L.A.’s always true blue when it’s baseball season. Spring through early fall—but ideally late fall, come on, let’s keep our fingers crossed for another World Series appearance—the Dodgers unite the city in a way that even a mutual hatred of the 405 during rush hour can’t. It’s during these months that you’ll find some killer specials across the city, when baked goods, limited-run merch, collaborations and other ways to eat/drink/wear your fandom go deep blue. Here’s your guide to this season’s best Dodgers-themed items—and you don’t even need to eat or drink near the stadium to get ’em.
L.A. Hat IPA and merch at Monkish Brewing Co.
Monkish Brewing Co.’s Dodgers-themed beer sold out almost instantly, and it’s not hard to see why: This dry-hopped IPA made with Citra and Amarillo cones sounds like an ideal spring sipper, and of course it’s done up in Dodger blue. Keep your eyes peeled to their social media for info about the next round, and until then, stop by the Torrance tasting room or the online store and grab one of these Dodgers-themed snapbacks embroidered with white hops. (They’ve also got tees.) On the Venn diagram of beer and Dodgers fandom, this is the overlap:
Photograph: Courtesy Monkish Brewing Co.
Dodgers burger and blue shake at the Oinkster
Both the Hollywood and Eagle Rock locations of the beloved burger shack are going blue with two specials for the month of April. Find the Dodger Blue Shake, made with Fosselman’s Ice Cream’s Monster Cookie Overload (we’re talking an all-natural vanilla base, cookies and cookie dough, all colored ultra blue), as well as the It’s Time for Dodger Baseball burger: a six-ounce angus beef patty topped with an all-beef hot dog, plus mustard, mayo, chopped onions, relish and house-made ketchup on a sesame bun. Come back any time during baseball season to for live showings of the game.
Dodgers-inspired hot dog at Wexler’s Deli
This Jewish deli knows how to do dogs right, and while they’ve got a lot of NYC deli swagger, they’re L.A. all the way—including this Dodgers-inspired hot dog available at the Santa Monica location. The wagyu beef chili cheese dog on an onion roll celebrates the Dodgers’ Brooklyn roots, which, let’s face it, is the best of both worlds: We get the Dodgers and Coney Island-ish chili dogs, but we also get our fabulous weather. Point: L.A.
Dodgers soft serve at Fosselman’s Ice Cream
In May, head to Alhambra’s endearingly old-timey ice cream parlor because that’s when the Dodgers-loving scoop shop is bringing back its Dodgers-themed soft serve. Opt for the blue-hued white chocolate flavor, or get it swirled with vanilla, then add blue sprinkles. (Always add sprinkles.) Feel like taking on a whole cake? Fosselman’s is always more than happy to make a Monster Cookie Overload ice cream cake, topped with blue and white icing and filled with that bright blue Monster Cookie Overload—which can be topped with a little baseball, naturally.
So many things at Cofax Coffee
Is there a bigger Dodgers fan in coffee-shop form than Cofax? Throughout the season, head to the Fairfax spot for Dodgers-themed doughnuts, cookies and other noshable items such as vanilla-glaze brioche doughnuts with baseball frosting, or various treats sporting blue and white sprinkles. Last season we tipped you off to Cofax’s killer Dodgers-doughnuts mashup shirt. They tend to go fast and are currently out of stock, so keep your eyes on their Instagram for merch updates (or better yet, just drop by every morning until they’re back in stock—it’s a great excuse to grab one of their great breakfast burritos until you can nab one of those tees). They also sell Dodger-inspired hats, which you can usually find in-store.
The Dodgers menu with curbside pickup at Tsubaki
This trendy izakaya is bringing back its home-game specials, where a chicken katsu sandwich with buttermilk onion rings will only set you back $12, and a prix-fixe menu of fried chicken, tofu salad and grilled rice balls costs $20—and you can add a draft beer for $5 or a draft sake for $7 to start the game-day revelry early. Tsubaki’s only a 10-minute walk from Dodgers Stadium, and you can valet your car with the restaurant all night for only $6. If you’re set on driving to the game, take advantage of the game-day curbside pickup: Call and place an order by 7pm, schedule your pickup time, then call the restaurant when you’re out front. You’ll be fueling up and on your way in no time.
Photograph: Courtesy Tsubaki/Pascal Shirley