About a month after the Chase Center officially opened its doors, we had a chance to visit the new home of the Golden State Warriors. We attended The Who concert on October 9th and then the second-ever basketball game on October 10th between the Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves. This post will summarize the arena, its seating and its location in the Bay Area.
Where is the Chase Center Located?
If you've paid attention to the Warriors in recent years, you may have noticed the jerseys they wore that prominently displayed the words "The Town". This was a reference to Oakland, home to the Warriors since 1971. The new Chase Center is not located in "The Town", instead it is across the San Francisco Bay in the "The City".
The Chase Center sits in the middle of the Mission Bay neighborhood on the East side of San Francisco. Like the home of the San Francisco Giants (Oracle Park), the arena borders the bay waterfront. In fact, Chase Center is just a fifteen minute walk south of the ballpark.
The Neighborhood Around Chase Center
The area around Chase Center is largely residential with office buildings mixed in. And it may very well be the cleanest area of the entire city due to the newness of its development.
If you search for "Bars/Restaurants Near Chase Center" you'll find a number of options that are exactly 15 minutes away. To the North, a number of bars and eateries have sprouted up near Oracle Park, and to the south there are options in the Dogpatch neighborhood.
If you conduct that same search about a year from now you should expect to see an entirely new set of results. The developers of Thrive City - the name given to the development area near the arena - are opening restaurants and retail on a rolling basis. If current plans come to fruition, there may be one new opening each month for the next year.
What Does Chase Center Look Like From Outside?
The main entrance to the Chase Center is the west entrance. This area includes a large plaza and a massive team store.
The focal point of the exterior is a giant videoscreen with a shape matching the glass that looks toward the inside. Beyond the plaza are large steps that serve as seating for fans to hang out and watch the big screen.
What's Happening to Oracle Arena?
The Warriors spent 47 years at the arena formerly named Oracle. For the time being, it is being called Oakland Arena and it still has a large slate of entertainment events scheduled. Events include Post Malone, Celine Dion and a number of family shows.
Inside Chase Center
Lobby
When you step into the lobby of the Chase Center you might think you're in the lobby of one of the skyscrapers just a few blocks away. A large ceiling invites guests in immediately and they are attracted to the brightness and the soft woods that dominate the space.
Food Options Inside the Arena
Oracle Park is known as one of the best food ballparks in the country (did someone say garlic fries?). In turn, you can imagine that the bar is set pretty high for a new stadium opening up less than a mile away. So how is the food at the new Chase Center?
All-Inclusive Areas
If you're sitting in one of the premium areas (Theater Boxes, Courtside Lounges, Courtside at a Warriors game), the food will be top-notch. These areas have upscale options that are exclusive to premium ticketholders and most guests will be more than happy.
Club Seats Concessions
Where you may be very disappointed is if you are sitting in one of the club sections along the sideline of the lower level. These sections get access to the United and Budweiser Clubs and you may expect a decent spread. Unfortunately, for both the concert and Warriors games we attended, the food was standard-issue stadium fare with a limited menu. This was an incredible disappointment for such expensive tickets.
200 Level Concourse Finds
If the food in the club seats is disappointing, there's no hope for the upper level, right? Surprisingly, this was not the case. The food options on the 200 level are excellent and overwhelmingly local. Instead of seeing hot dogs, pizza and chicken fingers at every turn, the Chase Center surprised with exciting local options, including Hot Dog Bill's and Trumer Brewery.
Mobile Ordering
If you download the Chase Center App you can pre-order food and drink and pick it up at a nearby concession stand. With a packed house expected for every show and every game for the foreseeable future, this is a great way to save some time.
This was particularly helpful in the Bud and United clubs where you have ample space to sit down at halftime and enjoy your concessions. We recommend putting in an order with about six minutes left in the second quarter. This should avoid the halftime crowd and you should be back in your seats before the Warriors make their typical 3rd-quarter run.
Expensive Drinks, Free Refills
We're not one to complain about expensive concessions. It's an expectation these days to pay $10 for a beer. But it was a breath of fresh air when Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta started selling concessions with prices that compete with Ikea's cafeteria (in other words, they are really, really cheap).
So while the NFL's newest stadium is selling $2 waters and $5 beers, the NBA's new digs are selling water for $7 and beer for $16. If you're doing the math at home, it's about three times more expensive to get hydrated (and buzzed) at Chase Center than at M-B Stadium. I know the cost of living in Northern California is high, but it's not that high.
Fortunately, if your drink of choice comes from a fountain, you're in luck. How about free refills!? There are Pepsi machines scattered all around the arena for fans to self-serve refills. This will be an unexpected delight for families who can now share a single soda instead of paying for multiples.
What Does the Videoboard Look Like?
It's big. Like really big. It's beautiful and crisp with videoboards underneath angled towards the floor so lower level fans can see.
The videoboard is raised during concerts, and there were two screens on either side of the stage. They weren't as impressive as the basketball videoboard, but they got the job done.
Does the Chase Center Have Free Wifi?
Yes, the stadium offers free wifi. To access the wifi, you must enter your name and email address, and then click an advertisement or download an app before connecting. Having to jump through so many hoops to connect is frustrating and unnecessary, but the wifi was fast and reliable.
Buying Warriors Tickets or Concert Tickets at Chase Center
If you're considering purchasing tickets for a Warriors game or upcoming concert, we urge you to check out our seating guides for the arena. You'll find reviews, recommendations, seat views from every section and more. In this section we'll provide just a general summary of ticket options at the arena.
