Source / Yes Chef Food Fest
Citi Field has spent the year collecting food accolades, most recently landing the No. 1 spot on Yelp’s 2026 list of America’s best stadium eats.
But this weekend, Queens’ culinary MVP is taking the assignment very seriously.
Yes Chef Food Fest is taking over the Citi Field parking lot on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, bringing together more than 35 restaurants and culinary concepts for two full days of bites, live-fire cooking, free samples, chef demonstrations, music, and food theatrics that are very much not your average food-festival moment.
The headline act is hard to miss: a 300-pound bluefin tuna will be broken down live by chef David Bouhadana of Sushi by Bou.
Nearby, celebrity chef Aaron May will lead a 100-pound Hawaiian pig roast, while guests work their way through oysters, caviar, wagyu, pizza, cannoli, burgers, tacos, and more.
It’s slated to be one of the most anticipated NYC food events on the calendar for 2026, and we have all the details on this year’s iteration.
A food festival outside NYC’s top-ranked food stadium
There are plenty of reasons New Yorkers make the trip to Citi Field, but its food has become an attraction in its own right.
The Mets’ home ballpark was named America’s best stadium for game-day food in Yelp’s 2026 Top Stadium Eats ranking, which examined reviews across major U.S. sports venues.
Citi Field also won the 2026 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Award for Best Baseball Stadium Food, marking the fourth consecutive year it has received a national food honor.
So naturally, its parking lot is about to become a giant tasting playground.
The festival comes from the team behind Yes Chef Group and is curated by food creator Jack Goldburg, known online as @jacksdiningroom.
Organizers say this year’s event is their biggest New York edition yet, following back-to-back sold-out years and more than 250 million viral moments across the brand.
Over 35 restaurants, from iconic slices to smoky barbecue
The lineup reads like the kind of group chat food crawl that would take six weekends, several train transfers, and the organizational skills of a wedding planner to pull off.
Confirmed restaurants and food concepts include:
Mama’s TOO! for thick, crispy-edged pizza slices
Gotham Burger Social Club for smash burgers
MYKA GREEK and G&R Deli
Nowon, Soothr, and Sappe
Bark Barbecue, bringing Dominican-style barbecue
Astoria Seafood
Tacos Domingo and Mexico City’s Tacos Atarantados
Charles Pan-Fried Chicken and Jamrock Jerk
NADC Burger
Cuerno, Buba Bureka, and Ayada
Oyster Party, Gone Bananas Bread, Arthur & Sons, Nuts Factory, and more
The festival’s General Admission ticket includes access to 35+ restaurants and culinary concepts, complimentary food and beverage samples while supplies last, live demonstrations, entertainment, immersive experiences, and sponsor activations.
Individual food items will also be available for purchase on-site.
Source / Yes Chef Food Fest
Expect tuna theatrics, oysters, and caviar on the move
This is where Yes Chef gets particularly extra, but in the best possible way.
The festival’s culinary theater will host the live breakdown of that 300-pound bluefin tuna, while Aaron May’s 100-pound Hawaiian pig roast brings a different kind of all-day spectacle to the grounds.
here is also a Raising Cane’s chicken-finger eating contest on the schedule, because of course someone had to do it.
Complimentary samples are planned throughout the weekend, while supplies last, including:
Freshly shucked oysters
Roaming caviar bumps from Dear Caviar
Hot-stone wagyu bites
A traditional Mexican asada from Cuerno
A Dominican pig roast from Bark Barbecue
Hand-piped cannoli
Banana bread and other sweet bites
Chicken fingers, a Nuts Factory bazaar, and more
Food will be flying out of tents, grills will be sending smoke into the September air, DJs will be keeping the energy up, and camera rolls are likely to suffer from an immediate lack of storage.
VIP brings COTE grilling and a caviar lagoon
Those springing for the festival’s Yes Chef Reserve VIP experience can access a more elevated set of chef-led moments. It’s brand new this year so take advantage!
The VIP programming includes live binchotan charcoal grilling from David Shim and Simon Kim of COTE, a Caviar Lagoon from chef Michael Mina where guests can search for premium caviar tins and Golden Ticket surprises, chef Thomas Straker’s live experience, and a micro-omakase by chef Phillip Frankland Lee. Massimo Bottura, a two-time winner of the World’s Best Chef title, is also listed among the featured culinary names.
General Admission tickets start at $65 after fees, while last-minute VIP begins at $625.
All of the necessary details
📍 Citi Field Parking Lot, 41 Seaver Way, Queens, NY
🗓️ Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 2026
⏰ 11am to 7pm each day
🎟️ Each ticket is valid for one day. Guests attending both days need separate tickets. More information and tickets can be found on their website here!
🚆 Take the 7 train or LIRR to Mets-Willets Point. Citi Field’s location makes this one of the rare food-festival plans where skipping traffic and parking is genuinely the move.
The forecast may be looking a little rainy this weekend, but organizers currently list the festival as planned.
Keep your eyes peeled on the festival’s official channels before traveling in the event of weather-related updates!
Dining and Cooking