Dodger Stadium’s “Slugger” is a home run in a field of singles

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The culinary world of baseball has come a long way since the days of peanuts and crackerjacks. While stadium standards such as the hot dog still reign supreme, even this humble sausage has received its fair share of facelifts over the decades. With the 2025 Major League season in its initial innings, a fast ball of new menu items have been pitched at Dodger Stadium, but unfortunately, most of them strike out.

The Dodgers garlic fry helmet has had better, tastier days. The pile of golden, thick cut potatoes tossed with chopped garlic, parsley and salt served in a plastic Dodgers helmet has always been a fan favorite stadium food.

While the french fries usually stay crispy, this particular helmet had a fair share of them on the soggy, oily side, detracting from the satisfaction of snacking on fries with a crisp exterior before getting to the soft interior. The garlic, parsley and salt seasoning was as delicious as all the helmets stadium goers have devoured before but was unevenly dispersed — with most of the seasoning falling to the bottom of the serving vessel. Without the seasoning, they tasted like any old fast food fries.

One of the best things about the garlic fry helmet was that it can be found at the Dodger Dog Express, located in Loge 140, Loge 143, Reserve 6 and Reserve 7. While the helmets were also served at other food vendors, the Dodger Dog Express’s grab-and-go layout made purchasing food quick and easy. For the convenience, relatively-reasonable price at $13.50 and decent portion size, the Dodgers garlic fry helmet was a great salty, warm snack to munch on while watching the game.

A recent addition to the Dodger’s stadium menu was the Pastrami Burger, which pays tribute to this Los Angeles staple. Though this meal did not “meat” my expectations, a more inebriated individual may have fallen hard and fast for its greasy taste, fatty slices of pastrami and soft standard buns. Sourced from RC Provisions, the same manufacturers that supply the meat from Langer’s Deli, the respectable portion of chewy pastrami had a subtle but sweet flavor. It took some dental expertise to prevent it all from coming out on the first bite, but it was a nice addition to an otherwise all-American classic. A greasy but juicy burger patty with melted-enough American cheese is about what you’d expect from a stadium sandwich and about what you’d get from the Dodger’s, too. Pickles added some textural variety that was much appreciated in this mushy, sweet concoction. Quickly served, the dryness of the burger spoke to how long it was left under the heat lamp. For its twenty dollar price tag, this mediocre homage won’t do anyone’s wallet justice. In layman’s terms, it was “aight.”

Probably the biggest new addition to the stadium’s menu — literally — is “The Slugger.” Priced at $2.50 per inch, this meaty monstrosity measured out to a foot and a third and costs roughly $40. Even though this might seem outrageous for a sausage, it did come with a side of mediocre french fries, and the meal as a whole could comfortably feed two people.

When ordering this dish, customers should not be fooled into thinking it is just some beefed-up Dodger Dog, as “The Slugger” was a beast unto itself. Stuffed into a soft hoagie roll, this 16-inch link had an impressively satisfying snap that left juices bursting with flavor – literally – from the first daunting bite to the messy last. The meat of the matter was honestly better than it has any right to be. This jalapeño cheddar sausage isn’t stuffed with pickled “stadium-style” jalapeños and nacho cheese sauce but the real deal – making it properly spicy and delicately cheesy.

To top it all off — or at least half of it due to the poor distribution — “The Slugger” came with corn relish, cilantro crema and a white cheddar sauce. The corn relish did wonders to add a touch of freshness from the tomatoes and a sweet snap from the corn to break through the fatty sausage. While the crema was unfortunately lost in the outfield, the cheese sauce more than made up for it. Similar to a béchamel, it was decadent and creamy with a hint of cheesy funk for brightness.

Textually and flavor-wise out of the ballpark, the best part about this feat was the experience of eating it. The sausage was served in a two-foot long trough with handles on it. Two hands — and a fair amount of courage — were required to pick up “The Slugger,” and a massive bite was needed to encompass the meat, bun and toppings. It was messy in the best way possible and will leave any Dodger fan’s hands and face covered in all kinds of grease and condiments, but that’s part of the fun.

While some of the offerings had a middling batting average, “The Slugger” lived up to its name and knocked baseball attendees’ expectations out of the park.