Ordered at the court!<\/p>\n
Every year the US Open<\/a> draws tennis fans from all over the world to Flushing Meadows in Queens \u2014\u00a0they pour in to gawk at ace players like Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff, all competing for prestigious titles.<\/p>\n But those in attendance (Aug. 23-Sep. 13, this year) are also very much here to feast\u00a0\u2014\u00a0on chicken nuggets topped with caviar, if they\u2019ve got the cash, and to sip on a honey deuce, the viral vodka lemonade served with melon balls that\u2019s become just as important to the annual event as who\u2019s who in the stands and who\u2019s beating who on the court.<\/p>\n Spectators come for the tennis but stay for the food and drinks. Annie Wermiel\/NY Post<\/p>\n The Open\u2019s modern status as an anticipated culinary event is no accident, according to Danny Zausner, COO of USTA National Tennis Center \u2014 the mastermind of the Open\u2019s celebrated culinary offering, served up by an array of celebrity chefs and top NYC eateries.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we have is not just unrivaled in sports, but entertainment in general,\u201d Zausner told The Post. \u201cWe welcome 75,000-plus people fifteen straight days \u2014\u00a0which is like hosting a Super Bowl every day for two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n A twenty-year vet of the organization, Zausner is the founder of the Open\u2019s tantalizing feast, alongside his colleague Chris Dudely. It\u2019s been a long road \u2014\u00a0Zausner remembers it wasn\u2019t long ago that they were reaching out to skeptical chefs, who took an awful lot of convincing, early in the transformation.\u00a0<\/p>\n No more. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re getting more calls than we ever did,\u201d Zausner said, noting his goal is a popular spectrum of eats \u2014\u00a0from chefs who can deliver to the masses.<\/p>\n Many beloved NYC hotspots will be serving up grub at this year\u2019s Open. Annie Wermiel\/NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cThe fan who comes out on the first day of the Opens is entitled to the same experience that a fan who comes out for the finals. We won\u2019t settle for less than that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always say: we can\u2019t control the weather and we can\u2019t control the matches, but we can control the food and drink, and we try to give people a proper New York City experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Vendors\u2019 fans should expect everything from NYC foodie favorites like Carnegie Deli and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream to succulent fish from Red Hook Lobster Pound and juicy meat courtesy of Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, to name a few.<\/p>\n Here are 2026\u2019s most mouth-watering highlights, with insight from the all-star personalities behind them.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hungry yet?<\/p>\n Point, set, drink<\/p>\n Naturally, no visit to the Open would be complete without a sip of Honey Deuce: the viral cocktail in a keepsake cup made with Grey Goose vodka, lemonade, and raspberry liquor- topped with a Honeydew melon ball reminiscent of the tennis balls on the court.<\/p>\n The refreshing creation put the Open\u2019s food and beverage offering on the map over the years, and was Zausner\u2019s initial idea.<\/p>\n \u201cThe impetus came out of my trip to the Kentucky Derby almost 20 years ago,\u201d Zausner said of the drink, which was later invented by restaurateur Nick Mautone.<\/p>\n Zausner and his team anticipate selling over 800,000 Honey Deuce cocktails this year. Annie Wermiel\/NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cBut instead of bourbon, we knew vodka was perfect for New York in the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2007, the first year they were introduced, Zausner says they sold a mere 5,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe next year, we sold 25,000 and were off to the races.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n These days, Zausner plans to sell a cool 800,000.<\/p>\n According to Zausner, it\u2019s become the first thing guests look for.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople come through our gates and ask, \u2018Where\u2019s the nearest Honey Deuce?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the beef<\/p>\n Making his gooey debut at this year\u2019s Open is a viral chef Zausner took months to track down: Henry Laporte, better known to New Yorkers and social media-dom as Salt Hank. <\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have a number at the restaurant, so it\u2019s sometimes hard to get in touch,\u201d Laporte told The Post with a laugh.