clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Bludso’s Brings Barbecue Credentials to LA’s New Soccer Stadium

Banc of California Stadium boasts a strong concessions game

Array of barbecue and more from Bludso’s Bar & Que.
A full spread from Bludso’s
Bludso’s Bar & Que [official photo]
Farley Elliott is the Senior Editor at Eater LA and the author of Los Angeles Street Food: A History From Tamaleros to Taco Trucks. He covers restaurants in every form, from breaking news to the culture, people, and history that surrounds LA's dining landscape.

The inaugural season for the Los Angeles Football Club hasn’t even officially gotten underway at the new Banc of California Stadium near USC, but the excitement’s already building. News broke late last month of the first official concessions tenant (Beer Belly) for the property, but now comes another big name: Bludso’s.

Owner Kevin Bludso made a name for himself selling Texas-style smoked meats from a walk-up space in Compton over the years, ultimately expanding into the Bludso’s empire with dots all over the map. There’s Bludso’s Bar & Que on La Brea, run by the namesake pitmaster along with Noah Galuten, as well as a Bludso’s outpost at The Proud Bird’s food bazaar space near the airport. There’s even San Antone by Bludso’s BBQ, an offshoot with a prime location down in Melbourne, Australia.

With this Banc of California Stadium project, the Bludso’s team will work to bring quality central Texas barbecue to scale inside a new state-of-the-art facility that opens in less than two months. Right now the menu calls for mostly sandwiches and sides, along with one particular Kevin Bludso specialty: rib tips. That’s no small task, but given the team’s ability to grow from that small Compton storefront into a multi-location barbecue brand, the future certainly seems bright.

As for the Banc of California Stadium, there are still plenty of names left to be announced, along with details on an adjacent building on the same property that will also hold a variety of food options. In the meantime the LA Football Club crew is making the local rounds in anticipation of their first game next month, popping up tonight with swag at Beer Belly in Koreatown. More on future concession restaurant confirmations as they come.