Game, Set, Eat

9 Minute read

01 Sep 2026

US Open F&B

The US Open has become a culinary destination, with prominent chefs, acclaimed restaurants, and ambitious concessions transforming the tournament’s food scene.

Every year in late August, tennis fans descend on Queens for the US Open, the final Grand Slam tournament of the season. Increasingly, the tournament also draws some of the world’s leading chefs, who spend three weeks serving restaurant-level food at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. For some visitors, the growing culinary lineup has become a draw in its own right.

This year brings several high-profile additions. Enrique Olvera’s Cosme is making its US Open debut with dishes including aguachile negro and flautas filled with the restaurant’s signature duck carnitas. Simon Kim, the restaurateur behind Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse COTE, is adding KIMBOP, a gimbap stand inspired by the rolls his mother packed for school field days during his childhood in Seoul. It joins his returning COQODAQ and CQDQ concepts, which offer caviar-topped chicken nuggets, fried chicken sandwiches, and other takes on Korean fried chicken.

Fans can also trade traditional concessions for hand rolls and nigiri from Masaharu Morimoto, Mediterranean cooking at Alex Guarnaschelli’s Fare, or a lobster Cobb salad from David Burke at the Heineken Red Star Patio Café.

The newcomers join a roster of returning restaurants and chefs. José Andrés Group’s Oyamel is back at the Dobel Tequila Club with its take on regional Mexican cooking, while Benjamin Steakhouse returns with Champions, a full-service restaurant offering caviar, seafood, and its signature dry-aged porterhouse.

For chefs and restaurateurs, the tournament’s appeal extends beyond proximity to the matches. Some are tennis fans who relish the chance to be close to the action. For others, it is an opportunity to introduce their cooking to new audiences and participate in one of New York’s highest-profile annual sporting events.

“For me, the US Open has always felt like a celebration of New York at its most energetic. Tennis and food share a lot in common, they bring people together, give us a reason to celebrate, and are really about enjoying the moment,” Olvera says. “I love the opportunity to introduce people to the flavors and traditions of Mexico in a setting that is so distinctly New York and to be part of the excitement that surrounds the Open each year.”

The growing involvement of prominent chefs is also driven by the tournament’s scale and spending power. The 2025 main draw attracted 905,255 fans, while attendance across the full three-week event reached a record 1,144,562. Food and beverage sales increased 19 percent from 2024, more than twice the 9 percent increase in total attendance. This year, visitors can spend $32 on a Salt Hank’s French dip or $100 on six caviar-topped chicken nuggets, making the tournament a potentially lucrative showcase for participating chefs and restaurants.

Few drinks have become as closely associated with a sporting event as the Honey Deuce. Created by restaurateur Nick Mautone in 2006 and introduced at the US Open the following year, the cocktail combines Grey Goose vodka, lemonade, raspberry liqueur, and a garnish of honeydew melon balls designed to resemble tennis balls. In 2025, the tournament sold a record 738,459 Honey Deuces at $23 each, generating nearly $17 million. Its relatively simple formula has also inspired variations at bars and restaurants across New York.

Although the original Honey Deuce is widely available across the city, some bars and restaurants are taking the idea further. Dante serves a greener variation made with Grey Goose, melon liqueur, honeydew, pineapple, salted honey, and S.Pellegrino. At Clemente Bar above Eleven Madison Park, the clarified Sour Love combines Grey Goose with tomato gin, aloe, muskmelon liqueur, green tomato, and watermelon. Colombian fine-dining restaurant Elcielo has extended the theme to its tasting menu with a scallop and honeydew ceviche brightened with lulo.

In previous years, players including Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dined at Fasano during the tournament. This year, restaurant director Paolo Del Gatto says the restaurant is embracing the event more openly by screening matches in its candlelit cocktail lounge. “Visitors arrive, New Yorkers re-engage, and there is a particular energy,” Del Gatto says. “The Open brings a different rhythm to the city.”

The US Open increasingly resembles a food festival staged inside a tennis tournament. Visitors can move from playful concessions by prominent chefs to full-service restaurants serving dry-aged steaks and caviar without leaving the grounds. Tennis remains the main event, but dining has become an increasingly important part of the experience.

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About the author

Liz Provencher is a New York-based writer covering food, drink, and travel. You can find her work in publications like AFAR, Architectural Digest, Eater, Food and Wine, Imbibe...

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