Cold beer, red sunburns and crippling losses are all just regular aspects of enjoying Texas football in the fall. Stadium food has never been a particularly prideful part of football season, but the impressive selection of local favorites at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium has turned that notion upside down for Longhorn football fans. With the new clear-bag policy making it harder than ever for fans to sneak in their own snacks, now is a perfect time to explore the outstanding concession stands that DKR has to offer. Here are some of the best spots to grab a bite at during UT’s home games. 

Salt Lick BBQ

This newcomer to the DKR food scene has two separate locations inside the stadium, giving attendees ample opportunity to get their proper barbecue fix during the game. While barbecue may not seem like an easy meal to tackle while simultaneously jumping around and cheering in the student bleachers, the fine folks at Salt Lick have condensed their stadium menu to mostly handheld items that can easily be eaten in the stands. The pulled pork sandwich, brisket sandwich or barbecue nachos are the way to go. 

Pluckers

The in-stadium Pluckers is one of the prime spots to chow down at while the Longhorns are trailing by three possessions in the second quarter and you just want to get out of the sun for a little while. Not only does this spot conveniently serve up Austin’s favorite chicken wings, but the entire area in front of it has been converted into a sports bar with TVs, tables and even some cool turf to sprawl out and rest your back on. Unfortunately, the sauce selection is significantly more limited than what Pluckers’ fans would typically be used to, but that allows the employees to serve patrons quickly enough to avoid ever having too bad of a line. Chicken wings might be the best possible game day food, so Pluckers is a great move for anyone trying to stay in the true spirit of things.

Torchy’s Tacos 

Tacos are rarely an option when people are looking for food at a football stadium, with the closest things usually being stale stadium nachos or dried out sausage wraps. Thankfully for Longhorn fans, though, the much beloved Torchy’s Tacos opened a stadium location in 2015, and no one has looked back since. Like most other local restaurants that have stadium vendors, Torchy’s menu has been condensed down to two taco options: the trailer park and the green chile pork. They also offer patrons their famous green chile queso and the always-reliable chips and salsa. 

Mighty Cone 

Another exciting new addition to the DKR food selection is no stranger to large Austin events. First made popular by its participation in the annual Austin City Limits Music Festival, Mighty Cone has decided to expand into the lives of screaming football fans this season. The menu features everyone’s favorite hot and crunchy chicken and avocado served conveniently in a cone-shaped tortilla with mango-jalapeno slaw and ancho sauce. If these cones can be easily and comfortably devoured in the claustrophobic crowds of ACL, it only makes sense that they would make for a solid gameday meal as well. 

Mama Fu’s Asian House 

This stand puts a great new spin on stadium food. The popular Asian restaurant offers some of its most stadium-compatible menu items like the banh mi sandwich, basil spring rolls and chicken satay. It has also added some more interesting options specifically catered to their DKR stand like Korean street tacos and crab rangoon nachos. The crab rangoon nachos alone should be enough of a reason to get anyone to check this concession out.