Rate Field - Chicago White Sox
- Eric Hasman
- May 4
- 10 min read
Updated: 20 hours ago
Photos by Eric Hasman and Marc Viquez, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.00
Rate Field 333 W 35th St Chicago, IL 60616
Year Opened: 1991 Capacity: 40,615
The Rate Rates a Good Time
Rate Field debuted as Comiskey Park II in 1991 and, for the past 30 years, has seen multiple names and plenty of changes to the ballpark. Currently, the “Rate” often gets unjustly maligned by locals and White Sox fans because it is not Old Comiskey Park or Wrigley Field, with some justification.
The facility was the last of its kind built before the opening of Camden Yards in 1992. The team owner was given the plans to Camden Yards but chose the current park because it was patterned after Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, which he liked. The stadium stands as a symbol of a bygone era, but there have been extensive renovations at the stadium that have altered the ballpark to where is it almost unrecognizable from the original.
The renovations have included removing the upper eight rows of the upper deck, eliminating 6,660 seats,
replacing the angled roof with a flat roof thus giving the illusion of being closed in, and adding seats down the baselines. Other modifications involved moving of the bullpens, replacing almost every seat from blue to hunter green (more about this later), and the addition a party deck (the Miller Lite Landing). It encompassed adding bars / seating areas, new concessions, and the inclusion of a kids' play area.
The White Sox added statues of the past White Sox greats in the lower deck concourse and a bronze statue honoring the 2005 World Series team outside the Gate 4 main entrance. Additionally, a massive gift shop and restaurant were constructed on the ballpark's third base side.
If you haven’t been to a Sox game for some time, chances are that it looks a lot different from your last visit.
Food & Beverage 5
Rate Field offers a vast variety of food from Chicago favorites to items made for the ballpark. There are numerous kiosks, eating areas, and social spots, including the Leinenkugel Craft Lodge and Topo Chico Hard Seltzer Cantina. It's advisable to walk around first before making a selection to eat or drink.
The standards are still here, including Comiskey dogs and burgers, Cuban sandwiches, Italian beef, pizza slices, street tacos, brats, tamales, chicken wings and nachos. Sweet treats include ice cream, Italian ice, and churros. There is also stir fry, Polish / Columbian, Fusion, cheddar perogies, pretzel-wrapped brats, and Italian grinder and turkey club deli sandwiches, and a carvery stand. If ice cream is your thing, you must try the Rainbow Cone (Chocolate, Strawberry, Palmer House, Pistachio, and Orange Sherbet in one scoop), which is a southside mainstay since 1926.
My favorites at the park are the tamales, elotes, and the Cuban sandwiches. The new items include The Smokehouse on the outfield concourse that has a wonderful aroma and features smoked chicken wings and bbq nachos.
The Miller Lite Landing replaced the old Goose Island area. The “Landing” now has an old repurposed Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train car with 12 taps. Special tickets are needed to sit in this area.
The Leinenkugel Craft Lodge is located on the ground level behind the visitor’s bullpen, offering a full-service wait staff and many different beers from area breweries. Fans can pick them out of the refrigerators and enjoy them in the full-service restaurant. However, tables are packed with fans enjoying craft-made burgers and sandwiches.
The Vizzy View Bar Tap Room has been renamed the Topo Chico Hard Seltzer Cantina and scaled back a bit compared to other years. The area still provides patio views of the game, plus different food items inside the air-conditioned tap room. The Old No. 7 Bar, sponsored by Jack Daniels, offers various drinks, hard liquor, and other libations with TVs and tabletop seating.
Atmosphere 4
Two hours before the start of the game, fans line up in the parking lots next to the stadium to tailgate. The area includes bags tossed in the air, the smell of smoke from the barbecue, and a few drinks between Sox fans before the first pitch.
Closer to the start of the game is Championship Plaza featuring a life-sized white bronze and granite sculpture celebrating the 2005 World Series championship team and a historical timeline of the franchise along the diamond’s base paths. Legacy Bricks are inscribed with a personalized message on the plaza. Across the street from the plaza is the placement of the home plate and foul lines of Old Comiskey Park.
