Good Taste is a menu for eating well in the Bay Area. This week, we offer suggestions of where and what to eat at this weekend’s two-day Portola Music Festival at Pier 80 in San Francisco. Subscribe to our newsletters, including Good Taste, for more delicious food & drink news delivered to your inbox.
Last year, Portola drew 42,000 partygoers per day. The event runs from 1-11pm, so if you’re going, you’ll probably want some refreshments. I went last year and did not encounter any significant lines for coffee or food.
“That’s literally one of my biggest goals—I hate lines,” asserts Adrian Garcia, food and beverage director and culinary director at Goldenvoice. “Food is very important, but I also want people to get back in front of the stage and keep their group and their party moving forward. The goal is no lines, even with beverages. There’s going to be these rushes as people move from stage to stage, depending on programming, but the goal is still to not have to be sitting in line waiting for too long for anything.”
After chopping it up with Garcia, these are the highlights of the Portola food lineup that I think should be high on a hungry attendee’s to-do list.
Hush puppy corndogs by Sandy’s
Sandy’s (1457 Haight Street, SF) is known for muffuletta sandwiches, but I’d highly recommend getting a hush puppy corndog with red pepper remoulade. It’s not on the regular restaurant menu, but it should be?
Merkado x Pacific Smoke
Look for a collaboration between the local Mexican restaurant Merkado (130 Townsend Street, SF) and BBQ chef Pacific Smoke, Garcia advises.
Bánh mi by Saigon Sandwich
Garcia is excited that the Tenderloin’s Saigon Sandwich (560 Larkin Street, SF) was the first food creator he brought on board this year after wanting their bánh mi to be at the festival for the past three years. That’s going to be a smart choice to fuel the first part of the day’s journey into the raving warehouse.
Refugee and Roots
Garcia also says to be on the lookout for this Vietnamese pop-up, which will be roadtesting an oyster concept at Portola.
VIP Pokémon bowls and Power Ranger smashburgers by Farmhouse Thai
VIP ticketholders can access Farmhouse World pop-up, which will offer sets and à la carte items by Chef Kasem “Pop” Saengsawang’s restaurants Farmhouse Thai and Nōka Ramen. I’m guessing they are going to move a lot of the Pokémon bowl (tonkotsu broth, pork belly, soft egg) and the Power Ranger Smash (a half-pound Wagyu patty with Thai holy basil–garlic–chili sauce, char siu pork belly, aioli, arugula, crispy leeks, cheddar, fried egg, and truffle fries), both served in sets with shishito peppers, larb corn, and red bean mochi. Nōka Ramen will also be available in a general admission area, but won’t be serving the Pokémon bowls there.
Dirrty drinks in a secret space
Now, you may know that I don’t usually like to blow up secret spots around these parts, but Garcia hinted that there will be an incognito place on the festival grounds serving drinks inspired by the artist who will be providing the weekend’s top pop moment (as well as Grindr notification alert sounds rubbing users the right way): Christina Aguilera. This is an area at Portola that hasn’t been announced, but will appear somewhere on the physical map handout. And it may have something to do with a cat named Felix.
Tamara also publishes the California Eating and Food Book Club newsletters.
