Quality and Selection of Concessions

With a selection of food and beverages that are high quality, varied, and local, Petco Park represents the pinnacle of stadium food in major league ballparks.

A number of ballparks cover all of the bases in terms of variety, serving every conceivable cuisine from hamburgers and pizza to mahi-mahi and poke. Petco Park does just that, but with nearly every single concession stand run by local eateries. Even in parks like Safeco Field and AT&T Park, stadium food corporations run some of the varied cuisine. Not in San Diego. It’s all varied, and almost all local. I could count the number of generically branded concession stands on one hand. Everything mentioned below is run by a renowned local eatery unless I indicate otherwise.

Not only that, but Petco Park’s high quality, varied, and local cuisine has both breadth and depth. Many ballparks have a great breadth of food offerings, checking all of the boxes with BBQ, Asian, seafood, Italian, subs, and Mexican. But sometimes you get the sense that those ballparks just want to say they offer all of these food options, but only provide a few concession items in each category. Petco Park has great depth as well, providing many different options within each regional cuisine category.

Finally, I’ll add that the high-quality, varied, and local cuisine isn’t just run by ordinary local eateries, but by some of the best and most highly acclaimed restaurants in San Diego. Often, San Diego’s best food is in Petco Park! And don’t forget, this is before we look into Petco Park’s numerous sit down restaurants and bars!! We’re just talking concession stands here, although there is some overlap. Let’s dig in.

Geographically, San Diego is perfectly positioned to offer a wide breadth of cuisines if you think about it. Let’s start with the seafood. Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar is Petco Park’s signature seafood joint. Located on the Toyota Terrace level (accessible to all), the concession stand offers fish and chips, calamari, coconut shrimp, shrimp and crab Louis, Coctel del Mar, Oysters Rockefeller (!), New England clam chowder, and some of the best fried fish tacos you’ll ever taste.

The Brig’s Famous Fish Taco comes with cabbage, salsa fresca, cheddar cheese, and ranch dressing, all on a corn tortilla. Petco Park’s Bumblebee Seafood Cart serves some unique fare like tuna melts, salmon bacon melts, tuna nicoise salad, and roasted red pepper hummus.

Rimel’s serves some of their unique treats at both the fast casual eatery on top of the Western Metal Supply Co. building and at a kiosk on the main concourse. Rimel’s surfer burrito, chicken bowl, rotisserie chicken, and grilled mahi-mahi bowl are available. They also serve their specialty Baja style fish taco, with grilled mahi-mahi, salsa fresca, fresh cabbage, a spicy spread, and green chili garlic sauce. You might start to notice a trend of fish tacos!

Petco Park excels in its quality and selection of local Mexican food, to no surprise. Located in two areas on the main concourse, Lucha Libre serves their Surfin’ California Burrito, Surf & Turf Taco, carne asada quesadilla, queso taco, steak taco, and classic cheese quesadilla. Miguel’s Cocina cooks up very similar grub, highlighted by their Surf N’ Turf Burrito, classic fish taco, carne asada taco, and chips & queso. If you have a weekend at Petco Park, this might be a fun area to compare.

San Diego’s standout concession lineup also includes an unusual number of local sandwich restaurants.

While relegated to a poor location behind the lower left field box, Carnitas’ Snack Shack might be the most highly acclaimed eatery mentioned so far. The San Diego fast casual spot is revered for its pork sandwiches, craft beers, and local veggies.

We have extensive options at Snack Shack’s Petco Park location, including a steak sandwich, “Triple Threat Pork Sandwich” (pork loin schnitzel, pulled pork, bacon), carnitas tacos, carnitas flautas, guacamole, and their famous shack fries with bacon ketchup. These are the best carnitas in San Diego.

With a sit-down location on the Toyota Terrace level and a concession stand on the main concourse, Board and Brew has some of the best sandwiches San Diego has to offer. Specialties include the “Turkado” and the turkey club. Other options on the menu are the baja chicken/beef sandwich, chicken club, and a classic grilled cheese.

Gaglione Brothers brings their famous cheesesteaks and fries to the ballpark. Cardiff Seaside Market has an impressive presence at Petco Park. Down the left field line on the main concourse, there is a kiosk serving their famous burgundy pepper tri-tip sandwich. It’s marinated on a brioche roll and topped with BBQ sauce. Be sure to try the burgundy pepper tri-tip nachos too!

