The food at UMass games is nothing like when I went to school there

I went in expecting hot dogs and chicken tenders. I got pickle pizza and a pancake sundae.

It’s been a while since I was a student at UMass Amherst, going to games at the Mullins Center. But while I was gone, the food has quietly evolved from a boring backdrop to a highlight of the gameday experience.

There’s a full barbecue stand where you can get a sandwich or a plate — complete with some fantastic mac & cheese and cornbread. The Chef’s Table stand constantly rotates through daily specials. On this night, it was a Chicken Tikka Masala Rice Bowl.

It’s not just fancy foods, either. The hot dogs and chicken tenders were still there. The 1/4-pound all-beef frank I had was one of the best I’ve had at a game in ages.

Good food in a college setting has become the norm in Amherst. At this point, UMass Dining has more or less established a dynasty in that regard, having been named No. 1 in Best Campus Food seven years in a row by the Princeton Review.

But in recent years, the concessions at the Mullins Center (along with football games at McGuirk Alumni Stadium) have leveled up.

What sparked the change? Marc Morrissette, the manager for UMass’ Franklin Dining Commons, says the team had been looking around at the competition. They saw what other teams and arenas were doing and realized they needed to step up to keep pace.

How are they doing that? I went to a UMass men’s hockey game to eat my way through the arena to try everything I could get my hands on.

Here’s the best stuff I had:

BBQ Platter Combo from Smokey Pit BBQ ($15)

(Choice of pork or chicken with mac & cheese and cornbread)

I got the pulled pork platter and walked away quite happy with my decision.

UMass partners with Thomas’ Smokey Pit Stop to provide its barbecue options. It’s not just the pulled pork that was good. The mac & cheese is dense and gooey. Meanwhile, the cornbread is a blast of flavor.

(Also available: BBQ Sandwich Combo – Choice of pork or chicken on a brioche roll with chips | $12)

Chef’s Table Special: Chicken Tikka Masala Rice Bowl ($12)

At this point, you may be thinking: “Tikka Masala? That’s not stadium food.”

I argue that it should be. The naan bread and chicken is basically an improvement on nachos. Plus, there are a bunch of samosas, which is very much a finger food.

The Chef’s Table Special is a rotating special. So they’ll likely have something different when you visit. But either way, it comes with a drink.

The Pancake Sundae from the Massachusetts Creamery ($8)

(Three scoops of vanilla ice cream, maple syrup, whipped cream, berries, sprinkles and cherry)

I love the energy here. A big ice cream sundae with a pancake? Sign me up.

Just be careful. Don’t wait too long to eat it. The maple syrup and pancake will start to freeze under all the ice cream.

Specialty Pizza from Mullins Pizza: Pickle Pizza ($9)

This is another rotating special — and I’m glad I was here for it.

Pickle has become a trendy pizza topping. This is a good example why. It’s a white pizza with garlic butter as the base. That combines brilliant with the dill, cheese and pickles on top to create a wonderfully herbaceous, buttery flavor that’s highlighted by the pickle fireworks.

(Also available: Cheese Pizza – $8 | Pepperoni Pizza – $9)

Ballistic Brownie from multiple locations ($3)

This is just a really good giant brownie at a fantastic price. It’s rich, chewy and loaded with chocolate flavor. A restaurant in Boston could have charged me $15 for this as a dessert and I wouldn’t have batted an eye.

I asked UMass Dining staff what it was about this brownie that made it ballistic. No one had a good answer. However, they did not serve it to me by throwing it at my head. So that’s one possibility ruled out.

babyBerk Burger ($8 for just burger, $12 for a chips/drink combo)

The babyBerk food truck is a highlight of UMass Dining for me. It was one of the first experiments they launched right as I was leaving school.

Here, you can get both a standard cheeseburger or a plant-based burger for the same price, which is nice.

1/4-pound Hot Dog w/ Chips ($5)

Please excuse my horrendous application of condiments in this photo. This is not on the staff. It’s on me — as is the decision to use ketchup.

This hot dog was wonderful and no one can take that experience away from me.

Gelato from the Massachusetts Creamery ($6)

(Options include: Salted Caramel Chip, Cappuccino Chip, Coconut)

The Massachusetts Creamery has a number of awesome ice cream and gelato options. I had all three of the gelato flavors they had available when I was there. The best flavor: Salted Caramel Chip.

(Ice cream options include Vanilla, Chocolate, Cookie Dough, Mint Chocolate Chip, Raspberry Sorbet)

Oh yeah, the Mullins Center sells beer now

Alcohol sales are a recent addition to the Mullins Center gameday experience. Here’s a rundown of some of the beers and other alcoholic drinks you can get around the arena. (Just be warned. The lines can get long).

Bud Light: $8

Massachusetts Lager: $12

Amherst Brewing Jess IPA: $12

Harpoon UFO: $8

Bud Light Seltzer: $8

Copa White/Red Wine: $8

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My long-overdue trip to the Mullins Center came on a night when the No. 11 Minutemen were taking on a Boston College team that was ranked No. 1 in the country in men’s hockey.

As you might expect, the place was packed. But the crowds weren’t too bad. The lines moved quickly enough and I had plenty of time to sample everything I had my eye on by the second period.

The operation at the Mullins Center remains a smooth one, even as the menu has gotten more complex.

The full concessions experience at the Mullins Center is available for men’s basketball and men’s hockey home games. Other events, such as women’s basketball, don’t have all concession stands open. Meanwhile, you can also get a taste of what’s on the menu when major concerts and shows come to Amherst.

You can check out upcoming events on the Mullins Center website.

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