The BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament is back at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden for 2019. If you are headed out for the tourney, you will quickly find you have plenty of options for lunch and dinner. Here are some of your best options.
The tournament has grown food-wise quite a bit over the last decade. What used to be mostly stadium food options like hots dogs and pre-made salads has grown to include everything from poke bowls to Mediterranean kabobs to full sit-down restaurants serving slow braised short ribs and Hamachi Crudo.
Related: Your guide to drinking at the BNP Paribas Open
I was invited to special media preview of food at the event and sampled nearly two-dozen items. Here were the menu items that really stood out:
Spicy Poke Bowl – Pokehana
There are plenty of warm days in Indian Wells and this is a nice, cool, light and refreshing dish to lunch on in the shade in between matches. Sure, there aren’t as many topping options as you get when you visit one of the brick and mortar spots of Pokehana, but you do get a choice of tuna, salmon, or tofu and they did bring the tasty Creamy Togarashi! Bows start at $16 and Pokehana can be found in the Village area in the north part of the property.
Hot Corned Beef – Sherman’s Deli
Look, Guy Fieri loves Sherman’s and most locals do too. They have brought their popular Hot Corned Beef to the BNP Paribas – but only to those lucky enough to have a Lower Bowl ticket for Stadium One.
Frozen Pineapple Whip – Melissa’s Fresh
Melissa’s menu for the BNP Paribas includes tossed-to-order salads, sandwiches, fruits and other fresh, healthy fare – but the star of the show is the frozen pineapple whip. It’s not only delicious, but will help you cool you off during an afternoon in the sun. These run $12 and can be found at Melissa’s spot in The Village.
Classic Cheesburgers – Cassell’s
Casell’s has made the trip out to the Coachella Valley from Los Angeles and they have brought their tasty hamburgers, fries, rings, and shakes with them. You will find the popular burger joint inside of Stadium One.
Carnitas Tacos – B.S. Tacqueria
Award-winning chef Ray Garcia’s has brought his take on traditional tacos, tostada, nachos and more from Los Angeles to Stadium One for the tournament. The carnitas taco includes Duroc pork, pinto beans, avocado salsa, pico de gallo.
Tennis Paradise Cocktail – Moet
Moet has an entire tent complete with cabanas and bottle service right in the middle of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Their Tennis Paradise cocktail will run you $26 – but you might just want to splurge for one as you do get Moet Imperial, Volcan Blanco tequila, fresh lime juice, and honey syrup mixed together in a pretty damn delicious, unique, and refreshing cocktail.
Bubba Bubba Pizza – Piero’s PizzaVino
Piero’s makes the trip from El Paseo to the tournament to serve up their tasty pizza outside of Stadium One. The Bubba-Bubba includes Piero’s white sauce, mozzarella, crumbled Italian sausage, caramelized onions and mushrooms.
You can find more info ab out dining at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden here. And there’s more info about the stadium in our guide to the BNP Paribas Open here.
