Coachella 2023: What we ate, from vegan carne asada to overpriced pizza

From spotting celebrities to watching your favorite artists kill it onstage, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is an experience for all the senses.

But let's be real, the second most important sense after hearing is obviously taste.

After all the dancing and walking around festivalgoers do, they need to grab something that will satisfy their grumbling tummies. And because most things cost more than $15 at the festival — yes, even the most basic food items — festivalgoers are going to be searching for the most delicious items available.

Have no fear, The Desert Sun is here to give you our ranking of all the tasty (and bad) food we ate.

A local coffeeshop in Indio Central Market

For the first time this year, Indio-based local coffeeshop Everbloom is at Coachella, available in the Indio Central Market. Everbloom started as a coffee cart catering events in the valley before opening its popular brick-and-mortar shop off Highway 111 in Indio in 2020. 

The $12-$13 lattes, cold brew, matcha and chai might be among the more egregious examples of Coachella price hikes, but if you’re going to buy overpriced coffee at Coachella, it certainly feels better to put your dollars towards a local independent coffee shop rather than a corporate chain or some out-of-towners. For an extra $3 — a grand total of $16 — I got my iced latte flavored with vanilla, resulting in a smooth, not-too-sweet coffee that provided the perfect caffeine boost to carry me from the afternoon into late-night sets. In addition to vanilla, you can also boost the flavor of your latte with butterscotch.

The drinks are pre-batched, and the lattes are made with non-dairy milk. The one complaint is drinks are only available iced, which, while a relief during the day, is a mild bummer during cold and windy evenings — but the pre-batched ice drinks help the line move quickly!

And if you like what you try on the festival grounds, you can get the same drinks for much, much cheaper by visiting Everbloom’s brick-and-mortar location while you’re in town this weekend: 81730 CA-111, Suite 14 in Indio, open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Vegan hot dog with all the fixings from Sumo Dog

For the second year in a row, I've been more than pleasantly surprised — even excited — by the vegan and vegetarian options available within the Indio Central Market. I've learned over the years not to get my hopes up about finding a variety of vegetarian friendly-options at events and festivals — even though, ironically, I first became vegetarian at Warped Tour in Pomona (RIP) circa 2011 or 2012 after seeing a video of a factory farm.

This year, I branched out from my favorite spot at Indio Central Market (Ramenhood) to try Sumo Dog, where I ordered a vegan Sumo Dog topped with wasabi relish, pickled peppers, teriyaki sauce, spicy mayo, and nori, among other toppings, representing a much more complex flavor profile than us veggies can usually dream of at a major event.

— Erin Rode, environment reporter

Trill OG Burger combo from Trill Burgers delivers

If you're looking for a flavorful smashburger to sink your teeth into, Trill Burgers at the Indio Central Market is the spot for you. The Trill OG Burger comes with two smashed burger patties, gooey cheese, grilled onions, pickles and Trill sauce. I didn't expect much from a festival burger, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I craved each tasty bite. I got the combo basket, which came with fries that, unfortunately, were too salty, and a drink, and paid over $30 with tip. It's definitely overpriced, but it certainly gave me the fuel I needed.

Cool off with a bit of ice cream

Even if BLACKPINK didn't bring out Selena Gomez for an iconic performance of "Ice Cream" during Saturday's headlining set, you can still enjoy a scoop or two on the festival grounds in their honor. Inside the Indio Central Market, California-based McConnell's Fine Ice Creams has a booth where it offers limited flavors, but delicious nonetheless. They were out of my original choice — sweet cream carmel brownie — so I went with the dairy-free cookies and cream. Thankfully it did not disappoint, even if the $9 single scoop price was kind of ridiculous. It was the perfect way to cool down a little before bracing the rest of my hot, sunny day.

— Ema Sasic, features reporter

Ramen makes the perfect light lunch

While Coachella offers plenty of greasy food options, it's nice to have something a bit healthier and cleaner to eat on the grounds. I ordered the OG ramen from Ramen Hood one day for lunch and it hit just the spot. The vegan-friendly option comes with a sunflower seed broth, bean sprouts, scallions, bok choy, king oyster mushrooms, nori and a little bit of a kick. I didn't realize how much I missed a more veggie-filled meal until I scarfed this down in just a few bites.

— Ema Sasic, features reporter

It's just a slice of pizza, but ...

I know, you're probably looking for an exotic food option, but every year I come back to a Coachella staple, Spicy Pie. They've been here at least 15 years and I've certainly helped keep them in business. I got my first slice at 2:37 p.m on Friday, which was probably the quickest I've ever succumbed to a big old slice of a pizza they call "Happy Waitress." It's pepperoni, sausage and onion. Why that makes a waitress happy, I don't know, but it makes me happy. It will run you a tidy $11.96, but it is an oversized slice, not bad bang for your buck in Coachella terms. You can find it in the beer garden food area between the Coachella Stage and the Outdoor Theatre.

— Shad Powers, columnist

Korean fried chicken is sure to satisfy

Anyone who develops an itch for fried chicken during the festival should head over to Chimmelier, a Los Angeles-based Korean restaurant with a stand at the Indio Central Market. The stand offers only a few choices, but with good reason. If you’re feeling hangry, the K-Fried Chicken Burger — adorned with gochujang aioli, pickled coleslaw and pickles — will quickly fix that, though the spices don't bring much kick. The K-Hot Tenders, which are fried and dipped in hot sesame gochujang oil, are a bit spicier. While they don’t skimp on the prices (both are $20), you’re sure to be satisfied by Chimmelier — and perhaps in need of a nap.

— Tom Coulter, mid-valley reporter

Vegan Mexican food? Sign me up

OK so no, I'm not a vegan, but my stomach hates me (for reasons unknown), so there are certain things I can't eat. One of those things is beef, so you could imagine my surprise when my coworker Erin told me she could grab me a vegan carne asada "nacho boat" from a stand she was trying out. We were both quite satisfied with our orders from Cena Vegan, which is a plant-based Mexican eatery in Los Angeles. Their outpost in the Indio Central Market is no cheaper than any of its neighbors, but I got a LOT of food out of my $20 order, and the guacamole was some of the best I've had in a while.

— Niki Kottmann, features editor

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella 2023: What we ate, from vegan carne asada to overpriced pizza