Cardiff Seaside Market has a prominent role in serving Petco Park’s healthy grab and go food. Like an actual supermarket, we have everything here. A variety of fruits, vegetables, salads, nuts, chips, boxed sandwiches, sushi (sometimes), beers, and wines are available. If you’re looking for more healthy fare, the Paradise Bowl kiosk serves fresh fruit, pitaya, and acai bowls. You’re not going to find that in Cincinnati!

Joining in the ballpark craft burger craze, a true San Diego institution is featured at Petco Park: Hodad’s. With several stands around the ballpark, cheeseburgers, bacon cheeseburgers, veggie burgers, chicken strips, onion rings, fries, and milkshakes are provided.

If you’re craving Asian fare (other than boxed sushi), you’ll have to head up to Zenbu’s Sushi Bar, which I discuss below.

If you’re unfamiliar with the area, most of this is still understandable. High quality fare from the sea, south of the border, and the other side of the Pacific makes sense. What you might not guess is that Petco Park features some of the best BBQ in any major league ballpark!

From Yelp to food critics reviews in San Diego Magazine, Phil’s BBQ is not only cited as the best BBQ in San Diego, but some of the best informal grub in the entire area. Rest assured, if something is highly acclaimed, the Padres will bring it into Petco Park.

Located on the main concourse with its own dedicated picnic area and in the outfield with a kiosk, Phil’s BBQ cooks up pork ribs, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, brisket, and “El Toro,” a chargrilled deli sliced tri-tip with BBQ sauce. Randy Jones Grill is one of the few generic stands in the ballpark, serving smoked beef brisket, hickory grilled chicken, pork chops, and pulled pork. And to think, 10 years ago, Randy Jones BBQ was Petco Park’s signature food!

Even the sweet spots at Petco Park are locally oriented. The Baked Bear has their famous ice cream cookie sandwiches.

Finally, San Diego’s exploding craft beer scene puts Petco Park over the top. With over 50 craft beers on tap (other parks like Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago have more overall), Petco Park is second only to Miller Park in craft beers on tap, at least according to the tour guide.

The most popular beer in the ballpark is the San Diego Pale Ale .394, brewed in honor of Tony Gwynn. Other local brewing companies include Stone Brewing, Ballast Point, Pizza Port Brewing Co., Mike Hess Brewery, Alesmith, and Mission Brewery. I could list at least 15 more, and most offer a wide variety of beers. Ballast Point is the most notable.

As I’ll discuss below, Petco Park also has one of the widest selection of wines of any major league ballpark.

To say Petco Park dazzles in this category would be a gross understatement. Almost every stand has its own yelp page! This might qualify as a “ballpark outlier,” a category where a ballpark dwarfs all others in baseball. With extremely impressive fare in San Francisco, Seattle, and New York (Mets), this is quite a feat and something I wouldn’t have expected 10 years ago.

Score: 5/5

Regional/Signature Concession(s)

Petco Park renders this category redundant. Almost everything is signature, local, and high quality.

If you had to pick one item, the fish taco is probably Petco Park’s signature item, and you can get that in at least four different places (Miguel’s, Luche Libre, Rimel’s, and Brigantine).

When fans are forced to pick their favorite foods at Petco Park, a few are usually emphasized. Carnitas’ Snack Shack is always mentioned, as their pork-centric menu staples are becoming more and more popular throughout San Diego. I probably would have been reminded to sample this if it was better located.

The other three most commonly mentioned items are Hodad’s Bacon cheeseburger, the tri-tip sandwich at Seaside Market, and anything at Phil’s BBQ. But almost everything at Petco Park is excellent.

There’s an interesting drink you might see flowing around at Petco: The Michelada. It’s a Mexican beer cocktail kind of like a Bloody Mary, but with beer. At Petco, the Estrella beer is made with clamato juice, tajin spice, lime juice, shrimp, and habanero pepper.

I was able to sample Hodad’s cheeseburger, Phil’s BBQ ribs, Luche Libre’s Surf N Turf taco, Rimel’s fish taco, and Brigantine’s famous fish taco. They all lived up to the hype, but the latter was probably my favorite.

Score: 2/2

Accessible Restaurants/Bars/Sitting Areas/Social Spaces

While you could conceivably argue another park outdoes Petco in terms of concession stand food and beverages, the superiority of San Diego’s series of full-service restaurants/bars and social spaces open to all fans is undeniably unmatched.

