Ranking NBA 2nd Round Teams by their Local Food Scene
Food has a magical place in sports routine.
Just ask Michael Jordan who made sure to eat steaks and potatoes before every game. Just ask Steph Curry about the catfish he ate which helped him regain his focus while the Warriors were down 2–1 against the Grizzlies during the second round of the 2015 playoffs.
As the second series of the NBA postseason heats up, here is a ranking of the teams, per their city’s food scene.
8 — Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks may have a potential MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo, but their food scene is far from MVP material.
Foodwise, Milwaukee has slim offerings. The city is known for German-style brats, cheese curds, and fish fry. Though these are delicious, they do not warrant a higher ranking compared to the other NBA playoff second-round cities on this list.
Having said that, good beer in “Brew City” is a given. Home of Miller High Life and PBR, the city can trace its history of brewing beer all the way to when the Germans arrived in Milwaukee. Today, the city is home to more than 30 breweries and is currently experiencing a beer boom.
What to try: Fred Usinger sausages. The sausages are so beloved and popular that the city celebrates Fred Usinger Day.
7 — Denver Nuggets
Though found to have some of the worst stadium food in professional sports, the home of the Denver Nuggets offers some true culinary delights.
The eponymous Denver omelet is delicious, but the Mile High City also is home to other delicious dishes. Red meat is king. Chili and beer are must-haves.
Colorado is a haven for meat lovers. The state has some of the country’s best and most coveted lamb while Denver is well-known for its steakhouses. Eating bison, which is considered to be a leaner and more flavorful red meat than beef, is increasing in popularity in the state (it ranks fourth in bison production).
But Denver is not just for red meat lovers. For those who love spicy food, Denver, just like the rest of the state, has an ongoing love affair with Colorado green chili. For those who love beer, Denver, as home to Coors, has a proud beer culture and has a beer trail to guide visitors through 100 brewpubs, breweries, and taprooms in the metro area.
What to try: For those who are adventurous, rocky mountain oysters are a delicacy not to be missed.
6 — Boston Celtics
Boston is the home of the storied and iconic Boston Garden (now called the TD Garden), but it is also home to legendary and iconic New England dishes.
Due to the city’s proximity to the Atlantic and its seafaring past, Boston’s signature dishes include New England clam chowder and lobster rolls. New England clam chowder has had a long history in Boston, with the soup being served at Ye Olde Union Oyster House (the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the country) since 1836.
With the city’s Italian immigration history, Italian food is also a mainstay in Boston. The North End neighborhood is home to some great Italian restaurants. The city also has a deep love of cannoli, with Mike’s Pastry and Modern Pastry Shop vying for supremacy on which bakery serves the best Italian pastry in the city.
Outside of the food, Boston is also an excellent drinking city. Reflecting the city’s highly educated and blue-collar background, old school pubs and innovative bars are part of the drinking landscape of Boston.
What to try: Lobster rolls. Though born in Maine, Boston also boasts restaurants that offer really good lobster rolls.
5 — Philadephia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers and cheesesteak are like peanut butter and jelly.
The franchise has a tradition of initiating newcomers by having them sample cheesesteak, and players who have not tasted the signature sandwich or express interest in trying cheesesteak portend trouble. This is not surprising since the city has been synonymous with cheesesteak — thinly sliced, sauteed ribeye steak topped by melted cheese and the optional fried onions, hot or sweet peppers, sauteed mushrooms and ketchup on a long, crusty roll — since Pat Olivieri concocted it in the 1930s. The cheesesteak is a topic of passionate debate amongst the people of The City of Brotherly Love.
Aside from the cheesesteak, visitors to Philadelphia can have some of the best pizza in the United States and the legendary DiNic’s roast pork at Reading Terminal Market, which is one of America’s oldest public markets and is a wonderland for food lovers. Beer lovers will be delighted to know that Philadelphia is one of the best beer cities in the country.
What to try: Scrapple, which is the quintessential Pennsylvania breakfast item made from pork and pork by-products.
4 — Portland Trail Blazers
Though the Portland Trail Blazers lost Game 4 to the Nuggets, Portland ranks 4th in this list because the city is home to some of the best food in the Northwest.
Portland is named America’s Best Food City last year. The city is known for its food trucks and food carts but also offers farm-to-fork dining and innovative restaurants in the state with a legacy of food innovation. In keeping with the city motto, “Keep Portland Weird,” Portland offers quirky takes on everyday classics (see: Voodoo Doughnut).
The bustling Pine Street Market, a vibrant craft beer and coffee scene, and a laidback atmosphere make Portland a great food city.
What to try: Everything at Pok Pok. The restaurant’s chef, Andy Ricker, is a two-time James Beard winner and offers some of the best Thai street food in the country.
3 — Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors have yet to win an NBA championship, but the city has captured the hearts of food lovers.
With a city motto like “DIVERSITY OUR STRENGTH,” diners expect diverse food choices, and Toronto delivers: Jamaican food, Chinese food, Spanish food, Cuban food, Japanese food, Greek food, Vietnamese food…the list goes on and on. According to respected chefs like David Chang, Toronto has simply delicious food, regardless of what kind of cuisine it is.
Aside from the diverse food options, Toronto is also known for its bar and nightlife, a reputation Michael Jordan and the first-seeded 1996 Chicago Bulls can confirm.
What to try: The seafood dishes at Fishman Lobster Clubhouse Restaurant. The restaurant is strictly not in Toronto but in Scarborough, which is about 10 minutes away. It boasts fantastic Hongkong-style seafood and the eye-popping 13-pound Lobster Tower.
2 — Houston Rockets
Houston is as passionate about their team as the food in their town.
And how can they not be? Considered to be one of the best food cities in America, Houston is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the US, with 48% of residents speaking a language other than English. This diversity is reflected in Rocket City’s culinary offerings.
In Houston, great Tex-Mex, Texas BBQ, and Viet-Cajun options are available to diners. If these were not enough of an enticement, the city also boasts a drinking scene that rivals its dining scene.
What to try: Fajitas. This quintessential Tex-Mex dish was purportedly invented at the Original Ninfa’s on Navigation Boulevard.
1 — Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are the favorites to win the series, but they also rank first in this list because of the quality of food and the number of food options available to diners.
The Warriors may still be playing in Oakland’s Oracle Arena, but the team and their fans are not restricted to the great food in Oakland. Thanks to the stadium having its own Bay Area Rail Transit (BART) station, the team and their fans have easy access to San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area. As such, the world-class culinary offerings of these areas are all fair game.
The food scene reflects the area’s diverse population: Mexican, Chinese, Ethiopian, Italian, Thai, Spanish, Filipino, Korean…name the cuisine and it’s likely that the area will have it. Fusion cuisine has also taken off, with Señor Sisig serving the Filipino delicacy sisig in Mexican forms like taco, burrito, and nachos and Sushirrito creating sushi rolls in burrito form.
As if these numerous options were not enough, Napa Valley is but an hour and a half away, which brings some of the best wines in the world to a diner’s table, a fact that Greg Popovich himself particularly enjoys. For beer drinkers, the Russian River area is producing some of the best beers in the country like the highly sought after Pliny the Younger.
The City by the Bay is the birthplace of cioppino, Mission burrito, Irish coffee, It’s It ice cream, and Ghirardelli chocolate, while the Bay Area is the birthplace of the mai tai, martini, and California cuisine. The area has an incredibly rich culinary history.
With these in mind, is it any wonder that the Golden State Warriors rank first on this list?
What to try: Mission-style burrito. Try either Taqueria La Cumbre or El Faro, which both claim to have invented the Mission burrito.
