What to Eat at the Hollywood Bowl for the 2023 Season
The Hollywood Bowl is celebrating over 100 years of concerts this year, and you’ve got a backstage pass to the Endless Summer party. Here’s what to eat at the Hollywood Bowl and some insider secrets about special events where you could be drinking wine for FREE!
*This piece contains affiliate links for discounted tickets at the end. Your purchase will help keep the foodie news coming on EatDrinkLA.
The Culinary Program
James Beard Award-Winning chef Suzanne Goin and restauranteur Caroline Styne (A.O.C.) are curating the entire food show for the eighth year in a row. So that means delicious California-inspired dining and fresh, local produce. Dining options include three restaurants, three marketplaces, and street-food-style kiosks.
Supper in your Box Seats
Available to order for box-seat ticket holders, you can place the order as late as 6 p.m. the day before and have the food delivered right to you. Order a la carte or enjoy a full three-course meal.
New for the 2023 Season is The Angeleno three-course dinner. You’ll begin with a Summer Fruit and Arugula Salad with Leonora goat cheese. Next, it’s a choice of Soft Polenta with Wild Mushrooms or Slow-Roasted Salmon with farro tabbouleh. Lastly, your dessert is a Crème Fraîche Cheesecake with stone fruit and blackberries ($60). Other 3-course dinners include The 101 with Chicken under a Brick as a main, a Chopped Greek Salad to begin, and a Cornmeal Shortcake as a sweet finish ($60).
You can alto order a meal for two, like the Moroccan Feast with a Mezze Platter and Chicken Tagine or the Seafood Extravaganza with Crab Cakes and Lobster Rolls. ($120/$145).
You can also go a la carte and order Chicken Under a Brick with corn pudding (,$38) or Thkinds of cheeseeses with dried fruit and nuts ($20) as standalone dishes.
Pre-Order Picnic Boxes
Choose from four complete picnic boxes like The Burton Way with Herb Crusted Salmon, Jeweled Rice with saffron, a Cucumber Ribbon Salad, Root Veggie Chips, and a Brown Butter Berry Tart ($50)
Items can be pre-ordered by 6 p.m. the night before and picked up at the plaza or delivered to your box seats.
Street Food
A super cool feature to return this season is Mobile Ordering, where you can text “HBFW” to 474747 or scan a QR code to get eats for your seats! This minimizes time spent in line and unnecessary crowding. See which Street Food Option you prefer below and make that your pick-up point.
Kitchen 22
Kitchen 22 specializes in made-to-order Burgers, Suzanne’s Spanish Fried Chicken, and Savory Sandwiches from the Larder Bakery ($18 for Burgers and Chicken).
Street Tacos
As the name implies, you can get trios of tacos here, like Cauliflower and Carne Asada ($16).
Pizza
The Pizzas are artisanal style Margherita and Pepperoni and round off at 8.5 inches ($18). There’s also a Pulled Pork Sandwich ($16.50).
Suzanne’s Fried Chicken
This is new for 2023 and features Suzanne Goin’s famous Chicken but in a bucket. It comes complete with sides of cornbread, coleslaw, and sauces like house-made ranch and honey ($39 for 6 Pieces).
Snacks
If you just feel like a light nosh, there are Snack Kiosks around, like Chao’s Popcorn Stand. Hot Dogs are also available throughout the bowl. Visit The Sweet Shop for desserts like Magpies Softserve, available in dairy and vegan.
Marketplaces
There are three Marketplace spaces on the Plaza to choose from, including the new South LA Cafe, Marketplace East, and Buzz McCoy’s Marketplace (West).
South LA Cafe
This black-owned and family-owned and operated space is open DAILY from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and during performances. They specialize in Coffee.
Marketplace East
This is your spot for Sandwiches, Cheese, Desserts, and Drinks. Best of all for 2023 you can check out yourself for up to 12 items at a time.
Buzz McCoy’s Marketplace (West)
Here you’ll find Sandwiches, Sushi, Sweets, and Drinks.
Restaurants
There are three restaurants to choose from: The Backyard, Ann’s Wine Bar, and Lucques at the Circle.
The Backyard
This al fresco dining area offers wood-grilled and seasonal market-driven items. New items for this season include a Hamachi Tostada with avocado, cucumber, and salsa macha ($22) and a Ribeye with campfire potatoes, grilled chicories, and Calabrian olive butter ($65).
Reservations are encouraged.
Ann’s Wine Bar
One of the restaurant choices is a wine bar that’s been carefully curated by Caroline Styne and paired with your favorite bites from A.O.C. restaurant. Space is limited, though, so be sure to make a reservation. Must haves include the Grilled Flatbread with summer squash ($20) and the Spanish Fried Chicken ($22).
Lucques at the Circle
The Hollywood Bowl prides itself on still having $1 tickets available for many performances in the upper deck, but for an average of $625 dollars a ticket, you can sit right in front in an area known as The Pool Circle. Subscribers to this section also have access to elite dining called Lucques at the Circle. This is a three-course menu featuring items like Red Pepper Soup with lemon yogurt, Slow Roasted Salmon, and Bittersweet Chocolate Cake for $78.
Drinks
The Wine Program by Caroline Styne has expanded to include more Canned Wine offerings,as well as Vegan and Organic wines. Look for producers of Natural Wines like Johan Vineyards and Lo-fi Wines. You’ll find wine throughout by the glass or bottle.
New for this year, you’ll also see Batched Craft Cocktails, by A.O.C.’s Ignacio Murillo at Bar West made with soju and other wine-based liquors.
There are also New Beer Pads that offer grab-and-go beers with self-checkout.
Your Own Food
Can’t decide what to eat at the Hollywood Bowl? How about your own food? There are 14 different picnic areas that open hours before the concert starts, and you can even eat in your own seats! Grab a $1 ticket way in the back, and you might even be able to take advantage of eating on top of other people’s unoccupied seats (they do have close to 18,000).
Whatever you choose, just be sure to go out and celebrate our rediscovered American freedom this summer: enjoying a concert and a great meal with strangers in this beautiful city of Los Angeles.
Secrets of the Bowl
Did you know you could be drinking wine for free? Just visit on a Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. and take part in Winemaker Wednesdays, where you get to sample new sips and meet the people behind the bottles. Sundays feature a similar offering with the Sunday Market Tasting Series from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Concert tickets to that evening’s performance are required for entry.
If you took advantage of the Hollywood Bowl Park & Ride or Shuttle Bus, your ticket will get you 20% off purchases at the Hollywood Bowl Plaza Marketplace, including wine.
The tasting schedule below is just a sample of what you can expect:
- Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023, from 5 to 8 p.m. is a Wine tasting with wine professional Sarah Mathias, Regal Wines. The 8 p.m. concert is Herbie Hancock.
- Sunday, August 27th, 2023, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. is a Wine tasting with winemaker Jim Knight, Jellyroll Wines. The concert at 6:30 p.m is Smooth Summer Jazz with Dave Koz and Friends.
- Wednesday, September 6th, 2023, from 5 to 8 p.m. is a Wine tasting with wine professional Jeremy Garber of Garber & Co. The concert at 8 p.m. is Buddy Guy. Get tickets for as low as $15 with this link.
- Sunday, September 10th, 2023, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. is a Wine tasting with winemaker Tom Hunter, Revel Wines. The concert at 7:30 p.m. is Maxwell with a Fireworks Finale. Get tickets for as low as $20 with this link.
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