Feeling Hungry? What Dining Is Like At Comic-Con

It’s no surprise that one of the greatest expenses at comic-con comes from the food. It’s like that at every big event. Sports, concerts, shows – if there’s a lot of people, the food will be expensive. You’ll get hungry and inevitably end up spending $12 on three chicken tenders.

Yes, New York Comic Con, I’m looking at you.

But not every comic-con is the same when it comes to their food. Some places will have many more options than others and some places will naturally be more expensive than others.

If you’re a picky eater like me or you have allergies, one of your biggest concerns about going to comic-con is that there might not be something there you can eat. While I have been to comic-cons with a lot of options, I have also attended comic-cons that have had exactly five things on their menu.

It’s hard to anticipate what the condition of food is going to be like at comic-con. If you have an allergy concern, email the support team of the comic-con and see if you can discuss food options. Most of the time, you’ll actually be able to bring your own food into the event but what type of food you can bring in might be limited. In the case of an allergy, I have seen that medical notes presented upon entering the event will allow you to bring any kind of food inside.

But really, anyone can email the support team and ask about their food and drink policy. This is a smart way to save some money and guarantee two things: you can eat something you like and you can save time!

Waiting on lines is a guarantee at comic-con and that includes the food lines. I remember waiting almost 30 minutes on line at Ace Comic Con in Chicago just for a California Roll. While I was surprised that they even offered California Rolls (and that it was a good one too), it took up a good chunk of time that could have spent shopping or taking advantage of convention events.

On the off chance you can’t bring something into the comic-con, I would recommend looking outside the venue for food. Convention centers are typically in areas with a lot of dining and shopping. You’ll be allowed to leave and come back into the convention as long as you have your wristband, passes, or tickets with you. Before the event, check out the restaurants in the area within walking distance and see if there is anything you like. If you find something that interests you, call the restaurant and see if you can reserve a table. Since the crowd volume will be high when comic-con takes place, the restaurant may not take reservations but it only takes a few minutes to call and ask! Even if you can’t find a sit-down restaurant, you’ll usually be able to find a Starbucks in the area that can provide you with snacks and sandwiches to hold you over.

However, if you plan on leaving the comic-con for lunch, don’t do it at lunch time. A lot of people will leave comic-con between noon and 2 p.m. for lunch. That means that all of the restaurants in the area will be full of long wait times and you’ll end up missing out on a good portion of your day. To avoid this, get lunch early around 11 a.m. or try to hold out until around 2 p.m.

More importantly, make sure you plan your lunch accordingly around tickets or passes that you have for photo ops and autographs. Missing these time slots results in a loss of your ticket that you can’t renew. Give yourself ample time to leave and come back into the comic-con so you don’t miss your slot! You’ll have to go through security again when re-entering the comic-con so keep that in mind. I recommend planning to arrive back at the comic-con one hour before your meet-and-greet time.

If you can’t bring food into the comic-con and you don’t feel like leaving to go to a restaurant, keep an open mind at the convention. Again, I’ve been to comic-cons with a lot of food options such as salads, pizza, burgers, wraps, sushi, etc. but I’ve also been to comic-cons where beef and chicken rice bowls were the only available options (and yep, they were almost $15 each!).

The important thing to remember is that even if you can’t bring real food into the event, you can always bring in something like granola bars or sealed food. Bring a ton of these in, along with water, to hold you over in case your options are limited.

But before you plan any of that, check with your comic-con and see if they can help you out with food options. Pricing may not be available when you ask, but just keep checking in! The comic-con will get more information when the event gets closer so be sure to continue asking for updates. The comic-con staff will always be happy to help you in order to give you a better experience!