Part of this is a function of the Padres opening the Toyota Terrace level (former de-facto club level) to all fans, but Petco Park prioritized places to hang out from the outset. If you had any plausible critique, it would be the lack of field views from most of the restaurants.

Let’s detail the 10 spaces I listed in the opening. This level of analysis isn’t overkill, as Petco Park triples (triples!) the average ballpark in sheer quantity of notable spaces. Whereas Petco Park’s food is so good it might qualify as a “ballpark outlier,” the park’s series of spaces in this category indisputably qualify as such.

Originally known as the Hall of Fame Bar and Grill, Petco Park’s signature restaurant is the Budweiser Beer Loft located on the 4^th floor of the Western Metal Supply Co. building (which is really the 5^th floor of the entire ballpark). The informal eatery features full table service and a walk-up bar. The highlight of the restaurant is the entertainment options, which include pools tables, foosball, and shuffle board. How many ballparks have billiards? I’d have to think about that one!

The only downside is that the outdoor seating has been converted into a private group space, so the restaurant lacks good field views.

On the garden level above the main concourse, the Padres’ most centrally located full-service restaurant and bar is Ballast Point’s The Draft (formerly known as the PCL restaurant). The indoor dining area is laid back, and the outdoor area overlooks the cascading gardens of the main concourse. For whatever reason, this area has never been very popular. The waitresses were quite excited to see me taking pictures.   I suspect the lack of field views and notable cuisine is the culprit. Serving generic wings, fries, chicken, and burgers, the food is better at the other restaurants and concession stands.

On the main concourse opposite the Omni Premier Club, Donovan’s Wine Bar has perhaps the most impressive wine selection seen in a ballpark. I counted 41 wines available by the bottle, the most expensive of which goes for $500. Don’t worry, you can take your vintage cabernet to your seat! They also sell 25 wines by the glass.

Most of the fun starts on the Toyota Terrace level, featuring three climate-controlled options and a picturesque outdoor bar. Located in the left field corner, the Zenbu Sushi Bar has an awesome selection of sushi, beer, wine, and specialty cocktails. This is the only restaurant on the terrace level with a field view. The restaurant has a sushi bar, an indoor dining area, a sit-down drink rail area overlooking the field, and an outdoor patio overlooking the field. Notable delicacies at Zenbu include their albacore roll and the hot tail sashimi.

The other three establishments of note on the terrace level are separated from the terrace concourse in the outer garden buildings, sporting scenic views of the San Diego Bay and/or the surrounding area, but not the field.

Club 19, now sometimes known as the .394 club (the Padres are inconsistent about branding for some reason), has traditionally been deemed the nicest space on the terrace level. Featuring a scenic outdoor patio and brown leather couches in the spirit of coffee table-style seating, Club 19 is an understatedly attractive and cozy space, if not a little bit stale.

The climate-controlled restaurant features full table service and a full sit-down bar. Note the Tony Gwynn memorabilia throughout the club space, including photos, jerseys, Gold Glove awards, memorable quotes, and statistics. It appears the Padres are in the process of overhauling the décor of Club 19, judging by the new renderings in the entryway.

Formerly known as the Baja Bistro, the Broad and Brew is a fast casual concept located at section 205 on the first base side behind home plate. The design is less upscale than Club 19 or Zenbu, but the quality of the food more notable, featuring an expanded selection of the top-shelf sandwiches served at the Broad and Brew concession stand. The restaurant doesn’t feature full-service table seating (fast casual), but there is a full-service bar. The colorful décor evokes an informal tropical joint. Located a floor above Ballast Point’s The Draft, the eatery lacks outdoor seating but features nice views of the San Diego Bay.

Finally, Coronados (now partially rebranded the “Brigantine Bar,” but again, it’s unclear) is a completely open-air, full-service bar overlooking the San Diego Bay and the Convention Center. Sporting some of the best views in the park, be sure to check out the sunsets from this perch. While adjacent to the Brigantine concession stand, only drinks are served at Coronados, but there are plenty of tables and chairs. Feel free to bring your food here and enjoy the view. The outdoor bar includes a fireplace.

Transitioning to the outfield concourse, Petco Park now has a bona fide social space overlooking the field. Inspired by San Diego’s beach lifestyle and iconic piers, The Craft Pier is (almost always) open to all fans. The space features pilings and decking constructed from compost woods, drink rails, beach lounge chairs, and patio tables.

While liquor, wine, and food is not served, this is Petco Park’s destination for sampling the city’s finest craft breweries. As with all spaces, you are free to take your drink out of the direct area. The lower tier of the pier is reserved for groups.

