World Cup fans came from overseas . But they鈥檙e also doing a lot of chewing, delighting their hosts with rave reviews of North American cuisine.
“It鈥檚 greasy, it鈥檚 disgusting, but it鈥檚 absolutely glorious,” Jack Goodwin, a soccer enthusiast from London, said about he has tried in Dallas, Boston, New York and Atlanta.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to say this because it鈥檚 a little bit harsh, but the portions are a little bit larger 鈥� a lot more tastier 鈥� so I can understand the, um, obesity here. I don鈥檛 want to be harsh, but yes, the food is fantastic here.鈥�
International visitors want to try popular fast-food chains and local gems
Many fans are making a point to try or chains they can鈥檛 find where they live, like or Buc-ee’s . Erling Haaland, a striker for Norway’s World Cup team, posted a photo on X of himself outside in New York.
Harrison Murphy, who was traveling from London with his brother for the knockout rounds, had breakfast at in Atlanta this week.
鈥淗ave you had Chick-fil-A? It was fantastic and so cheap. The sauces are free! It was remarkable,鈥� Murphy said. “I said, 鈥楾his is my first time, what should I try?鈥� The woman said, 鈥榊ou鈥檝e got to try the Chick-fil-A sauce.鈥� My God, was it fantastic.鈥�
Gary Bishop had never heard of 鈥� often considered Canada’s national dish 鈥� until he arrived for the World Cup. But the Glasgow, Scotland, resident proclaimed it 鈥渁bsolutely delicious.鈥�
鈥淚t was like chips with gravy, cheese. But it was a really thick gravy. Different from back home. Vinegar, there was lots of vinegar through it,鈥� said Bishop, who was sporting a Scotland jersey on a recent stroll through Toronto鈥檚 FIFA Fan Festival. 鈥淩eally nice.鈥�
Others are looking for a taste of home. Texas beer distributor Andrews Distributing welcomed a bus full of Dutch fans to its Dallas warehouse for and dancing.
Host city restaurants are eager to introduce new customers to old favorites
It鈥檚 a thrill for restaurant owners, from Cuban spots in Miami to barbecue joints in Kansas City and taco trucks .
鈥淚 have not seen anything like this ever in my life,鈥� said Paul Barker, the principal and founder of Pauli鈥檚, a Boston restaurant known for generously filled sandwiches and comfort foods. Fans from Scotland, Brazil, and elsewhere have lined up for his famous lobster rolls and taken photos with staff members, Barker said.
鈥淔ood becomes a natural conversation starter,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just been incredible for us to be part of this.鈥�
Some chains are leaning into the World Cup. , the all-day breakfast chain with 2,000 restaurants across the South, opened a pop-up shop in downtown Atlanta to sell branded soccer balls, jerseys and patriotic gear. In a statement, the chain said it was 鈥渉onored by the enthusiasm and curiosity” shown by visiting fans.
For other restaurants, has been a delightful surprise. Whataburger, a Texas-based chain with 1,100 locations, found itself in the spotlight after fans from Japan and elsewhere posted on social media about their visits.
鈥淭he attention has been completely organic and honestly pretty entertaining,鈥� Whataburger President and CEO Debbie Stroud said. 鈥淲e knew the World Cup would bring the world to Texas and our footprint across 17 states. We just didn鈥檛 realize so many visitors would leave talking about a patty melt.鈥�
Eating barbecue is high on the bucket lists of foreign foodies
Terry Black鈥檚 Barbecue, a small Texas chain, figured would be on many fans鈥� must-try lists. It started sourcing extra meat more than a month ago for its locations in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, which are each about 20 minutes from the stadium where World Cup matches are played.
It takes Terry Black鈥檚 four days to season and prepare its beef brisket and 12 hours to barbecue it. The chain also smokes turkey, pork and sausages on its pits, which run 24 hours a day.
The crush of World Cup fans has meant a lot of extra planning, said Darien Kapture, the chain鈥檚 senior vice president of food and beverage operations. But it’s also meant a lot of excitement, like the night Argentina supporters packed Terry Black’s Dallas location to celebrate the team’s victory over Austria, Kapture said.
鈥淭hey were hooting and hollering and praising the brisket,鈥� Kapture said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to see that these folks are coming to America and getting to experience what we experience every day.鈥�
Goodwin, the visitor from London who said he 鈥渂lew his mortgage鈥� on a U.S. World Cup tour with his dad, deemed Terry Black’s barbecue 鈥渢he most gorgeous food ever.鈥�
鈥淭he best food we鈥檝e had here is in Dallas,” Goodwin said. 鈥淭exas barbecue. Unbelievable.鈥�
TSA reminds ranch dressing converts not to pack bottles in carry-on bags
Not every review has been positive. Some fans have complained about the in World Cup stadiums, for example. A British fan told the BBC that the breakfast tea he bought from Dunkin’ was 鈥渘ot great.鈥�
But for the most part, there have been more thumbs up than thumbs down. So many World Cup visitors expressed love for , for example, that the Transportation Security Administration issued a light-hearted reminder that tourists should pack bottles of dressing in their checked bags.
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AP Sports Writer Maura Carey contributed from Atlanta. AP Video Journalist Mike Householder contributed from Toronto.
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