), 216 (Modelo Bar) and 224 (Truly Bar)
What is there to say about Miller High Life that hasn’t already been said? It’s the “Champagne of beers,” it’s made with Pacific Northwest hops, and if you’re looking for a cheap beer at Climate Pledge Arena, you can’t be too picky. (We could not find Miller Lite anywhere in the arena during the opener.) Look for signs advertising the value beer can, a few bucks cheaper than standard arena domestics like Coors Light and craft brews like Hop Valley’s Kraken Stash.
Craft draft beer of the game from various bars
$9.99; available outside sections 16 (PNW Craft Bar), 24 (PNW Craft Bar), 216 (Modelo Bar) and 224 (Truly Bar)
The value draft beer at the home opener was the SeaQuench Ale from Dogfish Head. If you, like Trevor, don’t like sours, don’t fret: The selection will rotate throughout the season and is on tap at multiple bars across the arena.
Sweets
Treat cookies from Emerald City Ice Cream and Local Lolli
$6.49; available outside sections 9 and 107
These cookies are thick and deceptively chewy. We chose a chocolate chip cookie, which offered a generous serving of large chocolate chunks. We split the cookie and each felt satisfied by the size; it was a nice snack to share for those, like Taylor, who require something sweet after every meal.
And if you need a warm little pick-me-up, both Emerald City and Local Lolli serve Starbucks coffee for $5.99.
Dough Joy Donuts from Emerald City Ice Cream and Local Lolli
$6.49; available outside sections 9 and 107
Popular local doughnut maker Dough Joy announced its partnership with Climate Pledge Arena the day before the home opener. By the time we got to Local Lolli, two doughnut options were left: an Oreo bar and a traditional chocolate frosted with sprinkles. We chose the Oreo, which was satisfyingly light and fluffy, but didn’t have a strong Oreo flavor. We’d eat it again but might try another flavor next time.
Whidbey Island Ice Cream from Starbucks and 14 Hands Marketplace
Ice cream bar for $7.99, mini carton for $7.99; available outside sections 105 and 110
By the time we tried the ice cream, we were admittedly full. Whidbey Island Ice Cream Co. is a quality option to feed your sweet tooth, though, and the chocolate carton was deliciously soft after we let it sit for a few minutes. The ice cream bar is pretty standard — a hard chocolate shell around vanilla ice cream — but it did the job well (although ice cream is a little chilly while in a hockey arena).
Looking for soft serve instead of an ice cream bar or pint? Emerald City Ice Cream offers soft serve cups for $9.99 (chocolate, vanilla or swirl) and a kids cone for $9.99.
Snacks and sides
We were on the hunt for more substantial meals, but there’s also plenty of standard sporting event fare for cheap. The arena offers various snacks and stadium food items for less than $10, listed below:
- Goofyfoot hard pretzels: $5.99, from Seattle Eats, outside Section 119
- Seacharrones: $6.49, from Bristol Bay Chowder and Molly D Burgers, outside sections 8 and 21
- Parmesan garlic fries: $9.49, from Sound Pizza and Bristol Bay Market, outside sections 19, 21 and 117
- Bavarian pretzel: $8.99, from all bars and beverage stands
- Fries: $6.49, from all markets except Din Tai Fung
- Popcorn: $7.99, from all markets
- Peanuts: $7.99, from all markets
- Candy: $6.49, from all markets
- Chips: $3.99, from all markets
Our top picks
Taylor Blatchford, engagement reporter, investigations: Chowder isn’t something I’d typically seek out at a sporting event, but it was filling comfort food and I’d get it again. I’d also eagerly eat another cookie, because I have a sweet tooth and could eat dessert at any time of the day.
Trevor Lenzmeier, assistant features editor: I agree that the chowder, as is, makes the best $10 dinner for Kraken fans. But, had we opted to spend $11 to add pork to the mac, that dish might edge out the chowder for cheap eats supremacy in this arena. With the addition of some sauce, though, the Din Tai Fung pork buns would be hard to beat.