Photo courtesy of Vibe Organic Kitchen
the biggest Coachella The news this week wasn’t that you’re giving up – the one we might have guessed months ago – it was the drop in the list of food vendors settling in the field for the next two weekends. ends. Over the past decade or so, food and drink have become an increasingly important part of the Coachella experience and this year was no exception: from hidden high-end sushi bars to some of the best burgers in LA to amazing cocktails, here are the best things to eat and drink at this year’s Coachella festival — and fear not, your tried-and-true favorites, including Spicy Pie and Crab Fries, will still be scattered all over the grounds.
Hidden door in the central market of Indio
Probably the most exciting new restore point on the ground this year is this little omakase pop-up from Scrape|Bar chef Phillip Franklin Lee, who is hidden in plain sight behind a door in Indio’s massive Central Market complex and will be serving a 17-course omakase menu to 12 lucky customers at different seats each day. The price is steep: $375 on top of your festival ticket, but if you’re looking to take your weekend to the next level, this might be the best bet.
The rose garden
The other wallet-busting add-on is the long-running Outstanding In The Field series, which welcomes dozens of spectators to beautiful table setups in the Rose Garden at 6 p.m. each day with a rotating cast of LA’s top chefs. Over the weekend, heads of SlabSan Miguel De Allende Restaurant, Camphorthe Seattle one Plum Bistroand others will be handing out food, with each seat costing $275 on top of your ticket price.
12 VIP Peaks
Malibu’s Broad Street Oyster Co. is building a full table-service restaurant in the main VIP area, with reservations available at the link above and dishes including shrimp cocktails, anchovy toast and their famous lobster rolls with a side of corn.
Terrace Kitchen South
Nashville’s beloved hot chicken chain makes its first appearance on the polo field, serving up its signature sandwiches and fries topped with coleslaw along with a Coachella-exclusive secret menu: bacon chili cheese, added on demand.
The beer barn
The Houston Brothers’ hidden-in-sight shack in the Beer Barn has been a honky-tonk-themed mainstay at Coachella for the past few years, serving up alcohol-iced snow cones and craft cocktails to beat the heat.
Indian central market
Originally from Atlanta, this Black-owned and women’s business of entrepreneur Pinky Cole has announced plans to expand to NYC in the near future. But you can also enjoy them on the West Coast at Coachella this year. They have two options: The One Night Stand, loaded with vegan bacon, vegan cheese, caramelized onions and slutty sauce, and the spicier jalapeno-flavored Sloppy Toppy.
Terrace Kitchen South
Watts’ legendary burger makers serve up their enormous Whipper Burgers: two angus patties loaded with pastrami, hot links, red onions, kosher pickles and tomatoes on a brioche bun, plus turkey burgers, chicken sandwiches and southern- fried chicken and waffles.
rose garden
This soul food and more award-winning restaurant hits the ground for the first weekend, with smoked salmon barbecue wraps, vegan crab cakes with spicy kale salad and black-eyed pea hummus, and braised oxtail sliders on their busy menu.
HTD
This outpost on the grounds of New York’s incredibly acclaimed PDT (Please Don’t Tell) serves drinks including “Green Light” vodka/sherry/apple/lemon and gin/guava/ginger beer/lemon /lime/ “Tropic Tonic”.
rose garden
Rashida Holmes’ acclaimed Caribbean pop-up concept will take over the Post & Beam space in weekend two, offering viewers Chicken Leg, Turmeric Cabbage and Apple Stuffed Mama’s Chicken Roast land and a prawn curry roll, plus a few vegetarian options.
12 VIP Peaks
Speaking of vegetarian options, there are a ton on the ground this year, including Newport’s Vibe Organic Kitchen, which offers veggie- and gluten-free options including the fiesta bowl topped with jackfruit carnitas and a California cobb with coconut bacon.
12 Peaks VIP / Rose Garden
If you’re looking for a mid-afternoon treat to cool off but want to skip the lactose because, ew, port-o-potties, Craig’s Vegan may be your answer: the frozen dessert branch from Craig’s to WeHo (beloved by TikTokers like Tinx) has a slew of plant-based ice creams, including Killa Vanilla and Melrose Mint Chip.
open air theater
Highland Park’s Block Party hits the court with a slew of cleverly named cocktails: A Schwizzle For Shizzle features Malibu, green chartreuse, pineapple, lime and house-smoked falernum while Ghostride the Dole Whip recreates the Disney classic with Absolute infused with banana chips, pineapple, orange juice and coconut cream.
craft beer barn
Smorgasburg’s favorite garlicky crustacean will come to Coachella in two forms: their Hawaiian-style shrimp with macaroni, rice and pineapple salad, either on a plate or served in a pineapple boat.
Indian central market
The Hong Kong-style fried chicken sandwich mini-chain will sell sandwiches in Indio Central Market, with their pineapple buns stuffed with fried organic chicken breasts topped with spicy garlic aioli (and an optional to up the spice quotient with chili sauce and garlic tangy oil too.
rose garden
While exact Coachella offerings are yet to be determined, this women-owned wine bar and bottle shop in Palm Springs is known for its organic and small-production wines, so expect a few rare sips on the lot.
rose garden
Caffeine is as important as hydration to get through late-night streaks, and Dayglow has you covered: the small-batch boutique/subscription service serves up its signature cold brew coffee from Nensnebo in Ethiopia as well as killer caffeine concoctions, including the Blueglow – an eggnog coquito made with light coffee, butterfly pea flower, vanilla and spices, and the Greyglow: a dark sesame latte with activated charcoal.
12 VIP Peaks
Longtime West Hollywood stand Irv shut down its heart in 2018, but was resurrected for Coachella with a simple menu: their classic burger, birthday cake and fries. That said, you’ll get a really worthwhile souvenir if they serve like they did in the restaurant: on a simple paper plate with a handwritten message and drawing for each customer.
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