Food has never been the draw at Capital One Arena. One Capitals fan inquired about the venue’s culinary options on the team’s subreddit last year. “Terribly overpriced,” one person replied. “Mid as hell,” said someone else. But as the Caps and Wizards gear up to start their seasons this month, the stadium is planning some culinary improvements, with 10 new vendors and some new bites from return food stalls. The reveal comes now that the arena is here to stay. Ted Leonsis’s plan to move the teams to Virginia fell through, and Monumental Sports & Entertainment agreed to remain in Gallery Place as part of a deal set to involve billions in DC-funded renovations. “Central to a lot of what is being transformed will be improved food and beverage experience and offerings,” said Jordan Silberman, Monumental’s president of venues, at a food and beverage tasting event for media at the arena on Tuesday night.  While the new offerings look promising, some are better than others. Based on the bites we sampled, here’s our ranking of the new (and relatively new) options, from uninspired to delicious:   13. Owen’s and Pratt Standard Cocktail Company New cocktails from Owen’s and Pratt Standard Cocktail Company, two companies that make small-batch cocktail syrups, will be available at DC Cocktails stands on the main concourse and at the Signature Club in section 115. Flavors will rotate, and include a Mezcal Margarita or Earl Grey Spritz made with vodka, seltzer, lemon, and Earl Grey syrup. Sadly, the samples we tried tasted mostly like sugar water, with only whispers of the floral tea and smoky mezcal flavors they advertised.   12. Fuku Fuku, which originally spawned from New York’s Momofuku Noodle Bar in 2015, will be frying chicken tenders and fried chicken sandwiches (including some with an Asian-inspired sweet-spicy glaze) plus waffle fries in sections 119 and 422 for the first time this year. The chicken tenders we sampled were…chicken tenders. Despite the David Chang pedigree and hip design, these chicken tenders could have come from any perfunctory kids’ menu.   11. Kong Dog Kong Dog is a sizable franchise with Korean-style corn dog stands in several malls around the DC area already. Opening in section 106 this season, the stand will serve popcorn chicken and fries along with its all-beef corn dogs dipped in Cheeto dust or sweetened with a crunchy sugar coating. Our samples tasted mildly stale and didn’t have the fun, mochi-like chew of the best Korean-style dogs.    10. Little Hot Chicken A hot chicken truck from the couple behind Little Miner Taco, Little Hot Chicken, gets a new spot in section 413. Expect Nashville-style wings and fries, hot chicken sandwiches, and a loaded mac and cheese topped with hot chicken and pickles. We sampled the mac— basic but satisfying, with a kick of buffalo heat.    9. MidnighTreats Plant-based cookies from the chain MidnighTreats are coming to section 408 this year. The dense slabs of cookie were indulgently good, though their slightly store-bought flavor might not be to everyone’s taste. Try the strawberry shortcake flavor. Also available: chocolate chip, brownie, cinammon bun, and birthday bash.    8. Little Miner Taco Birria tacos from Little Miner Taco became a favorite item last year at Capital One, and they’re still a solid option, with a nice slow-cooked flavor and zip from lime and jalapeño. At the taqueria’s post in section 107, it’s adding taco bowls and street corn to its lineup this year.    7. Beeliner Diner Beeliner Diner, a new arrival in Alexandria from the Bread & Water Company team, will serve bites of old-fashioned diner fare in section 432. Chicken and waffles, the main specialty, were syrup-sweet and savory with cheddar and jalapeño. Fried chicken biscuits are your other option at the kiosk, which replaces Bun Papa.   6. PhoWheels PhoWheels, a Vietnamese street food truck with locations at Union Market and National Landing, doesn’t serve pho at Capital One— only banh mi, chicken egg rolls, and large “tacos” on roti canai flatbread. The pork belly tacos and banh mi we sampled were tasty, sprinkled with plenty of cilantro and pickled daikon-carrot mix. Find the new stand in section 105.   5. Pat & Stugg’s Cheeseburger from Pat & Stugg’s. Photograph by Craig Hunter Ross. A one-off cheeseburger collaboration between the Baltimore sports bar Stuggy’s and Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, Pat & Stugg’s will grill smashburgers and serve loaded tater tots in section 120. The burger we sampled was great: a squidgy potato bun and the richness of Pat LaFrieda beef (recognizable from Shake Shack).    4. Astro Doughnuts Doughnuts from Astro Doughnuts, coming to section 110 for the first time this season, seem to be as good as they are at the shop’s two real-world locations, if the candy apple doughnut we sampled is any indication. For a sweet bite at Capital One Arena, they’ll be hard to pass up. Astro is also doing its own fried chicken sandwich—on doughnuts instead of a bun.    3. José Andrés Sadly, the José Andrés menu at Capital One arena, which debuted last year, is only available in the members-only Signature Club & Lounge on the ground floor. The club features menu items from Andrés’s nearby restaurants, like snacks from Zaytinya and tacos from Oyamel. We sampled fresh-sliced Serrano ham, which is furnished to Signature Club members in case they can’t be bothered to get to Jaleo across the street. “If you can’t make it to one of our restaurants before the game, we’ll bring our restaurants to you,” says William Woodson of the José Andrés Group.    2. Jerk At Nite Jerk At Nite, a Caribbean spot in Northeast, is opening a stand in section 103 for the first time this season. The jerk wings and loaded jerk nachos we sampled tasted like something you’d have to smuggle into a sports arena, not buy inside. They were fragrant with a Caribbean seasoning and shot through with a dose of blackened, smoky flavor.   1. Tonari Pizza from Tonari, now entering its second season in Capital One Arena’s section 214, is still likely your best bet for a stadium snack. The crunchy Detroit-style crust is topped with cheese, pepperoni, and Japanese-inspired items like sukiyaki-simmered beef. The pizza we sampled was worthy of Tonari’s actual mothership restaurant across the street. How many other food stands at NBA stadiums import their pizza flour from Hokkaido?The post We Ranked All the New Food Options at Capital One Arena first appeared on Washingtonian.