Syracuse Orange: Top 10 foods to enhance your game-day experience

We’re taking a look at some of the awesome food options available to make your Syracuse Orange game-day experience even better!

As football season approaches for the Syracuse Orange, I was thinking about all the tailgates and people looking forward to enjoying certain food items either at home, at tailgates or even in the Dome.

So with respect to the great local food options we have, I wanted to compile a list of items we Syracuse Orange fans enjoy and visiting fans may want to try. So here are 10 items that I think make any Syracuse Orange sports viewing even more enjoyable (although if you are tailgating, I would recommend you invite my friend Stephanie on Twitter to it because she always has amazing tailgating items).

Tully’s Tenders

I am doing a post on food and you didn’t expect Tully’s to be on my list? I am assuming if that is the case, we have never met and my name is Chuck Fiello and I love Tully’s. But there is a reason I and many others love Tully’s. It’s a great place to watch games, enjoy SU ambiance, and taste the greatest tenders in the world. They even have family platters to-go if you want to take them to your tailgate or home to watch the game there. If you like their tenders, you can get the Tenders Asian style, Buffalo tenders, the Tully’s Tenders salad, and the delicious steak and tenders combo.

They also have 13 locations (and an express location coming soon to Oswego as well), including in the Rochester, Buffalo, Watertown and Binghamton areas and even one in Clarks Summit, Pa. The free popcorn on each table alone is worth visiting for, as well as seeing what baseball card is part of your table decor. They also have a burger I love called the Mountain Melt that is sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches and a really good cheesesteak sandwich as well.

Hofmann’s Hot Dogs/Dome Dog

And if you know me, you know that Hofmann’s is another reason I am happy to live in the Syracuse area. Growing up, I was always a fan of their German franks especially but love the snappy grillers/coneys occasionally as a change of pace. I especially loved when my great-grandmother would make the really big ones when I was a kid and visiting.

Want to try them yourself? Most stores in CNY sell them, you can order them online, swing by Varsity Pizza just off campus, Heid’s of Liverpool, or order a Dome Dog when you are watching the games live. My favorite Dome order is a Dome Dog, a Mountain Dew, and Dome Nachos.

Dome Nachos

I am not a huge nachos fan guy but there are some places that I enjoy them and the Carrier Dome is definitely one of them. I don’t know if the new Dome concessions will still offer them but part of why I love the Dew and Nachos was they were offered in Syracuse Orange souvenir cups and bowls (the nacho bowl was a half plastic football).

I am told the concessions will look different this season but I truly hope they still off souvenir-style containers to hold certain items to make it worth paying a little extra for them. Much like going to the movies to enjoy the popcorn sometimes as much as the movie if not more, I look forward to the Dome food just as much as I do the game at times.

Bull and Bear Loaded Salts

And speaking of nachos, one place my wife and I really like them from is Bull and Bear Roadhouse. Having shared that, the biggest reason I go to Bull and Bear is for the loaded salt potatoes. They take the local favorite salt potatoes to a new level by adding pulled pork, bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream and chives.

Now Bull and Bear Roadhouse may not be your cheapest option in town, but they offer some delicious item menus offering things like poutine, BBQ, delicious burgers and more that are worth a visit, but the loaded salts are definitely the items that make me want to visit as often as I can afford it if I am near East Syracuse, Liverpool or Fayetteville to stop in for a visit.

Mother’s Cupboard Frittata

I will be honest and say that many diners in the CNY area offer delicious frittatas for you to enjoy but one of the most famous is Mother’s Cupboard. It is so famous that even Man Vs. Food once took the Frittata challenge.

They are delicious and inexpensive considering all you get for them but only order the full if you are REALLY hungry or want to take some home with you. So if the Syracuse Orange has a noon game and you want a good meal before it, I recommend them but I also recommend you leave early because there is not much seating and it stays busy.

Glazed and Confused Donuts

Or if it is a noon game and you would rather just take some delicious donuts, check out the creations offered at Glazed and Confused. You can follow them on Facebook to see what special items they are offering during a particular weekend (they offer special items every Friday and Saturday and post about it on their Facebook page). You can also stop in before 2 pm to pick up a variety of their other donuts at any time, which are delicious and a bit different and special than your usual donut places.

Charlee’s Pizza Syracuse

I am not here to try to convince you not to enjoy a Pavone’s or Mario and Salvo’s or Varsity or one of many other local delicious pizza options, but if you are downtown for the games or want to try something new and cool, try Charlee’s Pizza.

Charlee’s offers a good variety of classic pizzas with gourmet pizzas and even has a S’more Pizza as a dessert option if you’re interested. They are located in Armory Square and you can find them by looking for the SU banner in their window and bright orange walls inside. Go Orange!

Wings Over Syracuse

Much like the pizza options, Syracuse has many places for enjoying tasty wings and I would never talk negatively about any place because we all like different things but one of the most popular and well-liked over the last few years has been Wings Over Syracuse. Their wings come in various sizes and flavor options for you to choose from.

Even Syracuse football DL Josh Black likes them.

Dinosaur BBQ Family Stylin

As people say, “When in Rome, do as…”, well when in Syracuse, it seems like THE place to mention is Dinosaur BBQ. Even if you are not from Syracuse, I am sure if you watched a game on ESPN, they like to do clips showing their food.

And just like Tully’s above, you can enjoy them there in the restaurant or try one of their catering options or on a smaller scale, try one of their combos for 2-3 people or their “Family Stylin” options which serves 4-6 (or their 1/2 Family Stylin for 2-3) which includes their amazing brisket or pulled pork as well as my father in law’s favorite their ribs and a few sides (but keep in mind some of their sides are delicious but have a little kick to them). It is also right around the corner from Glazed and Confused so you can get a doubleheader here if you time it right.

Spera’s Salads

This is one that some people may see and scratch their heads about but trust me, those of us who grew up in the Cicero area know that Spera’s Meat Market on Route 31 is worth a stop. Their meat options are great, their sandwiches are good, they have delicious pizza rolls but one of my favorite reasons to stop here is their fresh cold salad options. I LOVE their mac salad the most but they also have really good potato salads, pasta salads, fruit salad and other delicious options that I would literally drive from anywhere to get if I could.

You can also order meat trays and other foods for your party needs. It’s a small place and at times the deli area is very busy but one of the few places I do not mind waiting because I know it is worth it. It’s also a good place to get your Hofmann products, Italian bread when you’re enjoying a pasta dinner with the family, a hot lunch, and I love their 2 pack burgers with peppers and onions as well.