{"id":2875,"date":"2026-04-17T14:55:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/?p=2875"},"modified":"2026-04-17T14:55:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:55:14","slug":"the-most-popular-food-at-coachella-is-gerards-paella","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/?p=2875","title":{"rendered":"The Most Popular Food at Coachella Is Gerard\u2019s Paella"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-journey-body=\"standard-article\">\n<div class=\"css-hl6xtf e1wzc3k51\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.delish.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/clock-regular.4ddebeb.svg\" alt=\"Estimated read time\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><span class=\"css-1rzbsk9 e1wzc3k50\">2 min read<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1jx1kps etlajd3\">\n<div data-theme-key=\"collapsible-section\" class=\"css-p1fz9n e1q3dcg6\">\n<h3 data-theme-key=\"collapsible-header\" class=\"css-1fv4nwp e1q3dcg5\"><button aria-label=\"Hide Key Points section\" aria-expanded=\"true\" data-theme-key=\"collapsible-header-button\" class=\"css-ec8vqf e1q3dcg4\"><\/p>\n<div data-theme-key=\"collapsible-icon-wrapper\" data-collapsible-open=\"true\" class=\"css-lhm19 e1q3dcg0\"><span data-testid=\"iconRight\" data-theme-key=\"collapsible-icon-right\" class=\"css-1ep4808 e1q3dcg1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.delish.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/caret-right-regular.a6ec664.svg\" alt=\"Caret Right\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/h3>\n<div aria-hidden=\"false\" data-theme-key=\"collapsible-section-text\" class=\"css-nzvxqj e1q3dcg3\">\n<div class=\"css-ex91la etlajd2\">\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>After a weekend of eating through Coachella, one dish stood out as the festival\u2019s clear favorite: paella.<\/li>\n<li>Gerard\u2019s Paella has become one of Coachella\u2019s most popular food vendors, serving its signature chicken-and-shrimp bowl.<\/li>\n<li>At $22, the portion is generous enough to share, making it one of the more worthwhile food buys on the festival grounds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"0\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">If you had asked me a week ago what I thought music festival food looked like, I\u2019d probably have come up with amusement park staples like pizza and hot dogs. But the dining options at Coachella are <em data-node-id=\"0.3\">far<\/em> more elaborate. Sure, you can find some of the classics, but there\u2019s also full charcuterie boards, chicken nuggets topped with caviar, and lobster grilled cheese sandwiches.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"1\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">I spent the first weekend of Coachella wandering the festival grounds in search of the most delicious (and most absurd) food. Almost immediately, I noticed one dish that nearly everyone seemed to be eating: paella.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"2\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Everywhere I looked, people were digging into bowls piled high with golden yellow rice. In both the general admission and VIP areas, the lines stretched across the grass all day long. I may not have access to official sales data, but anecdotally, I can confirm that paella is the most popular dish at Coachella.<\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"watch-next\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-22\" data-node-id=\"3\" class=\"embed\"\/>\n<section data-embed=\"body-image\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-23\" data-node-id=\"4\" class=\"embed\">\n<div size=\"large\" data-embed=\"body-image\" class=\"align-center size-large embed css-1vw1yg0 e1fodxfw4\">\n<div class=\"css-1k29q50 e1fodxfw3\"><img draggable=\"true\" alt=\"Food stall serving Spanish paella at an outdoor event\" title=\"Food stall serving Spanish paella at an outdoor event\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1179\" height=\"2556\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto;\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/8c8c80a8-0155-436f-901d-bb403690f01c.jpg?crop=1xw:0.461xh;0xw,0.334xh&amp;resize=768:* 640w, https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/8c8c80a8-0155-436f-901d-bb403690f01c.jpg?crop=1xw:0.461xh;0xw,0.334xh&amp;resize=768:* 980w, https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/8c8c80a8-0155-436f-901d-bb403690f01c.jpg?crop=1xw:0.461xh;0xw,0.334xh&amp;resize=980:* 1120w, https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/8c8c80a8-0155-436f-901d-bb403690f01c.jpg?crop=1xw:0.461xh;0xw,0.334xh&amp;resize=980:* 1400w, https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/8c8c80a8-0155-436f-901d-bb403690f01c.jpg?crop=1xw:0.461xh;0xw,0.334xh&amp;resize=980:* 1800w, https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/8c8c80a8-0155-436f-901d-bb403690f01c.jpg?crop=1xw:0.461xh;0xw,0.334xh&amp;resize=980:* 2000w\" src=\"https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/8c8c80a8-0155-436f-901d-bb403690f01c.jpg?crop=1xw:0.461xh;0xw,0.334xh&amp;resize=980:*\" class=\"css-0 e1g79fud0\"\/><\/p>\n<p><figcaption data-theme-key=\"photo-credit-figcaption\" class=\"css-1am3yn9 e1g9hcy40\"><span data-theme-key=\"photo-credit-creditor\" class=\"css-l4pefh e1geg53v2\">Gabby Romero<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"5\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">It all comes from one vendor: <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gerardspaella.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.gerardspaella.com\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Gerard\u2019s Paella\" data-node-id=\"5.1\" class=\"body-link css-8bav6j emevuu60\">Gerard\u2019s Paella<\/a>. After a ski trip in Spain introduced Chef Gerard Nebesky to traditional paella, he mastered the dish and eventually brought it on the road. He\u2019s been serving it at Coachella for more than a decade and has become a regular at festivals across the country.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"6\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Nebesky also earned the nickname \u201cPrince of Paella\u201d after beating Bobby Flay on a 2008 episode of <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1273783\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1273783\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Throwdown\" data-node-id=\"6.1\" class=\"body-link css-8bav6j emevuu60\"><em data-node-id=\"6.1.0\">Throwdown<\/em><\/a>. But even without the title, the draw of Gerard\u2019s Paella speaks for itself.<\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"instagram\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-24\" data-node-id=\"7\" class=\"embed\"\/>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"8\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">At Coachella, Nebesky and his team cook multiple batches of paella at staggered times across six massive pans. Once the rice is perfectly cooked, they use a giant shovel to scrape the crispy layer from the bottom (also known as the soccarat), so that each serving gets some golden-brown, crunchy pieces.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"9\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">There\u2019s just one flavor on the menu: chicken and shrimp, topped with sweet peppers, arugula, sofrito, paprika, saffron rice, and a creamy garlic aioli. The dish is spiced, but not spicy; people who want to feel the heat can also add Sriracha.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"10\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Like nearly every other food item at Coachella, the price of a bowl has climbed over the years. But at $22 each, the portion is generous enough to feed two people. Social media users have also said the paella keeps them full all day, which is not nothing when you\u2019re out in the desert all day.<\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"tiktok\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-25\" data-node-id=\"11\" class=\"embed\"\/>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"12\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Whether you\u2019re looking for fuel, flavor, or simply the one dish everyone else seems to have already figured out, Gerard\u2019s Paella is the Coachella meal that actually lives up to the hype.<\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"editorial-link\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-26\" data-node-id=\"13\" class=\"embed\">\n<aside class=\"css-u95ltk e94w1mj3\"\/><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2 min read After a weekend of eating through Coachella, one dish stood out as the festival\u2019s clear favorite: paella. Gerard\u2019s Paella has become one of Coachella\u2019s most popular food vendors, serving its signature chicken-and-shrimp bowl. At $22, the portion is generous enough to share, making it one of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}