People decked out in teal and red poured into the CPKC Stadium on a recent Saturday for a sold-out game. They came to see the KC Current, Kansas City’s electrifying women’s soccer team, as they took on the Utah Royals. They also came to eat towering barbacoa nachos, hulking barbecue sandwiches, bowls of lemongrass pork, and more of Kansas City’s most beloved local dishes.
Opened in March, the stadium made history as the first dedicated professional women’s sports stadium in the world. But to diners in the city, CPKC is equally historic for its emphasis on local food. The stadium recruited some of Kansas City’s most iconic eateries to feed fans, capitalizing on energy building in both the dining scene and women’s sports over the last few years. It’s now one of the best places to eat in town, especially for out-of-towners looking to maximize their dining in one place.
Sporting the home team colors, Alex Martin, a human resources professional and a KC Current season ticket holder, and her parents, who were visiting from Texas, found their way to Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Q stand. A prominent name in the city’s barbecue scene, Joe’s is a big draw.
“We had the Chicken Z-Man,” Martin says, referring to the famed smoked meat sandwich. “It’s just as creamy but lighter than the beef. And the onion ring on top of the patty, you can’t forget about that!”
“We are pretty happy here,” says Todd Lang, team lead for Joe’s at the CPKC Stadium. “We sell about 600 sandwiches each game. Compared to the Arrowhead [Stadium, home to the Kansas City Chiefs], this stadium is definitely far more intimate.”
Ruby Jeans Juicery was among the earliest vendors to open this May. The brand’s acai bowls, topped with strawberries, blueberries, granola, and coconut flakes, are made fresh on the spot, which made them popular through several heatwaves this summer.
“The acai bowl is really good. It’s so refreshing,” says Hannah Baugh, a local bartender and season ticket holder who is hoping to see more vegan options at the stadium in the future. “I love how everything here is local.” Baugh grabbed a quick bite before watching her favorite player, repeat-MVP midfielder Debinha (Débora Cristiane de Oliveira), fire multiple shots on goal over the course of the game.
Julia Kilian, who works in the senior living industry in Des Moines, Iowa, was excited to see KC Current’s star forward, Temwa Chawinga, who scored the only goal of the evening. Kilian was also excited about the tofu pad thai from Waldo Thai.
“This is my first time here,” she says. “I love the location, and I love that there are so many good food options in the stadium.”
Kilian isn’t alone in taking advantage of the rare opportunity to eat pad thai at a soccer stadium. According to Waldo Thai staff, many regulars request a half-and-half order, an off-menu special that allows customers to pair the noodles with items like the restaurant’s popular lemongrass pork.
Anna Munguia, a community relations specialist for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City, roots for KC Current goalie Adrianna (A.D.) Franch, a former little sister in the program. Munguia and her friend Esmeralda Ortiz decided to go classic with a slice of pepperoni pizza from Martin City Brewing Company along with some barbacoa-loaded nachos and barbacoa tacos from Yoli Tortilleria, which won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bakery in 2023.
“The barbacoa had a nice, smoky flavor and wasn’t greasy at all,” Munguia says. “The chips were actually crunchy. And for the price, they come with a very generous portion of meat.”
“I also love how we have all local vendors at the stadium and that they try to emphasize women-owned businesses,” she says. Munguia was especially impressed that Yoli co-founders Marissa and Mark Gencarelli were on hand at the Yoli stand, as they have been at nearly every game this season.
As the KC Current finish their first season in their history-making home, the stadium’s food vendors have quickly found their footing and earned plenty of their own fans. It’s impossible to sample all the different foods at the stadium in one night, but the chefs in the stands and the players on the turf are giving people plenty of reasons to come back again.
“The variety of food is amazing,” Munguia says. “You’re not only excited about the game but the food as well.”
Xiao daCunha is a writer, artist, and food enthusiast traveling regularly between Kansas City and Chicago. A passionate home chef herself, she writes about food, culture, and the arts and how they shape the living experience in the Midwest.
Haines Eason is the owner of startup media agency Freelance Kansas. He’s worked as a communications professional at the University of Kansas, as a journalist with bylines in places like The Guardian, Kansas! Magazine, and local NPR and PBS affiliates, and as a teacher, guidance counselor, tradesman, and more.
Copy edited by Laura Michelle Davis