Once inside, the main concourse from the first to third baseline is somewhat narrow, but the outfield concourse opens up to a wealth of excitement that makes it one of the best areas in baseball. The wide-open area houses an array of fun areas for fans of all ages.
Sculptures of former White Sox Legends are located throughout the outfield concourse. The life-sized statues are of all-time greats Luis Aparicio, Harold Baines, Mark Buehrle, Charles Comiskey, Carlton Fisk, Nellie Fox, Paul Konerko, Minnie Miñoso, Billy Pierce and Frank Thomas. Fans can pose and take pictures with them. Also, in the left field concourse is the original shower from old Comiskey Park.
The CIBC Fan Deck is available at times for all and offers a panoramic view of the playing field on the two-tiered deck atop the center field concession stands. However, most of the time it is rented out to large groups. Just below the deck is an ivy-covered batter's eye.
The Wintrust Kids Zone is above the left-center concourse overlooking the playing field that provides instruction on the game. Kids 12 and under can utilize the plaza with a youth-sized Wiffle ball diamond along with batting and pitching cages accessible from the 100, 300, and 500 levels. The best part about it is it’s free of charge. However, you do need a kid to get access to the area.
Also located above the concourse is the center field video board that’s slightly larger than 8,000 square feet measuring 60 feet high and 134 feet wide. After every Sox home run or victory, fireworks are shot from behind the scoreboard, thus giving the illusion of coming from the board. This scoreboard is patterned after the scoreboard that team owner Bill Veeck installed at the park. As with all scoreboards it provides Sox facts and stats of players, etc., displays videos and between-inning videos and contests such as the Buona Italian Beef race.
The 500 section of the ballpark features murals on the brick walls of White Sox Baseball history throughout the concourse. The roof which was replaced in one of the phases of the renovations is based off the old Comiskey Park. The canopy is painted dark gray.
From the Leinenkugel Craft Lodge there is a plexiglass section where you can watch the opposing teams pitchers warm up. The Chicago Sports Depot is the team’s official two-story team shop offering much more than ChiSox gear. Before the game, the ChiSox Bar & Grill offers a full-service bar with food and outside patio seating. If you arrive a little earlier and aren't tailgating, this might be the spot for you to get into the mood before the first pitch.
On Sundays the White Sox have racing Harold Baines, Bo Jackson, and Jim Thome. Sure it is not as fun as Pittsburgh’s Racing Perogies, or Milwaukee’s’ Racing Sausages, but it is still fun.
Neighborhood 2
The ballpark is bordered by the Dan Ryan Expressway to the east and the working-class residential Bridgeport neighborhood to the west/northwest. The area is not littered with bars and restaurants. However, there are some within a few blocks of the ballpark. Have no worries about the safety of the neighborhood; it’s comfortable to walk around after the game if you’re stopping at nearby places. If you are looking for nightlife and did not drive yourself, the best bet would hop on the Chicago Transit Authority redline train and head towards the city.
The Chisox Bar & Grill is located across the street from the main entrance and features 65 flat-screen TVs and a large open patio that opens three hours before the game. The menu highlights include chopped brisket tacos and smoked corn on the cob with sweet maple bourbon butter.
Approximately two blocks to the north of the park is the Cork & Kerry Bar and Grill which replaced the legendary Jimbos Bar. Cork & Kerry is an Irish Bar which has Irish Egg Rolls, Pub burgers, and other Chicago favorites. About three blocks to the south of the park is the Ballpark Pub which has very good basic bar food. A few blocks to the west of the stadium is Halsted Street which has more bar and restaurant options such as Taquerias, Chinese food.
One of the more popular places is Buffalo Wings and Rings, which offers free shuttle service to and from the stadium. All management asks is that you purchase a drink or other menu option. A few feet down is the Bridgeport Restaurant, open from 9am to 5pm daily, featuring breakfast specials, three-tier sandwiches, and house specialties.
About a mile to the west is Antique Taco, home to traditional tacos, plus fried chicken burritos, and creamed Elote (Mexican Street Corn). The Duck Inn offers its signature rotisserie duck but also the duck fat dog and duck wings. Also a mile away from the stadium is Ricobene’s, which is a must-go after the game; the breaded steak sandwich, deep-dish pizza slices, and Italian beef are highly recommended. The atmosphere is lively, and there is plenty of free parking across the street from the restaurant’s covered lot. Also, in the same area is Connie’s Pizza which is a popular pre-game stopping point.
