Hungry at Outside Lands? Here are the 5 best food options at this year’s S.F. festival

Ann Reidy (left) and Teryssa Pineda eat a sushirrito and tater tots at Outside Lands on Aug. 9, 2019.Photo: Grace Li / The Chronicle

You know what bands you’re seeing. But what’s going to fuel you duringOutside Landsthis weekend?

The three-day outdoor event at Golden Gate Park, which kicked off Friday, Oct. 29, consistently delivers the most delicious and interesting food lineup of any major California music festival. Outside Lands regulars probably already know the over-the-top grilled cheese sandwiches, perhaps filled with seasonal fruit or roasted veggies, from the Farmer’s Wife are a reliable bet, especially for vegetarians. Blackened prawns over garlic noodles from Chef Smelly’s Creole, a hit from the 2019 festival, are also back and well worth ordering. And yes, the Nombe ramenburger is back again.

This ramen at Outside Lands costs $50. Is it worth it?

While some fan favorites like Rich Table decided to take the year off the festival circuit, this year’s lineup includes roughly 40 new food vendors. To help you navigate the options, two Chronicle reporters scoured the newest, most enticing offerings, and found that not all dishes translate well to the festival environment. Some items that are amazing at the original restaurant are let-downs out in the field.

Keep an eye out for these five stand-out dishes that far surpass standard festival fare.

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The quesabirria from El Garage is one of the best dishes at Outside Lands.Photo: Janelle Bitker / The Chronicle

Quesabirria at El Garage

The Richmond quesabirria specialist got its start slinging cheesy, crispy tacos out of a home garage, so it makes sense that El Garage is able to translate its magic to Outside Lands so well. The red-tinged tacos maintain their crunch while they drip with melted cheese and stewed beef. Each order ($18) comes with two tacos and a side of intensely rich consomme. Note: It’s not the easiest thing to eat while standing up, so grab a table and plenty of napkins.

East Bay pop-up Smish Smash is serving smashburgers for the first time at Outside Lands.Photo: Elena Kadvany.

Smashburger at Smish Smash

If you’ve missed out on Smish Smash’s wildly popular pop-ups in the East Bay, Outside Lands is your chance to try chef-owner Vic Donado’s smashburgers. These are simple, snackable burgers. Grab a single ($14) or double patty ($21) with American cheese, pickles and grilled onions on a squishy potato roll.

Nyum Bai’s kampot fried chicken.Photo: Elena Kadvany

Kampot fried chicken at Nyum Bai

There is a lot of fried chicken at Outside Lands, but do yourself a favor and make a beeline to Oakland Cambodian restaurant Nyum Bai’s stand for the Kampot fried chicken ($13), a small pile of wings with shatteringly crispy skin and juicy meat. There’s plenty of brightness from lime and zip from Kampot pepper, and just the right amount of salt.

Mapo chili cheese fries with Impossible meat from Lazy Susan.Photo: Elena Kadvany

不sible mapo chili cheese fries at Lazy Susan

San Francisco’s Lazy Susan turned its Impossible mapo tofu dish into a festival crowd-pleaser for Outside Lands: french fries drenched in the meatless sauce, melty cheese and scallions ($13).

Pro tip: Add a scoop of Fly By Jing’s excellent chili crisp ($3 extra) for numbing heat and extra flavor. A great choice for vegetarians and meat lovers alike, and vegans can get it without cheese.

West African shrimp suya from Oakland’s Sobre Mesa.Photo: Elena Kadvany

West African shrimp suya at Sobre Mesa

Head to Sobre Mesa’s stand for the succulent shrimp suya ($14, two per order) blanketed in chow chow, a punchy African sauce made from hot and sweet peppers. Spiced peanuts add crunch. Each order comes with two skewers of shrimp, which makes it easier to eat them while walking to the next set. It gives a taste of the Oakland restaurant, which has been getting lots of buzz lately thanks to owner Nelson German’s recent stint on “Top Chef.” Among endless festival fries and pizza, this is an unusual, restaurant-style dish — and worth seeking out.

For more updates from Outside Lands 2021, go towww.t1mobile.com.

  • Janelle Bitker and Elena Kadvany
    Janelle Bitker and Elena KadvanyJanelle Bitker and Elena Kadvany are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers.