Review by Marisa Scolamiero, Stadium Journey Correspondent

The new Yankee Stadium is from top to bottom an amazing, modernized, well thought out ballpark. The outside structure is reminiscent of the original 1923 ballpark, while the inside is very spacious. No longer are you forced to squeeze through the narrow hallways or walk up/down the overly crowded ramps to go from one level to the next.

The new stadium is full of escalators, wide staircases and ramps, as well as elevators. Aside from the structural changes, the new stadium is full of great restaurants, a wide variety of concessions, with a multitude of tributes to the great Yankees and Yankee teams of the past and present. It is modern, luxurious, but it still looks like the old Yankee Stadium, which makes you feel right at home.

FANFARE Score: 30

Food and Beverage: 4

The new stadium features about every type of food you could possibly imagine. The concession stands are full of the typical things like hot dogs, pizza, chicken fingers, and sausage sandwiches. In addition to that they have cheese steaks, sushi, Cuban sandwiches, Lobel’s steak sandwiches, Nathan’s, Johnny Rockets, and Brother Jimmy’s Southern BBQ.

The beer selection around the stadium is really good. There are several “Beers of the World” stands around the stadium that feature Stella Artois, Blue Moon, Heineken, Bass Ale, in addition to the typical Bud/Bud Light, Coors/Coors Light.

The amount of concession stands throughout the stadium is staggering. They have popcorn, which is pretty standard for a ballpark, but you can get several sizes of the freshly popped corn, as well as white cheddar kettle corn.

If you have a sweet tooth you can have your pick of caramel apples, Carvel ice cream, Dip n Dots, and a variety of other things.

Everything is expensive. A pulled pork sandwich at Brother Jimmy’s and a Beck’s on tap comes to cost slightly over $20. A Lobel’s steak sandwich is $15—all very tasty, and worth it if you’re looking to experience something different.

Special Eateries in Yankee Stadium: Hard Rock Café: The Hard Rock Café is located at Gate 6 and is open all-year round.

There are two levels for seating, and aside from the usual Hard Rock décor of pictures and memorabilia from famous rock stars, there are some unique Yankee things within Hard Rock.

If you arrive at the ballpark early, and have time to get some food in Hard Rock, it’s worth a shot, but it gets busy quickly, and is not necessarily worth missing the start of the game.

The Tommy Bahama Bar: The Tommy Bahama Bar is located on the second level and can be seen from the Great Hall. It is a spacious bar that features a variety of specialty drinks with tons of high tables and counter space to stand at in addition to the bar. While they have a ton of beer to choose from in the bottle, they only have Bud Light on tap. They don’t serve any kind of food there, but it’s a cool place to hang out before the game starts.

NYY Steak is located directly above the Hard Rock Café. It is also open all-year round, but if you want to eat there when the Yankees are at home, you must have a ticket for the game to get in. NYY Steak is the most upscale restaurant in any major league ballpark. It has the feel of any major NY Steak house, with all the special touches that make it unique to Yankee Stadium.

The walls are lined with some of the most famous signatures in baseball, much like the wall in the Yankee museum on the level above the steak house. The food and service are top notch. The staff is overly accommodating, and the menu features a wide variety of prime sirloins, seafood, and some great side dishes like a loaded baked potato, truffle fries, and the classic creamed spinach.

They even have a cocktail list that is baseball themed with choices like “The MVP” and “The Monument Mojito”. Instead of giving bread for the table, each diner receives a small version of a NY pretzel, and each plate has a retired Yankee number on it.

The bar area features a full menu, so patrons can eat there as well. Reservations are hard to come by; if you know you’re going to a game well in advance and want to enjoy a fine meal call for a reservation as soon as possible. They take reservations at least five weeks in advance. There is a chance that you could walk in, be put on the wait list, and not have to wait too long, but if you want to be sure you have a reservation… CALL. It is most definitely pricey, but the experience is well worth the cost, at least for one time.

Atmosphere: 5

While this isn’t the “House that Ruth Built” the field looks exactly the same as the old stadium, which makes you feel like you are still at the stadium across the street.

