Everything They'll Be Eating at Coachella This Weekend
Prepare for FOMO.
Wingman Kitchen
Coachella is back at it again with a food lineup as fan girl-worthy as their main acts. From Shake Shack to plenty of vegan options (clearly all made for Beyoncé) to kombucha popsicles (WHAT?!) to, for the first time ever, a non-alcoholic bar called Bar Not Bar, the music and arts festival is proving itself to be a foodie paradise.
Here are all the foods you need to get your hands on. Alternatively: here is all the food you’ll be missing out on. Cue stomach rumble.
Location: Indio Central Market
Outspoken celebrity chef David Chang is bringing New York-based Fuku to the West Coast. Fuku focuses on simple, no-frills fried chicken sandwiches – but with an expert, upscale touch. Grab a slushie while you’re there.
Location: Terrace West
The #ALLVEGANEVERYTHING Herbivorous Butcher shop is offering plant-based meat alternatives – and giving Fuku a run for its money – with their Vegan Fried Chicken Double Down sandwich. Yes, that’s two fried "chicken" patties acting as buns, and they look scrumptious. I am spellbound.
While you’re there, check out their totchos. Aka tater tot nachos (... yes, I had to look that up).
Location: Food South
Mallow Mallow brings classic campfire s’mores fresh to you, but with none of the hassle. Try out their festival-exclusive unicorn frozen hot chocolate one.
Location: Craft Beer Barn
Mac-and-cheese pizza. That is all that needs to be said.
Location: Indio Central Market
Milk Bar is the brainchild of celebrated pastry chef Christina Tosi, and it’s filled with imaginative cookies, cakes and pies. But if for nothing else, Milk Bar is known for its Cereal Milk™ Soft Serve – and let me tell you: it’s amazing. It will have you reminiscing over the good ol’ days. You must must must get the ice cream with the cornflake crunch topping. It brings it to a whole ’nother level.
Location: Terrace West
If millennial pink ice cream shops aren't your scene, Little Damage has got your dark soul covered with their Insta-famous charcoal soft serve. Get on it.
Location: Indio Central Market & VIP (near white peak tents)
BØRNS, performing Saturday, teamed up with Sweetfin to create a Coachella exclusive poke bowl. The "Blue Madonna" bowl, is inspired by the Indie artist’s latest album by the same name. How meta would it be to eat the "Blue Madonna" bowl… while listening to "Blue Madonna?"
Location: Indio Central Market & VIP (near the white peak tents)
This. Is. Not. A. Drill. GT’s is serving KOMBUCHA POPSICLES so you can stay cool and get your daily dose of gut-friendly probiotics. Does it get any more California than this?
Location: Indio Central Market
They have fried avocado tacos. What the heck? That sounds amazing???
Location: Indio Central Market
Finish your fried avocado run with another Insta-famous treat: the Sweet Rolled Taco. With this bad boy, you have rolled ice cream (on-trend) inside a taco shell (always on-trend). It’s a two-for-one.
Location: Terrace West
I cannot express enough how much I love Van Leeuwen’s ice cream. It’s just simple, non-gimmicky, creamy ice cream that is made so well. All of their flavors are on point. You MUST try Honeycomb. As my roommate once said, "once you taste it, you can’t un-taste it." It is that good. Try it and I promise you’ll be thinking about this ice cream until the end of time.
Location: Terrace West
Alvin Cailan, the chef behind breakfast-sandwich-hot-spot Eggslut, loves Bob’s Burgers so much he brought the show’s burgers to life in an NYC pop up back in December – and it sent fans into a frenzy.
Now Cailan is bringing cheeseburgers to Coachella, where you can order them by the number of patties (up to a "sextuple") you’d like to sink your teeth into.
Location: Food South
AbsoLUTEly make your way to Shake Shack if you have never had these burgers grace your taste buds. Legendary NYC restaurateur Danny Meyer founded the "modern day version of a roadside burger stand," and by Jove, it is a blessing to this Earth.
Location: Indio Central Market
This curiosity is debuting at Coachella: a puffle cone filled not with ice cream, but popcorn chicken. Otherwise known as the “Puff Daddy,” the latest way to consume chicken is a savory twist on a sweet dessert that took the internet by storm. Find that ish ASAP.
Location: VIP (near white peak tents)
Take a break from all that fried goodness, and instead, indulge in Sunny Blue’s gorgeously seasoned hand-crafted ombusubi and takoyaki. Any food that can be handheld and contains rice is an A+ is my book.
Location: VIP (near white peak tents)
Get a taste of Rome at Trapizzino, where you can pick up fluffy dough pockets filled with anything from oxtail ragu to eggplant Parmesan. They’re rich, decadent, and neat – the mess-free solution to pizza on the go.
Location: VIP Rose Garden
Just because you’re in the middle of the desert doesn’t mean you can’t be your bougie self. Hayden, I kid you not, is serving wine and charcuterie so you don’t have to skip a beat. Treat yo’ self.
Location: VIP (near the white peak tents)
Can you even believe there are 100% grass-fed Wagyu beef burgers at Coachella? Wagyu. Beef. The team behind sushi fan favorite Sugarfish has made its way out of the sea to bring you top-notch quality burgers.
Pop Up Restaurants
Location: VIP (near the white peak tents)
Festival dining isn’t all booth-food. With VIP access, you have the option to eat at one of three full-service, open-air pop up restaurants from Southern California. Gwen, a "world-class butcher shop;" The Exchange, Freeland LA’s take on Israeli-Californian cuisine; and Little Pine, an all-vegan Mediterranean and California-inspired hot spot will each be offering prix-fixe menus. Reservations are available in advance via OpenTable.
Location: VIP Rose Garden
For $225 a seat, you can have a complete four-course dining experience in the middle of the desert.
Outstanding in the Field invites celebrated chefs to team up and prepare family style, seated dinners unlike any other. 2018’s chef lineup includes Pawan, Nakul, and Arjun Mahendro of Badmaash, Shirley Chung, Brooke Williamson, and more.
Marriott
You won’t see this spot on the official lineup since Marriott’s Loyalty Tent isn’t actually a food vendor. However! The tent, located in the general admission area, is open to all festival goers and is a place to cool down, relax, and get... FREE popsicles, fruit-infused water, and snacks.
For serious!!! If you’re low on cash, or just appreciate complimentary food, head here.