Finally, let’s head on up to the upper deck. A handful of ballparks have full-service bars on the upper deck concourse, but Petco Park outdoes them all with perhaps the best full-service restaurant the entire park has to offer. This is the only time I can remember where I would advise you to head to the upper deck even if you have access to all of the amenities on the lower levels.

Providing the best views in the entire park, the open-air Wonderland Ocean Pub serves their signature drinks and great food. The well-known San Diego establishment serves their specialty cocktails—try the Old Grove Refresher—paired with unique fare. Menu items include the Mac Daddy Ahi Poke, ceviche, and the Ocean Pub Burger. The tabled picnic seating is informal, but there is a full-service bar with chairs. Crowned with suspended hanging light fixtures, the vantage point is the highlight.

Located on top of the Western Metal Supply Co. building at the end of the left field upper deck concourse, Rimel’s Rotisserie provides more tabled seating. The food resembles that served at the Rimel’s stand downstairs, and seating is first come first serve. There is no full-service bar, and part of it is sometimes reserved for groups.

After discussing Petco Park’s 10 unique restaurant/bar/sitting spaces, there are two other areas of note. While it doesn’t constitute a restaurant, Phil’s BBQ concession stand at section 113 features its own dedicated picnic area. There are generally more chairs and tables throughout the concourses than usual. There is also the Ballast Point Beer Garden behind section 228, which is very easy to miss.

I think it’s important to take a step back and put all of this in perspective.

At one end, you have the set-up at Marlins Park, which literally has a walk-up bar in left field and nothing else (remember, we’re talking about spaces accessible to all fans). An average ballpark might have a full-service restaurant, a fast casual dining space, and another full-service bar/social space. At the higher end, baseball has something like Coors Field, Comerica Park, or Yankee Stadium, which may feature multiple full-service restaurants, breweries, and rooftop bars.

Then you have Petco Park, which could be defined as having five full-service restaurants/bars, two more fast-casual dining areas, an expansive outfield social space with over 50 beers on tap, a wine bar, a signature ocean view full-service bar, and a number of picnic areas.

Other parks during the new millennium should have strived to create a similar series of well-defined destinations within their ballpark. I can’t think of another example where a ballpark outdoes all other ones to such an extreme degree in one category.

Score: 5/5

Premium Seating/Clubs

With a small corporate market and team insistence on opening up as many spaces as possible to all fans, Petco Park simply doesn’t have the premium seating inventory of most other parks in Major League Baseball. This is mitigated by mostly great quality, a few puzzling concepts notwithstanding.

Part of the issue was that it was difficult for the Padres to mold this category to fit the San Diego environment. Club levels and fancy restaurants traditionally require lots of enclosed, climate-controlled areas, which aren’t conducive to Petco Park’s open, airy design or fantastic climate. Constructing traditional “club seating” with climate-controlled concourses just didn’t make sense here, for example.

The Padres responded with the Toyota Terrace level, situated on the mezzanine where club levels are traditionally positioned across baseball. Instead of enclosing the terrace concourse, they kept the hallway open and built three premium spaces detailed above in the garden buildings on the outer part of the structure overlooking the bay. Fans take bridges to get to them across the terrace level hallway. The fourth space (Zenbu Sushi Bar) is on the other side overlooking the field. These spaces were originally reserved for club seat ticket holders or those on this level, but all fans are now given access to these spaces. The model of the Toyota Terrace level was never too “premium,” anyway.

So, Petco Park is only the second ballpark built since 1991 (the other being Comerica) to lack a significant club space on the mezzanine.

The Lexus Home Plate Club is Petco Park’s ultra-premium option behind home plate, but it’s smaller and more exclusive than others seen across Major League Baseball. While the décor of the restaurant and lounge isn’t the most inspiring, everything else about the Home Plate Club experience blows you away, in what is one of the top-5 clubs behind home plate in the majors.

Confined to only 222 seats, all of which are in front of the back of the dugout from end to end around home plate (in other words, everyone is closer than a fan sitting in the first row behind the dugout), these are some of the hardest tickets to obtain in baseball. I’ve always tried to sit in a ballpark’s best seats to get my readers the best pictures, but the Padres’ Lexus Home Plate Club goes into the category of “no sane person would buy these,” beyond even the Legends Suite at Yankee Stadium (where ticket prices can go way down on the secondary market). When they enter the secondary market, they’re often more expensive than the cheapest seat in a large ultra-exclusive club like at Yankee Stadium because of the scarcity.