Monument Park resides in center field now, but it still has the same statues and plaques as it did before.
In addition to Monument Park, there is also the Yankee Museum for fans to visit. It is located on the second level, directly above NYY Steak. It features a time line of the Yankees’ history with some valuable pieces of memorabilia.  The stand out feature of the museum is the wall of signatures. One side features some of the most famous signatures in all of baseball, and the other side holds autographed baseballs from the great names in sports.

The Bleacher Creatures are still in right field doing their first inning roll call, and while the atmosphere isn’t quite as electric as it was in the old stadium, there still is that magical feeling in the air. The fans are passionate and as unforgiving as ever, but there are definitely more empty seats in this stadium than there were across the street.

Neighborhood: 3

Unlike many of the other stadiums that are located in major cities, Yankee Stadium is not exactly in a built up area. It is located in the heart of the Bronx, and if you were to wander just a few blocks from the stadium, you would be in the not so nice part of the Bronx. Along River Avenue across the street from the old stadium, there are a bunch of sports bars that many Yankee fans gather at for pre-game festivities.

Stan’s takes up almost an entire side of the street from the bar to their t-shirt stands. The bar has tons of Yankee memorabilia all around in addition to other sports stuff.  You order food at a separate counter, and they feature items like mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, fries and cheesesteaks to name a few. There are a ton of bottled beers to choose from and they run at about seven dollars each. It’s a fun place to go before the game.

Billy’s Sports Bar is right next door to Stan’s. It is split up into two sides; the bar and then up the stairs are booths to eat at as well as a bar. There is a very extensive menu, and a lot more liquor and beer to choose from. Beers were slightly more expensive at about eight dollars each. It’s a little bit more upscale than Stan’s, so if you’re looking for a swanky place to hang out before the game, Billy’s is the place to go.

Fans: 5

Yankee fans may get a bad rap for being too demanding and too brutal even to their own players, but they are out there every game no matter what the weather conditions to support their team. They are loud, energetic, and will be in any opposing fan’s face if they dare speak badly about THEIR team.

Access: 5

Like most things in and around Yankee Stadium, parking isn’t cheap. Luckily, there are several options for places to park. The parking garages by the old Yankee Stadium on River & Jerome Avenue are still open. It costs $19 to park over there. There is also a new parking garage located right off the Major Deegan by way of the Macombs Dam Bridge. Parking is also $19 and the garage is very large and you simply cross the street to get to the stadium. There is a parking garage right next to the stadium, but that garage requires a pre-paid parking pass.

In addition to the parking garages around the stadium, there is also subway transportation. The subway lets you off by the old stadium right across the street from the new.

Getting in and out of Yankee Stadium is very easy. There are a bunch of entrances, and once inside there are ramps, stairs, elevators, and escalators to get around the stadium. No longer are you fighting to squeeze  through the mobs of people in a crowded space.

Return on Investment: 4

Going to a game at Yankee Stadium is expensive. From the parking to the price of a hot dog, nothing is cheap. However, it doesn’t disappoint. Everyone that works in the stadium is overly helpful, getting around is easy, and there is a ton of stuff to do within the stadium to keep fans occupied before first pitch.

Extra Points: 4

Yankee Stadium is impressive on just about every level imaginable. The addition of the Hard Rock Cafe, NYY Steak, and the wide variety of concessions make it that much more enjoyable. The best part is that while the building is different, they kept so many things the same like the field, that you feel like you’re looking at the field from the old stadium. Monument Park may now reside in center field, but the tradition of remembering the past is still there. The Yankee Museum is also a great way for fans to see the history of the team, and experience it in a completely different way. For me, the best part of the new stadium is the Great Hall. Walking through there and seeing the hanging banners of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle to name a few just gives you goosebumps, and reminds you just what makes the Yankees such a special organization.

Final Thoughts:

Yankee Stadium is a great place to go watch a game. It’s a highly charged atmosphere full of all the modern conveniences that fans love with touches of the old stadium that act as a reminder of the House that Ruth Built.