Places to Eat on Game Day in Foxboro- Home of the New England Patriots
Got tickets for a New England Patriots home game at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. ? If you’re among the lucky ticket-holding few and find it’s getting too cold for tailgating, pass by the chain fast food joints and check out these local Foxboro stops, guaranteed to satisfy your pre- and post-game football food needs, right in the Patriots’ hometown.
Primo’s Sandwich Shop (6 Mechanic St, 508-543-6478) is right in the center of town and has been a sandwich mainstay in “the boro” for years. You’ve got your basics here: hot subs, cold subs, pockets and salads. Recommended are the tuna salad, the cheeseburger (sub style) and the chicken parm sub, which may be the best chicken parm in town. Okay, so it’s not a very big town… Portions are generous at Primo’s: a medium is fairly large and large is big enough to feed a linebacker – if you happen to run into one at that Patriots’ game.
Just one street over from Primo’s is Foxboro’s own House of Pizza (29 Bird Street, 508-543-9119). Every town has a House of Pizza, so Patriots fans from all over New England will feel right at home. The House here has all the usual toppings in large and personal-sized pizza sizes. And like all Houses of Pizza, they have their own take on the pie, from sauce to crust. No two pizzas are ever the same. And they’re bound to be better than the re-heated stuff you get at the game. No offense, Patriots.
“Down the road a piece” from Primo’s and The House is Omega Pizza (128 Main St. 508-543-3440) which offers the best of both worlds: the pizza the name promises plus subs, or as they’re called here, grinders. The pizza comes in a wide range: olive to onion, anchovies to eggplant. The grinder menu is diverse too, from the traditional turkey, roast beef, meatball and steak, to the Greek gyro and even crab-meat. If you’re a Patriots’ fan looking for something more substantial, Omega offers pasta dinners coming with eggplant, veal, or chicken, plus seafood dinners with scallops or clams.
As for the classical football fare, Omega has it in spades: buffalo wings, chicken fingers, jalapeÃ?±o poppers, mozzarella sticks. You can set your diet back a month here. You can also set back your wallet if you order some of the “plates” which add fries and a small, heavily dressed salad to your appetizers and weigh in at a pushing-it $7.50. If you’re a Patriots fan more just looking to grab a drink and a bag of chips, there’s a family owned mini-mart right next to Omega. XPress Mini Mart. Come on, you know you love stores that start with “X”.
Also for snack pick-up, and closer to the center of town, you might try The Little Shop (17 Bird St. 508-543-4545). No horrors here, but rather convenience store items and a deli combined with a decor more befitting a Vermont craft boutique. There’s nothing “little” about some of the prices of The Little Store (formerly The Foxboro General Store). But for a soda and a snack, there’s no big deal. And hey, sometimes you gotta pay for ambiance. You may also note The Little Shop shares a parking lot with The House of Pizza and backs up to Primos. It’s a small town, folks. Just a little trivia for your Patriots faithful.
If you’re passing through Foxboro center and want a something sweet to precede or follow-up a sweet Patriots’ victory, check out The Common Sweet Shoppe right off the rotary (22 School St, 508-543-9779). Here you’ve got cotton candy, a stadium favorite, and sports’ team logo lollipops. Plus they’ve got a nice array of candy in a pick-your-own system, just like in the old days, and, yeah, also, just like at the mall or the movies.
Of course if you prefer chains, Foxboro’s got those, too. There’s a Friendly’s Ice Cream in the center of town (72 Central St. 508-543-5435…and not the best for a meal if you’re in a rush.) There are two Papa Gino’s Pizzas, one near the stadium (211 North Street, 508-543-1516) and one off Rte 140 if you’re heading in or out that way. And yeah, Foxboro’s got the old reliables: Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s, both a stone’s throw from the Patriots’ home field on Rte 1.
For chain-provided snacks, Foxboro center hosts a CVS drug store – gotta love CVS- and a Cumberland Farms (complete with gas station). There’s also a big Stop-N-Shop on Main Street, again, close to the North Street turn off for the Patriots. It’s a super store, so they’ve got everything. You know the drill.
Between its small town business and its highway drive-thru’s, Foxboro, home of the New England Patriots, offers all kinds of food for all kinds of fans. Except maybe Colts fans. You guys might want to pack a lunch.