All of the requisite amenities people have come to expect are included: all-inclusive food, beer, wine, and liquor, fully padded seats, in-seat service, valet parking, and batting cage views. The private entrance is located behind home plate by the retired numbers. One unique perk is the access to private lockers. Another is that the seats themselves feature fold out tables that come out of the armrest, like at a domestic first class airline seat. I’ve never seen this at a ballpark.

Whereas most such clubs have one dedicated space, the Lexus Home Plate Club has multiple spaces for well-connected fans to enjoy. The experience includes access to a private bar area upon entering, an exclusive indoor dining area next to the batting cages, and a more informal lounge space with indoor and outdoor patio seating centered behind home plate. I’ve sat in the best seats in most major league ballparks, and the Lexus Home Plate Club at Petco Park is something to write home about, distinguishing itself from other ultra-exclusive clubs in baseball.

Petco Park’s secondary premium option is the Omni Premier Club. Located on the left side behind home plate on the main concourse, the club is accessible to those in sections A-L (Premier Club) and some other premium areas.   I’m not entirely sure I like the set-up here. The Omni Premier Club functions more as a high-end buffet (with food and beverages not included in the ticket price) restaurant than as an exclusive club space. If fans weren’t privy to eating at the $39.00 buffet, there would be no reason to come here.

While the full-service bar and outdoor dining overlooking the field are worth checking out, the décor inside the club is a bit tired. The club space is not directly connected to the seating either, and won’t even have a bathroom if the left side of the club is being rented out for a group function. Located in the upper part of the lower bowl, most premier club seats directly access the main concourse. This doesn’t resemble the true premium spaces around the majors. The main perk might be the padded seats and in-seat service.

Located down the lines, the small First Base VIP Box and the Third Base Coaches Box are premium seats of note, with the former featuring all-you-can-eat food delivered to your seat. They don’t feature their own unique “clubs,” but you have access to the Omni Premier Club.

While no longer classified as premium seats, all seats on the Toyota Terrace level have padded bottoms, and sections 201-210 still feature in-seat service.

Attempting to cultivate outdoor premium spaces, the Padres recently created a membership lounge (called “Membership Lounge” sponsored by Herradura Tequila) off the main concourse behind home plate overlooking the San Diego Bay. Formerly a bar part of the Mercado food court, it was probably wise to create a new premium space. There isn’t much of an upgrade in amenities because the regular spaces are so great. All season ticket holders have access to this space. Located completely outdoors, the Membership Lounge features comfy couches, a full-service bar, and live pre-game music.

Besides the usual bevy of creative group areas, the Padres feature one more notable premium option worth discussing. Resembling the loge boxes of  NBA or NHL arenas, the “Home Plate Box Seats” are boxes of 4-6 seats with reclining leather couches and private HD TVs. These were added after the fact behind the 100-level behind home plate in front of the premier club seating. The Padres also added terrace tables in front of the press box on the terrace level. These options could be thought of as a middle ground between luxury suites and club seats.

Petco Park features 58 luxury suites, a fairly standard (if not a tad conservative) number for 2004. All suites feature retractable doors that expose the entirety of the indoor area to the field, a rarity in suite design. The main suites are located along the main concourse at the back of the lower bowl (premier club suites) and at the back of the terrace level (terrace suites). These suffer from minor overhang issues unlike the best suites in baseball. The tower loft suites are located in the light towers, one of Petco Park’s signature architectural features. Oddly, Petco Park’s best suites, located behind home plate below the terrace level but above the main concourse, are group suites.

While the Padres don’t overdo it in this category, the model largely fits their market. They could use a few more true premium options, as this prevents them from having a perfect amenities score.

Score: 3.5/5

General or Artistic References to Baseball or Team History/Museums

Petco Park has traditionally been known as a rather ahistorical ballpark with regard to team history. San Diego has a rather rich baseball tradition, but that story went untold at Petco Park for years. Added in mid-2016, the Padres Museum and Hall of Fame largely rectified Petco Park’s most noticeable flaw.

Located just inside the ballpark gates in left field, the Padres Hall of Fame Plaza is located in the outside courtyard. Most notable is the wall titled “Padres in Cooperstown” that includes plaques of 16 National Baseball Hall of Famers who wore a Padres uniform or were connected to San Diego baseball in some fashion.

