A sneak peek of the new food the Milwaukee Bucks are cooking up for the 2024 NBA playoffs
Cheese curd pizza, Flamin' Hot Cheeto popcorn and Greek fries, oh my!
A new Milwaukee Bucks postseason means new food and drink additions around Fiserv Forum.
"We take food extremely seriously, and we're really excited about this — what we call the second season, the NBA playoff — and to show off what we have," Peter Feigin, president of the Bucks and Fiserv Forum, said at a Wednesday news conference at the arena.
Third-seeded Milwaukee will be taking on the six-seeded Indiana Pacers in the first round in a best-of-seven series, which kicks off Sunday at the home of the Bucks.
For the arena's new food options, Marlene Duke, senior executive chef of Fiserv Forum, and her team took Wisconsin flavor profiles and added their own flair to 'em.
"We want to give (guests) something more enhanced and elevated during the playoffs," Duke said. "Getting them excited not just for the team going to the playoffs, but also being part of an experience."
Duke — who was previously the Bucks executive sous chef — recently returned to the team after three seasons as senior executive chef at the University of Wisconsin.
"I very much felt like it was unfinished business, so I'm very excited to kind of re-comeback and start this journey again," she said.
From smashburgers to a steak and mushroom sandwich, here's what the Bucks are cooking up for the playoffs:
Main and Upper Concourses
Smashburger, spicy pepper Jack burger and Greek fries
All of the Bucks burgers — including at The Mecca Sports Bar and Grill in Deer District — are becoming handcrafted smashburgers, Duke shared.
Smashburger: Features smashed-by-hand patties, secret sauce made in-house, American cheese and pickles on a toasted bun. The patty is juicy, but crispy around the edges, Duke noted. "Not many professional venues are going that extra step of making sure that there's that little bit of bite of love in there," she said.
Spicy pepper Jack burger
Greek fries: These are an ode to the "Greek Freak," Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Features Feta cheese and Greek dressing.
Where to find these: Mecca Burger Bar at Sections 106, 116 and 221
Loaded foot-long hot dog, brat burger, and a steak and mushroom sandwich
Loaded foot-long hot dog: Loaded with crispy jalapenos and spicy aioli.
Johnsonville brat burger: Features beer cheese and caramelized onions.
Steak and mushroom sandwich: Made with a beef tenderloin on a toasted ciabatta bun. Duke recommended this one for fans who want to try something "more elevated." It's cooked in front of the guests, so they'll be able to "smell those flavors and see that all in action," she said.
Where to find these: The loaded foot-long hot dog and the Johnsonville brat burger can be found at Johnsonville at Sections 118, 209 and 223. The steak and mushroom sandwich is available at Section 209 only.
Flour Child cheese curd pizza, pepperoni pizza
Flour Child cheese curd pizza: Features fresh curds, roasted caramelized onions and peppers.
Flour Child pepperoni pizza
Where to find these: Pizza at Sections 108, 119 and 224
Flamin' Hot Cheeto popcorn, refillable Bucks popcorn bucket
Refillable Bucks popcorn bucket
Flamin' Hot Cheeto popcorn
Where to find these: Popcorn at Section 119
Chicken nachos
Chicken nachos
Where to find this: Smoke Stack at Section 122
New specialty cocktails for the playoffs
New specialty cocktails will be available at Casamigos Bars at Sections 115 and 204 for the playoffs.
New Jockey Club, Potawatomi Club options for the playoffs
Steak and mushroom sandwich
Italian beef
New suite offerings for the playoffs
Cedar plank salmon with sushi rice.
Stuffed baby back ribs with macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, and corn bread with honey butter.
Beer can chicken with smashed potatoes and broccolini.
Dim sum.
Tomahawk grilled steak with smashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, grilled vegetables and horseradish sauce.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New food Milwaukee Bucks offering at Fiserv Forum during 2024 playoffs
