The 2026 US Open runs from August 23 to September 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, and Fan Week (August 23–29) means free admission to grounds that will be crowded every single day. With 70 food stands serving fried chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, pastrami on rye, poke bowls, KIMBOP, and the signature Honey Deuce cocktail, the tournament is a practical test for anyone managing gout. You cannot control the menu, but you can control what you order. A three-week run with many match days is very playable if you know which stands are safe, which need portion control, and which are best left to someone else.
What is actually on the menu at the 2026 US Open
The food program at the National Tennis Center runs far bigger than a typical stadium concourse. Reports list five sit-down restaurants, 70 stands, and more than 15 distinct concepts spread across the grounds. The crowd-pleasers include Fuku's spicy fried chicken sandwich, COQODAQ's Korean-style fried chicken, pastrami on rye, lobster rolls, poke bowls, KIMBOP (Korean rice rolls), plus the usual stadium staples of hot dogs, salads, and grab-and-go boxes. For tennis fans this is a treat; for a person who tracks purines it is a menu that spans the whole spectrum in one walk.
The free Fan Week dates are the busiest stretch, since you can wander the grounds, watch qualifying and practice, and hit the food village without buying a session ticket. That is also when lines are longest and decisions are rushed. A small amount of planning before you arrive tends to work better than deciding while the queue behind you is waiting. The main draw begins August 30, and the tournament then runs through September 13, so the food choices repeat across many visits.
The high-purine watch list: fried chicken, hot dogs, pastrami
Several of the headline items sit in the Moderate purine band, which is not a ban but does argue for portion awareness. Raw chicken wing measures 137.5 mg/100 g in the FoodCanEat database — Moderate. A fried chicken sandwich from Fuku or COQODAQ is a full breast or thigh portion plus batter, so you are easily eating 150 grams or more of chicken in one item, plus the oil from frying. The frying does not add purines, but the portion size does. Our poultry purine ranking shows how chicken pieces stack up against other bird options.
Beef hot dogs are the other crowd favorite, and a heated beef frankfurter measures 115.2 mg/100 g, also Moderate. A single frank is a manageable portion, but two dogs plus fries plus a drink makes a day's total climb quickly. Pastrami on rye is built from beef brisket (79.2 mg/100 g, Moderate), and it is also cured and processed meat, which some people with gout choose to limit for reasons beyond purines. The processed meats comparison ranks hot dogs, brisket, and similar items side by side. The practical takeaway: these are not avoid-band foods, but on a three-week schedule they are best treated as one-item choices, not the daily default.
The friendlier picks: poke bowls, KIMBOP, and plain sides
On the safer end of the food village, poke bowls and KIMBOP give you real choices. A poke bowl starts with a rice base — rice is low in purines — and vegetables, with the raw fish on top being the variable. Farmed shrimp measures 182.4 mg/100 g (Avoid) and light tuna canned in water measures 211.8 mg/100 g (Avoid), so a bowl loaded with tuna or shrimp should be a once-in-a-while item rather than your every-visit lunch. A bowl built mostly on rice, cucumber (9.4 mg/100 g, Safe), and a modest fish portion is a reasonable middle ground. Our seafood and gout guide walks through which fish sit low and which sit high.
KIMBOP is seaweed-wrapped rice with vegetables and a filling — structurally close to sushi, and relatively friendly because the rice and vegetables make up most of the roll. If the filling is bulgogi-style beef, the beef portion is Moderate; choose a vegetable-forward version or keep the roll count to one or two. And if you want the lowest-purine bites on the grounds, plain sides are your friends: macaroni and cheese measures 0.0 mg/100 g in the database, and cucumber at 9.4 mg/100 g is essentially a free pass. Pair a small fried item with a big side of mac and cheese or a vegetable cup and the total for the meal stays moderate.
Drinks and hydration: the Honey Deuce question
No US Open discussion skips the Honey Deuce — the tournament's signature cocktail of vodka, honeydew melon, and lemonade. For gout, it matters for two separate reasons. Alcohol is associated with higher urate levels and with flare triggers, and a drink sweetened with honeydew and lemonade also loads sugar, which some people find pushes urate up on its own. That is not a reason to treat the Honey Deuce as forbidden — it is a reason to treat it as a counted item, not an all-day beverage.
Long matches in August heat mean you are sweating for hours, and staying hydrated may help keep you comfortable and keep your daily routine intact. Water is the cheap, reliable choice; alternating a cocktail with a bottle of water is a practical pattern for a full day of tennis. The hydration and gout guide covers how fluid intake fits into a flare-conscious day. Whatever you order, the pattern that repeats across a three-week tournament matters more than any single visit.
Frequently asked questions
Is fried chicken at the US Open a problem for gout?
It is not in the avoid band, but it deserves portion awareness. Raw chicken wing measures 137.5 mg/100 g — Moderate. A fried chicken sandwich from Fuku or COQODAQ is a full portion of chicken plus batter and frying oil, so you are taking in well over 100 grams of poultry in one item. The oil does not add purines; the size of the portion does. As a single main item on a day where you skip the hot dog and drink water, a sandwich is a reasonable choice. As the daily default across Fan Week and the main draw, it adds up. Keep it to one portion, lean on low-purine sides, and let the rest of the day stay light.
Are poke bowls and KIMBOP safe for gout at the US Open?
Both can be among the friendlier options, with one variable: the fish or meat filling. A poke bowl is rice and vegetables — both low in purines — topped with raw fish, and the fish is where you need to look. Farmed shrimp measures 182.4 mg/100 g (Avoid) and light tuna canned in water measures 211.8 mg/100 g (Avoid), so a bowl heavy on tuna or shrimp should stay a treat. A bowl built on rice, cucumber, and a modest fish portion is reasonable. KIMBOP is mostly rice and vegetables wrapped in seaweed, which is relatively friendly; a bulgogi beef filling is Moderate, so a vegetable-forward version is the gentler pick. Choosing the low-fish, high-vegetable version keeps the meal in comfortable territory.
What should I drink at the US Open if I have gout?
Water is the safest answer, and it does real work during long sessions in August heat. The Honey Deuce is vodka with honeydew melon and lemonade, so it is alcohol plus sugar in one glass. Alcohol is associated with higher urate and with flare risk, and heavy sugar intake may do the same in some people. That does not mean the signature cocktail is off-limits for everyone, but across a three-week tournament the drinks add up faster than the food. A practical pattern is one Honey Deuce with water, then water for the rest of the session. Staying hydrated may help you stay comfortable and keep the rest of your gout routine on track.
References:
NoonTravel. "2026 US Open Guide: Tickets, Hotels & Everything You Need to Know." August 2026. noontravel.com/stories/us-open-2026-tickets-hotels-guide
Dominicanos NYC. "Where to Eat at the US Open." August 2026. dominicanos.nyc/.../where-to-eat-at-the-us-open-2025
FoodCanEat purine database (USDA-based, accessed 2026-08-24).