The rotating vendor kiosk “Austin Table” returns to Q2 Stadium for the 2024 season, but will now include a few fixed menu items present at every game, including pulled pork mac & cheese, a shishito corndog, and an elotes corndog

When it comes to game day munchies, Austin FC’s home of Q2 Stadium operates less like a series of concession stands and more like a trendy food hall with a season’s worth of diverse local options to sample.

The thesis, as Levy Restaurants Executive Chef Sam Boisjoly likes to say, is to provide a more thorough taste of Austin fare in a single game day than one could get in an entire weekend of motoring around the city. And the menu makes a pretty compelling case for that.

Especially now that one of the biggest names in Texas barbecue has joined the fray.

Black’s Original BBQ, of Lockhart and Central Austin fame, has taken up shop in section 137 of the stadium’s southeast corner, in real estate that was previously occupied by Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ (which is not returning for Austin FC’s fourth season).

Other new additions to the 2024 slate include Mediterranean specialists Shawarma Point, bringing gyros, tabbouleh, and hummus to section 127 (northeast corner), as well as GoodPop frozen desserts, which will be available at multiple locations around the stadium.

The biggest offseason grub signing, though, might prove to be Argentine cafe Little Patagonia (a Houston exclusive for the moment, but with an Austin location in the works), whose empanadas and traditional “Choripan” sausage sandwiches were the toast of the club’s Tuesday tasting event.

Argentine, per Boisjoly, was the most requested cuisine among Verde fans, and Little Patagonia certainly satisfies. The empanadas in particular are an ideal footie food, bearing a charming resemblance to the iconic English meat pies that have been a staple of Premier League matches for generations. Said empanadas can be found directly in front of the Verde Store (opposite the supporters’ stand) in section 123.

Expected pricing for all food and beverage options was not made available.

McKalla MetroRail Station Ready for Action

From Q2’s Captain Morgan Club, it’s impossible to miss the newest feature of the stadium’s outer grounds. CapMetro’s McKalla MetroRail station, a project almost as old as the stadium itself, is nearly complete.

The platform is set to open as planned on February 24, the date of the Austin FC season opener.

CapMetro has dubbed the McKalla station a “special events platform” which means increased capacity, especially during the busy post-game rush. CapMetro executive Andy Skabowski told KXAN that the plan is to stack multiple trains one-after-another following the conclusion of ATXFC matches to accommodate the increased volume of passengers.

For more Austin FC news and analysis, visit The Austin Chronicle‘s Austin FC hub. Follow “The Verde Report” columnist Eric Goodman on Twitter: @goodman.

Pick up Eric Goodman’s season four preview on stands Thursday.

This article appears in February 9 • 2024.

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Eric Goodman has covered Austin FC for the Austin Chronicle since before the club first kicked a ball in 2021. His column, The Verde Report, continues the Chronicle's decades-long tradition of soccer-focused commentary, serving as a spiritual successor to Nick Barbaro's Soccer Watch column. Eric has also covered multiple Olympic Games and FIFA World Cups as a freelance sports journalist, and is a two-time Emmy-winning producer.