Monuments of Tony Gwynn and Dave Winfield are placed in front of the “Padres in Cooperstown” plaque area to signify their status as the two National Baseball Hall of Famers who spent at least a significant part of their careers with the team. The conspicuously large space in between the monuments is being reserved for Trevor Hoffman, who will almost certainly be inducted in 2018.

A front window display called “Padres Honors” showcases the Padres’ 23 Gold Glove winners, 19 Silver Slugger awards, four Cy Young Award winners, two National League championships, and a marker for the 2016 All-Star Game.

Inside the actual museum is a timeline of Padres’ history and baseball history in San Diego divided into three categories: “Before the Padres, 1871-1935,” “The PCL Padres, A Franchise is Born, 1936-1968,” and “National League Padres, 1969-present.”

Historical photographs, video displays, and baseball memorabilia line the walls beginning with the first baseball game played in San Diego. Artifacts and memorabilia include significant bats, balls, bases, jerseys, and trophies.

In the center of the museum, the Padres placed illuminated panels with pictures and career information of the 13 members of the Padres Hall of Fame.

The Museum and Hall of Fame features an obligatory list of Padres all-time leaders. The experience ends with an interactive video display. The museum is not nearly as large or elaborate as those in Cincinnati or St. Louis, which are destinations in their own right, but it’s a tasteful exhibition.

There is a trend toward foregoing extensive ballpark museums in favor of integrating team history into common areas of the park, like the “decade bats” at Comerica Park or Monument Garden at SunTrust Park. The thought is most fans aren’t going to go inside one isolated area, so teams should spread the historical references throughout the main concourses. I generally agree with this new philosophy. But it simply wouldn’t have worked here given Petco Park’s exposed concourse design, so I’m happy with this setup.

There are a few other historical references that predate the new Museum and Hall of Fame. Padres’ retired numbers are prominently showcased outside the home plate plaza by the waterfall. There is a “history of baseball in San Diego” exhibition located by the Western Metal Supply Co. building as fans transition from the main concourse to the outfield concourse down the left field line. Also note the very cool “history of the ballpark neighborhood” display. Like the museum, I think these features were added at some point after the ballpark opened.

Finally, the Padres feature a tribute to San Diego’s naval connections through the USS Midway exhibition on the outfield concourse in right field. It features a model of the aircraft carrier. Beyond the glassed-in model, there is a wall honoring Major League Baseball players who served their country.

I find this to be an effective vehicle for connecting San Diego’s history with that of baseball and the Padres. These features, coupled with the fantastic new museum, give Petco Park high marks in this category.

Score: 5/5

Entertainment/Kids Activities/Other Amenities

I actually didn’t expect Petco Park to get a perfect score in this category, but it excels in certain non-traditional and intangible forms of miscellaneous entertainment.

The Padres don’t have any sort of extensive “kids clubhouse” like in Cleveland, or any over-the-features like Atlanta’s zipline, Detroit’s Ferris Wheel, or Kansas City’s putt-putt golf course, but there is plenty to do here besides drink, eat, enjoy history, or watch a baseball game.

In this category, Petco Park is most well known for its mini-baseball field. Known as “Bumble Bee Ballpark,” Petco Park’s wiffle ball field is well located and expansive. Other parks have similar mini-baseball fields for kids, but I think this is the best one.

“The Beach” has been wisely relocated to the outfield concourse from the right-center field wall. Widely derided as a gimmick in the park’s early years, it’s just a sandbox for little kids. This is a minor amenity, not something that should be part of the interior aesthetic design, so I’m glad they repositioned it to a less prominent place.

The sheer size of the “Park in the Park” is one of the most impressive factors of Petco Park. It’s bigger than you expect. Kids and families can run around and really do anything they please in this expansive space, from playing catch to lying down on a towel and playing cards.

Take time to walk around the Park in the Park and appreciate its enormity compared to other such spaces in Major League Baseball. Like an actual park, you can spend significant time actually “taking a walk.” The hill in the middle of the park is positioned as such for watching the game, but I forgot there was much more space on the other side of the hill too. In this area, there is an obligatory kids’ playground and jungle gym.

Petco Park has a concert stage behind the center field batters’ eye. Speed pitch is located on the outfield concourse in right field. On Sundays, the Padres have bounce castles and other games in the Park in the Park.

Finally, the Padres seem to have plenty for adults to do as well. As previously mentioned, the Budweiser Beer Loft has pool tables, foosball, and shuffleboard.

Score: 3/3

Total: 23.5/25