Honda Center offers more than nachos as the culinary team revamps the menu

When it comes to arena food, nachos or hot dogs might be your go-to snacks, but you can count on more premium menu items the next time you visit the Honda Center in Anaheim. The home of the Anaheim Ducks is leveling up its culinary offerings at concession stands, restaurants and suites.

“I started here in 2013 when Honda Center took food and beverage in house,” said Roman Zavala, director of food and beverage services for Honda Center. “We brought in a strong team and opened a couple restaurants, but now we want to step up our game.”

Executive chef Paul Tran, left, and Food and Beverage operations director Roman Zavala, roll out the new culinary offerings during an event at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

COVID-19 brought hardship to the center and created staffing issues, but Zavala said now that they have built up their staff again, the team is ready to get creative. Executive chef Paul Tran also returned two months ago after a stint working as executive chef at Snap Inc.

“I started here in 2013 and left in 2016 just to explore,” said Tran. “I am excited to be back at the arena. It is such a fun place.”

Tran said he is having fun with the new menu items, like poke bowls.

“Our poke bowls we do at couple of stands,” said Zavala. “You can order them the way you want it. You pick your protein, your sides and your sauces.”

Salmon sushi rolls are one of the new concessions at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

The customizable poke bowls, along with spicy tuna and California rolls can be found at concession stand Bowl’d Over (section 424) on the upper concourse and at the Classics (section 307) on the club level.

Honda Center has also introduced mobile ordering, which helps cut down lines and gives guests more time to enjoy the game.

“Mobile ordering is great. You do it from your phone, and they will tell you when it’s ready,” said Zavala. “All you have to do is come pick it up, you don’t have to wait in line.”

The arena also offers barbecue sandwiches with meat smoked in house.

Sushi rolls are among the new concession offerings at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“We have our chimichurri steak sandwich along with our brisket sandwich,” Zavala said. “We house-smoke these inside — we have a big industrial smoker down at stand 219. We light it up the night before, let it smoke all night long, and then it is great for the next day.”

The chimichurri steak sandwich can be found at concession stand 209, known as the Kitchen, on the main level, and brisket and pulled-pork sandwiches are available at Express Eats (sections 209 and 411), Classics (section 219) and Outlaws Smokehouse (section 421).

The Brewery X Biergarten on the Club level will feature a chef-manned sushi bar, along with wood-stone-oven pizzas, chef-inspired entrees and craft cocktails.

“We have our live sushi bar right up here inside Brewery X. Chef will have his roll of the day, as well as our set rolls we sell to the restaurant, and we also sell sushi boats to the suites,” Zavala said.

Entrees like braised short rib ragu with potato gnocchi and pan-seared scallops in lemon mint puree can be found at Brewery X too. The lounge menu is available in outdoor lounge areas, and the Biergarten is open to Orange Alliance members at Ducks games with annual Brewery X memberships or for an additional purchase.

Pan-seared scallop in a pea puree is just one of the new offerings at the outdoor Brewery X Biergarten at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

In the suites, options like the steakhouse package feature porcini-rubbed flak steak, asparagus, grilled and chilled shrimp, jumbo lump crabs cakes, harissa roasted cauliflower, bacon macaroni and cheese, loaded mashed potatoes and a California wedge salad.

“This is usually set up in the suite with some chafing dishes going, and it’s a smorgasbord,” Zavala said of the spread.

If you still can’t find a snack to satisfy your craving, visit the Puck Drop Patio. Located outside of the arena’s North Entrance, the patio is open 90 minutes before puck drop until the end of the second intermission and offers unique food-truck fare along with beer, wine and cocktails.

Wild Wing, the Anaheim Ducks mascot, shows off the new barbecue pull pork and brisket sandwiches, during the rollout of the new culinary offerings at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

The fan-favorite “D” shaped pretzel is gone for now, but if you still only want nachos, Zavala said they’ve got you covered.

“We still have to have our staples. You are always going to find your cheese nachos, your hot dogs and your tenders,” said Zavala. “Those are still our biggest sellers.”

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