Eat Like You’re at The K… Even When You’re Not 5 Eats That Knock it Out of the Ballpark

Baseball is back, and with it comes the joy of finding new cheese, meat, and sweet things to love. True fans cheer with their mouth full. But since you may not have $100 to shell out for Opening Night at Kauffman Stadium, we thought there’s another way for you to experience the joy of ballpark eats. Here are five ways to eat like you’re at The K, even if you’re not in the ballpark.

5. Coneys at Coney Island (7753 Quivira Road, Lenexa). It’s hard to beat Buck Night ($1 hot dogs and peanuts), which is now on Thursdays for home games at Kauffman Stadium. You don’t have to wait until Thursday for a hot dog that won’t dent your budget. Coneys, an import from Tulsa, feature chili and cheese over a beef and pork dog in a steamed bun.

4. Duck Fat Kettle Corn at Ça Va (4149 Pennsylvania Avenue). This take on kettle corn is sweet, fatty, and a little salty — it’s a ride on the flavor Ferris wheel. This is future, Cracker Jack people. If you feel like toasting, say a World Championship, they’ve got plenty of Champagne, as well as prosecco on tap.

3. The Royal King Crab at Sakae Sushi (6325 Lewis Drive, Suite 100, Parkville). Section 206 at The K is getting a serious dose of fried food. That’s where you’ll find the Champions Alley Dog and Burger. The dog is the bacon-wrapped, while the burger is cheese-stuffed. And in an effort to promote late inning bliss, both are tempura battered and fried. Since tempura is having a moment, we thought we’d point you toward the Royal King Crab at Sakae Sushi. It’s a plate-toppling sushi roll combination of spicy king crab, mango, avocado, tuna and escolar that’s garnished with spicy mayo, a sweet soy sauce, spinach, radish sprouts, and tempura bits.

2. Pork Belly Hoecakes at Char Bar (4050 Pennsylvania). Andrew Zimmern’s Canteen Skewers, which debuted at the stadium last season, will have a few new menu items in 2016, including fried pork belly with grilled pineapple, Gojuchang sauce, and chili lime salt on a toasted bun. Since Kansas City runs on pork belly, it should be no surprise that you can get a healthy heaping of pig at Char Bar’s weekend brunch (Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.). The pork belly hoecakes are sweet and smokey thanks to a maple braise on the pork belly, crumbled smoked bacon, and bourbon maple syrup.

1. Limeade from Topsy’s. The best cold summer drink that isn’t a beer — the limeade from Topsy’s. This is a drink about anticipation, about watching a disinterested teenager squeeze half a lime to make the juice for your drink. In goes the rind along with soda water and a cherry over crushed ice. Fizzy, a bit tart, and the simple joy of summer.

— This post has been updated to fix a broken link. They should all work for you now!