RailCats food and drink preview: Pierogi, pretzels top list of ballpark eats at the Steel Yard this season (2024)

GARY — Baseball is back on the south shore, and so are the Steel Yard pierogi.

The Gary SouthShore RailCats hosted their home opener last Friday, and the ballpark’s concessions team seems to have hit a home run with their pierogi.

“The pierogis have really taken off,” said Taylor Campbell, RailCats manager of hospitality. “We always want to see how we can make things related to our area. Driving around any given street (in NWI) there’s a lot of Polish restaurants, Greek restaurants. We want to bring that in.”

The cheese and potato filled-dumplings, a Polish cultural staple of Chicagoland and the south shore, came to the Rail Yard last year because several RailCats executives were big pierogi fans, and the staff realized it was something simple they could make out of the stands.

If anything, the RailCats dramatically underestimated how popular the pierogi would be.

“We were actually a little too cautious at first last year,” Campbell said. “Our first Pierogi Wednesday we sold out everything we’d bought for a six-game homestand.”

Highlights of the concessions scene include the pierogi stand, an 18thstreet Brewery bar, and their longtime handmade pretzel tent.

How do food and drink options contribute to the ballpark experience? You could do worse than ask Zach Beeson of Richmond who’s been to 195 minor league stadiums.

Beeson, who was attending his first-ever RailCats game Friday as part of a ballpark road trip, gave the park experience a thumbs up.

“I always like to have food at the ballpark,” Beeson said. “The concessions here are pretty cool for this level of baseball. Every stadium has hot dogs, cheeseburgers, but it’s nice to see something different. I like to see local things.”

Beeson rated the pierogi as “pretty good” and appreciated that they were made fresh.

Tony Panek, aka Mr. Pierogi himself, was also at the ballpark Friday, and agreed that the pierogi — classic cheese and potato— were suitably authentic, as long as you remember to put a dollop of sour cream on top.

“It’s nice to have the (pierogi) inclusion,” Panek said, who became the new Mr. Pierogi for Whiting’s annual Pierogi Fest last year. “I think it makes the ballpark experience that much better. Of course you go to a game to see the baseball but here you got the dogs, the peanuts, the popcorn, and now the pierogis.”

The best time to try RailCats pierogi is on Wednesdays, when each dumpling is just a dollar (along with $5 craft beer).

Pierogi Wednesday is one of four food promotions, Monday through Thursday, the RailCats are holding this year. Mondays are all-you-can-eat hot dogs, popcorn and peanuts; Tuesdays are (of course) $3 tacos; Wednesdays are for the pierogis; and “thirsty” Thursdays at the park will offer $2 hot dogs and $3 domestic beer.

“Food is a big part of the ballpark experience,” Campbell said. “You want people to show up hungry.”

The RailCats have been around since 2002; currently, they are part of the independent American Association of Professional Baseball, which includes nearby teams like the Chicago Dogs and the Milwaukee Milkmen.

The food options at the Steel Yard have varied over the years. Initially, there was a Bennigan’s restaurant behind right field. Bennigan’s closed over a decade ago and that space, currently empty, has housed a number of tenants, most recently Righteous Ribsbarbecue.

Since the pandemic, there have been numerous challenges and shortages— particularly for beer— but those issues seem to have finally been sorted out going into 2024, Campbell said.

Currently, there are no plans to fill the right field restaurant space, they hope to explore that in the future, Campbell said.

There are broad plans to expand downtown Gary, creating an entertainment and food district in tandem with redevelopment efforts, and the RailCats hope to be part of that, but Campbell acknowledged that city leaders were keeping greater specifics “close to the vest.”

One intriguing addition to future concessions could be mini batting helmet ice cream bowls, Campbell said, noting that they often get requests from guests to add those.

Beyond the pierogi, here are some other Steel Yard concession highlights:

Ben's Soft Pretzels

The handmade soft pretzel franchise has an outpost along the left side of the concourse, just before the left field picnic area.

The pretzel dough is prepped each game day and the individual pretzels are rolled out by hand and turned into twists and pretzel bites, which makes for fun viewing.

“It’s not easy to get the perfect twist,” Campbell said. “But they are made fresh.”

18th Street Brewery Bar

The local brewery, which has taprooms in Hammond and Gary’s Miller Beach neighborhood, has an outpost in the Railyard.

The bar features two of their beers: the Candi Crushable, a slightly sweet pale ale with lactose sugar added, and Psychedelic Lines English-style IPA.

You can also find some decent in-house food options here as well: the bar includes a smoker and the menu offers pulled chicken or pork barbecue sandwiches, as well as Italian sausage.

In addition to 18th Street, the ballpark also features two Bell’s Brewing favorites, the Oberon Ale and Two Hearted IPA, which are on tap at the central bar behind home plate. It’s pretty hard to miss since it’s pretty much the first thing you see when you walk into the park from the main gate.

Walking Tacos Stand

The tacos-in-a-bag concept are available with Doritos or Tostitos, loaded with chicken or beef and a host of other classic toppings like sour cream and onion, and nacho cheese sauce.

Campbell said the walking tacos at the Steel Yard were a “special childhood memory” growing up, and her personal favorite concession.

Next to the tacos is also the ice cream concession area, featuring the “colossal cookie sando.”

The Region

This concession area, located just to the left when you enter the park, is where you’ll find all the classic ballpark staples, including hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst and chicken tenders.

While it’s a pretty standard bill of fare, several fans told me that, all things considered, the ballpark dogs at the Steel Yard were a similar proposition to what you’ll find at other local games, and for less of a dent in their wallet.

“We went to see the Cubs recently,” Robert Flores of Hobart told me. “Despite what I paid out in extra prices, the food was virtually the same! I think it’s great value here, lots of family fun.”

Flores’ kids, dancing on the right field berm behind us, appeared to agree.

The RailCats regular season runs from May 10 to Sept. 2. For more information on specific promotions, you can visit the RailCats website at https://railcatsbaseball.com/.