By Tom Abernathy
Harbor City FC plays its first home playoff game in six years at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Dockside Stadium, where a hot dog costs $8.50 and a draft beer $13. The Dispatch walked the blocks around the stadium this week and found twelve places to eat for less than $12, each within a 10-minute walk of the main gate on Water Street.
Dockside Stadium allows outside food in a clear bag no larger than 12 by 12 inches, plus one sealed bottle of water up to 20 ounces. Outside alcohol is not allowed. Walking times below are from the main gate. Prices were checked Oct. 6 to 8.
Water Street
- Lupe’s Tamales, a cart at Water Street and Calder Avenue on game days. Pork in red chile, or peppers and cheese, $3 each or three for $8. 4 minutes.
- Pier 6 Fish Shack, 140 Water St. Fried cod sandwich with slaw, $10.50; a cup of chowder, $6. 6 minutes.
- Harbor City Night Market, Pier 9 lot. Fridays and Saturdays, 5 to 10 p.m., through the end of October; the market is expected to move to the old rail yard later this fall. Sixty-four stalls, with most plates $6 to $10. The pierogi stall sells six for $8. 8 minutes.
Calder Avenue and Front Street
- Two Bao, a takeout window at 205 Calder Ave. Two pork belly or mushroom bao, $8. 4 minutes.
- Dockside Pho, 214 Calder Ave. A small bowl of beef pho, $9.50; banh mi, $8. Expect a line starting about 90 minutes before kickoff. 5 minutes.
- Sal’s Slice, 88 Front St. Cheese slice $3.25, pepperoni $3.75, or two slices and a can of soda for $8. 7 minutes.
- Bayard Street Bakery, 12 Bayard St., just off Front Street. Beef or spinach hand pies, $4.50. Bread is half price after 4 p.m. 8 minutes.
- Golden Pleat Dumplings, 31 Front St. Twelve pork and chive dumplings, boiled or pan-fried, $10. Cash only. 9 minutes.
Mill Road and Tannery Lane
- Mill Road Market, 410 Mill Road. The deli counter’s Italian hero is $5.50 for a half and $10 for a whole. A half is plenty. 6 minutes.
- Kim’s Kimbap, 377 Mill Road. Bulgogi or tuna kimbap, $8.50 a roll; spicy rice cakes, $9. 7 minutes.
- Tannery Lane Taqueria, 22 Tannery Lane. Three al pastor tacos, $9. 9 minutes.
- La Ventana, a walk-up window at 48 Tannery Lane. Arepas, $7 to $9; the chicken and avocado one is $8.50. 10 minutes.
Before you go
Most of these places close by 9 p.m., so plan to eat before the game. The night market and Dockside Pho stay open later on game nights. Lupe’s cart usually sells out of pork by the second half.
Several owners said game nights are their busiest of the year. “A playoff game is like three normal Saturdays,” said Rafael Mendes, who runs Tannery Lane Taqueria. “We’ll have two extra people on the grill.”
Bike racks at the stadium’s north gate fill early on game days. There are more at the corner of Calder Avenue and Front Street, a five-minute walk away.
Know a place we missed? Reply to this email. We’ll update the list before the season ends.