Is the Outside Lands music festival a magnet for cheese lovers? Definitely! For years, the food has been perhaps second only to the music as a draw to this massive summer event that attracts over 200K attendees over 3 days. While “Cheese Lands” a section of the park dedicated to cheese plates is gone, as are some of the restaurant and pop-up concepts that provided cheesey delights, cheese remains a constant, in one form or another. While there are always cheeseburgers, we typically find the mashup creations to be the most appealing. Some dishes return, year after year, and some remain only in our cheese memories…
Cheesy dishes to try in 2025 include French tartiflettes with bacon from Caché, birria ramen from El Garage, tamarind Cheesecake from Mezclá Eats, loaded poutine-style tater tots from The Alice Collective, New Orleans-style muffulettas from Sandy’s, Afghani loaded mac and cheese from Sisters, classic cheesesteaks, quesabirria cheesesteaks and cheesesteak nachos from Izzy’s Cheesesteaks.
Animal Nachos from Copas
What would happen if a cheese burger and nachos had a baby? This version has American wagyu beef, cheddar cheese. grilled onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato, secret sauce.
Basque Cheesecake from Oui Oui! Macaron
Rich “burnt” style cheesecake. Read more about Spanish style cheesecakes.
Cheese Plate from Cheese Lands
Local cheeses featured prominently in a cheese plate from Mission Bay Wine & Cheese.
Elote Cup from Hayz Dog
A more convenient take on Mexican corn! Corn, smoked paprika, aioli, cream, queo fresco, crispy shallots and cilantro.
Another cheese plate
Cheese plates were offered near Wine Lands. A perfect pairing!
Cheeseburger Lumpia from The Lumpia Company
Another brilliant mashup, cheesy burger bites, dipped in sweet bbq sauce, with banana ketchup and aioli sauce.
Birria Fries from My Friend Fernando
Koja Kitchen’s kamikaze fries and El Garage’s birria grilled cheese, from a pop-up concept called My Friend Fernanda.
Grilled Mac & Cheese Sandwich from Total Meltdown
A brilliant carb and cheese-loaded sandwich from a pandemic era restaurant concept that is now a pop-up. A stoner’s favorite!
Margherita Pizza from A16
Whole pizzas fired up in the VIP section from a San Francisco favorite.
Prosciutto, burrata and pesto sandwich from A16
A fully loaded sandwich with prosciutto, pesto with fresh creamy burrata.
Bunuelos with chocolate from Parche
Corn-cheese fritter with chocolate, a Colombian specialty
Cannoli from A16
Ricotta stuffed cannoli from an Italian stalwart of the VIP area
Asian Cubano from Wooly Pig
Char siu ham, pulled pork, provolone, cilantro pesto, dijo, house pickles on ciabatta.
Quesabirria Tacos from El Garage
These juicy cheesey tacos came with a cup of consome for dipping.