Chicago's Chinatown is a tad north of the ballpark offering a collection of restaurants and businesses catering to the Chinese population of the city. From barbecue, dumplings, noodles, and Sichuan, popular restaurants include B.B.Q. King House, Qing Xiang Yuan Dumplings, Mala Temptations, and Slurp Slurp Noodles.
Fans 3
The White Sox fan base is a dedicated group of people who enjoy watching baseball but, more importantly, want a consistent winner on the south side. They are among the savviest and most miserable in baseball and willingly provide stories of the season’s past. It’s almost no matter what the team does on and off the field they are unhappy.
Access 5
The stadium is easily accessible via public transit or car. If driving, the stadium is directly off the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) at the exit for 36th and 37th Streets. There are six lots for cars that cost $22 to $35 Monday to Saturday and $15 to $35 for Sunday games. You get the cheaper prices by purchasing your tickets in advance from Spot Hero or Park Whiz.
The CTA Red Line drops you off at the Sox/35th Station, approximately two blocks east of the park, and the CTA Green Line at the 35th-Bronzeville Station, approximately three blocks from the park. Once inside, there are plenty of bathrooms, no matter what part of the stadium you are in; no need to wait too long.
The ballpark’s main concourse wraps around the stadium and provides proper access to the various concession and merchandise areas of the stadium. The facility also features a series of ramps and escalators that take fans to the upper concourse and provides access to the Chicago Sports Depot and Craft Lodge.
There are also elevators for fan who need mobility assistance to get to whatever level they need. It should be noted that all fans can get up to the 500 level, however due to several fan incidents long ago, fans are restricted from entering the lower deck without a lower deck, club level, or season ticket on some of the well attended games.
Return on Investment 4
Like everyone else, the Whites Sox have dynamic ticket prices. The price of a single-game ticket for the 500 section averages around $13 for many games, but that will depend on the date, opponent, and second-site markets. The most affordable days are Coca-Cola Family Sundays, where tickets begin at $8. With the record the White Sox had in the previous few seasons, you may want to check out Vivid Seats or Stub Hub to get a better deal on tickets.
On Tuesdays, the White Sox offer a $5 concessions menu, which includes $5 Miller Lite draft beers, Garrett Popcorn Stadium Buttery, Vienna hot dogs or polishes, Beggars pizza, nachos, and select Coca-Cola products.
The White Sox always have a strong promotional calendar with many sought after giveaways, such as bobbleheads, jackets, jerseys and this 2026 season, a winter hat patterned after Pope Leo XIV (formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost), a Chicagoland native.
Extras 5
The White Sox earn a point for the variety of craft beers located throughout the concourse, with a majority of them in the Leinenkugel’s Lodge. Around the Bend, Pipeworks, Pollyanna, Lagunitas, 18th Street, 3 Floyds, Half Acre, and 2 Brothers are among the local breweries featured by the can in the cooler.
For keeping the Blue Seats where Paul Konerko's Grand Slam and Scott Podsednick’s walk off homer hit (Section 159, Row 7, Seat 4 and Section 101, Row 1, Seat 13) respectively in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series. Note: Podsednick’s home run was his only homer of the year. In addition, there is mural of Pope Leo XIV of him at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. He sat in Section 140, Row 19, Seat 2.
The third point is for the tailgating activities in the parking lot, along with having a few drinks or food in the ChiSox Grill before the game.
The Sox earn a fourth point for the statues of former team greats from Luis Aparicio to Frank Thomas; a total of nine figures provide fans a chance to pose for pictures and learn about these all-time greats.
The South Siders earn a final point for the Plumbers 911.com Shower, a carry-over from old Comiskey Park and a fan favorite that was originally installed by owner Bill Veeck in 1976. It is near Section 160 in the outfield concourse. The shower works, and on a hot day, might be the best way to cool off.
Final Thoughts
With the completed renovations, this park rates in the middle of the pack. If you haven’t been to a Sox game lately, perhaps you need to come back sometime soon for a game.
Note: just like most ballparks now the concessions and parking are all cashless.
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