<\/p>\n Henry Laporte, also known as Salt Hank, will make his Open debut this year. Tamara Beckwith<\/p>\n Zausner confessed to being one of the 2.5 million hungry fans on TikTok<\/a> and 1.6 million followers<\/a> on Instagram who became obsessed with Laporte\u2019s decadent comfort-food creations, including his viral French Dip, a scrumptious Open standout for \u201826.<\/p>\n \u201cYou taste the sandwich, and then you understand why he\u2019s got all of these fans,\u201d Zausner explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s unlike any other prime rib sandwich I\u2019ve ever tasted in my life, and I\u2019ve gone through my fair share of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Laporte and his team are planning to churn out a whopping 1,500 sandwiches a day during the Open. Tamara Beckwith<\/p>\n Laporte, whose internet stardom has led to the New York Times bestselling \u201cSalt Hank: A Five Napkin Situation (A Cookbook)<\/a>\u201d and a brick-and-mortar spot in the West Village<\/a> which regularly boasts lines dripping out the door, said the Open offer from Zausner wasn\u2019t exactly an instant yes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were still pretty new when the call happened, so I wasn\u2019t even sure we were capable of doing it because it\u2019s such a large platform,\u201d he recalled.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s the most epic thing we\u2019ve ever been offered.\u201d<\/p>\n Laporte and his team are planning to churn out a whopping 1,500 sandwiches a day \u2014\u00a0a far cry from the approximately 350 they usually assemble daily at his West Village outpost.<\/p>\n Laporte\u2019s signature French dip sandwich. Tamara Beckwith<\/p>\n When it comes to the origins of his runaway Dip, Laporte recalled having an epiphany after preparing his very first French Dips the classic way. \u201cI thought, \u2018Why aren\u2019t we doing this better?\u2019 There was room to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n As a result, Laporte says he engineered \u201ca French Dip on steroids.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the same anatomy of the sandwich, but\u00a0 has every ounce of flavor you can possibly cram in.\u201d<\/p>\n That includes top-tier Pat LaFrieda beef considered the best on the market by the USDA, caramelized onions, a painstakingly prepared au jus, horseradish aioli, homemade mayonnaise, and top-quality provolone.\u00a0<\/p>\n Golden opportunity<\/p>\n Returning to the Open for his third year in a row is Simon Kim, the restaurateur behind the Flatiron hotspot Cocodaq.<\/p>\n \u201cThe US Open is an international festival, but \u2026 it feels very local and very New York,\u201d Kim told The Post about his continuing affiliation. \u201cThat duality is what makes it so exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n Kim\u2019s gluten-free chicken nuggets paired with high-quality caviar are one of the main reasons why the food is now a major part of the draw to Arthur Ashe Stadium each August. <\/p>\n The 24-karat golden chicken nugget from COQODAQ. Darren Carroll\/USTA<\/p>\n \u201cThey went viral almost immediately after we launched them,\u201d said Kim. \u201cEvery day, we were seeing celebrities, athletes and fans eating them, and it seemed like every tennis match had someone in the stands with an orange box of nuggets.\u201d<\/p>\n The unique treat made Kim such an Open sensation he was even asked to flip the coin for a marquee match between the star players Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s when I thought, \u2018Okay, this has really become something.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Kim expects to sell upwards of \u201ca quarter million chicken nuggets this year, which is kind of wild to think about. That\u2019s a lot of chicken nuggets.\u201d<\/p>\n For 2026, Kim is upping the culinary ante by introducing KIMBOP, a new concept that serves as a yummy love letter to his Korean mom.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a family staple that reminds me of her and growing up in Korea,\u201d Kim says of the nostalgic rolls, which boast either bulgogi sauce-slathered sauteed beef or burdock root, coupled with caramelized omelette, carrots, kale and danmuji, the latter a crisp Korean pickled radish.<\/p>\n \u201cShe would make gimbap for us to enjoy during my grade school field days. The U.S. Open is America\u2019s ultimate field day, so it felt like the perfect place to offer it.\u201d<\/p>\n Fantastic \u2018Fare\u2019<\/p>\n