A Guide to Dining at CITYPARK Stadium

the sun, from people calling dibs on pretty girls walking by to calling them derogatory names.”

These comments aren’t the overt misogynist barbs that have almost become cliches, such as “make me a sandwich” or “get in the kitchen.” It’s more subtle, Robertson says. It’s the assumption that women fans are dragged to soccer games by their male partners and that they’re only there to watch attractive players run across the field.

The supporter section can be a bit intimidating anyway for female fans, says Danielle Hibbert, a member of Saint Louis City Punks, another St. Louis CITY supporters club. The section, which has no chairs and encourages fans to be as loud as possible, is often filled with dudes.

“But the good thing about [U.S.] soccer culture is it’s not just guys bumping their chests and slamming beers back,” Hibbert says. Hibbert leads a subgroup of Saint Louis City Punks called Saint Louis City Punks Riot Grrrls. Members channel the riot grrrl subculture movement that began in the 1990s, with politics fusing with feminism and punk music.

“At the root, it’s really about representation and making sure that we have a seat at the table when it comes to building this culture in the St. Louis community around the new team and the sport,” Hibbert says.

Inclusivity was taken into account when building St. Louis

CITY SC’s CITYPARK stadium downtown. Fan focus groups were held to ensure all fans would feel welcome, according to Michelle Baker, a soccer fan in St. Louis since 2015. The stadium includes gender-neutral bathrooms and more women’s stalls than men’s. The supporter section may seem like a rowdy bunch at first, Baker says, but the Louligans and other fan groups are there to help all fans enjoy games.

“If you’re not sure if it’s for you, or you feel like you’re going to feel left out, give it a shot,” Baker says. “There’s always somebody who’s going to welcome you.” n if you don’t know Craft by name, your tastebuds likely know his food; he’s the mind behind Pastaria, Brasserie, Cinder House and more.

Toward the end of 2022, Craft and CITY SC announced the details of the CITY Flavor program — all local restaurants.

“Our goal with the CITY Flavor program was to ensure that we highlighted the different cultures of our St. Louis food community,” Craft said in October. “Through the food, fans get a feel for the diverse neighborhoods that make our city so special.”

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When it came time for St. Louis CITY SC to design its food program, the brand-new stadium’s creators clearly surveyed the fakecheese nachos, hotdogs and weak lagers taking up space on menus at other stadiums and realized fans deserve better.

To avoid the pitfalls of mediocre-yetexpensive fare, the stadium tapped James Beard Award-winning chef Gerard Craft as chief flavor officer. Even

There are 52 spots in the stadium for soccer-goers to order food, plus a CITY mobile app that allows you to order ahead. With all those options, it’s hard to know what to go for, so here are some that caught our eye at the RFT.

Balkan Treat Box

Erna’s Loaded Fries have creamy feta; kajmak, which is kind of like clotted cream; ajvar, a roasted pepper sauce; suho, a dried meat; fefferoni, a pepper; and green onions.

BEAST CRAFT BBQ CO.

The pork steak sandwich includes hicko- ry-smoked pork steak “torched for maximum caramelization” with house-made pickles and, of course, a bun.

Farm Truk

The Farm Truk burger consists of local Missouri beef topped with smoked bacon, cheddar (the best burger cheese, fight us), hydroponic lettuce, tomato, crispy fried onions and homemade pickles on an egg bun from Vitale’s on the Hill.

Padrinos

Tacos de Papa are three crispy-shelled corn lovelies filled with potato, lettuce, shredded cheese and sour cream.

STEVE’S HOT DOGS

The St. Louis CITY Dog is smoked and then grilled before being covered by grilled peppers and onions, banana peppers, bacon, provolone and smoky pepper mustard.

But if none of those five catch your eye, don’t despair. Many more delicious offerings will be on hand from Anthonino’s Taverna, the Block, Bold Spoon Creamery, DD Mau, Chez Ali, Crown Candy Kitchen, Dewey’s Pizza, the Fattened Caf, the G.O.A.T. Brand, Ices Plain & Fancy, Malinche, Mayo Ketchup, Nudo House, Pie Guy, Wally’s, Kaldi’s Coffee and G&W Sausage and Meats. n