🏀 Warriors Seating Guide at Chase Center
🎤 Chase Center Concert Seating Guide
Season Ticket Holders Only
There are three areas of the stadium that are essentially off-limits to most fans. Tickets in these areas will rarely be available on ticket marketplaces and you'll have to "know someone" to get access (or become a season ticket member, for a small fee).
Courtside Lounges
A better name for this area would have been Sideline Lounges; they aren't even close to courtside. That is not to say they're not good seats, but the first row of the Lounges is the 8th row from the court for Warriors games and elevated over the floor for concerts.
Lounge ticketholders will have access to a private area on either side of the floor, including the Google Cloud Courtside Lounge. This area is located below the seating area and comes with all-inclusive amenities.
Despite not being actually courtside, these are definitely going to be some of the best seats for basketball games. Their sideline view, over-sized seating and exclusive benefits will make up for their mis-leading name.
For The Who concert, these seats were almost entirely empty. That was a shame because for a concert, these seats are absolutely outstanding.
Club Suites
If the Club Suites were a condo in downtown, they'd be listed for about $2 million. There is a living room with sofa, bar seating, wet bar and television. And there's a dining room with seating for eight, another television and storage. Oh, and each suite has views of the court for 16 guests.
Theater Boxes
Sitting in the 200 level and wondering why your seats are so far away? You can thank the Theater Boxes. Situated along the sideline below the upper deck, these boxes have phenomenal sitelines to both the basketball court and to the stage.
But it's not really the views that ticketholders are after here, it's the comfort and amenities. Each box contains massive, wish-you-had-em-at-home chairs to relax in while watching the game. They seriously might be the most comfortable chairs in any sports arena. And behind the chairs is a private lounge and dining area that the rest of the stadium can't see into.
Lower Level Clubs
Besides for the Courtside Lounges, there are four levels of club seating - all on the lower level.
Pepsi Club
If your friend tells you you're sitting in club seats, you normally get excited. If she tells you you're sitting in the Pepsi Club seats; however, it's the ultimate "meh".
These seats are behind the basket for basketball games and behind the stage for end-stage concerts. And the amenities are, well, Pepsi-like in a top-shelf vodka stadium. In other words, don't pay extra to sit here - it's not worth it.
Bud and United Clubs
All sideline seating in the 100 level belongs to one of these two clubs. Ticketholders get access to the club space attached to the seats. The United Club is much more expansive but the bud Club is two levels.
These seats will sell for a premium and earn it with quality sitelines and the club lounges.
Chase/JP Morgan Clubs
The stadium's namesake clubs are the cream of the crop on the lower level. Each is appointed with high-end furniture, large bars, televisions and additional conveniences.
If you're considering purchasing Warriors courtside tickets, access to the club is included, along with food and drink. Courtside seats include the two rows closest to the court and the sections directly behind these two rows (these tickets are labeled with rows A1-A5).
At The Who concert, my floor ticket also gave me access to the Chase Club. This was an unexpected bonus and one that I hope future ticketholders are aware of.
While the food and drink is not included during a concert, the space is an ideal spot to meetup with friends, escape from the opener or hang out in-between sets. Assuming it is accessible for general admission floor shows, it's great to have a space where you can take a load off - even if just for a moment.
Upper Level Seating
Every new stadium these days has an incredible selection of suites and clubs. But when I travel to a new stadium, I always pay close attention to what the cheapest seats offer fans. Is the concourse nice? Are the food offerings comparable to the lower level? What are the seats like?
For example, the Wells Fargo Center (Sixers/Flyers) did something kind of cool this year. They actually ripped out expensive suites at the top of the stadium and are selling dirt-cheap tickets with access to a unique lounge area. They want Philadelphia sports fans at the stadium, no matter the cost.
So I was intrigued when I learned that the upper concourse had exciting food options. I felt like the Chase Center would be looking out for the common fan.
As it turns out, I was wrong. Big time.
Let's take a step back here. According to our Where to Sit for a Basketball Game Post (and common knowledge), the best place to sit at a basketball game is along the sideline. On the lower level of the Chase Center, all sideline seating is club or ultra-premium. I don't like that because it prices out 95% of fans, but I've come to accept it recently.
The Chase Center only has two main seating bowls, so the next place to find sideline seating is the 200 level. If you want a great view and don't want to pay club prices, a low row in a 200 level sideline seat seems to make sense, right?
Unfortunately, those seats literally don't exist. Instead, the Theater Boxes occupy the space below and there is a wide open space above the Boxes where rows 1-5 of the 200 level should be. In other words, the 1200 best seats of the upper level don't exist in favor of giving the 240 Theater Box seats an "open concept".
To make matters worse, most of those 1200 seats could have been installed if the upper level simply hung over the Theater Boxes. There is room for at least five more rows of seats in the upper deck before sitelines to the court and a concert stage become problematic.
This faux pas might be forgivable if not for the fact that the entirety of the 200 level is unbelievably high up and incredibly steep.
The 200 level is still a passable place from which to watch a game or see a show. But it could have been so much better.
Other Seating
Other seating options worth mentioning are the Modelo Cantina/Balcony and the Bridges. A full review and photos for each area can be found at the provided links.
Final Thoughts
Fiserv Forum was the last new NBA arena to open its doors. When comparing the two spaces, it's obvious that the stadiums are catering to a completely different set of fans. The Chase Center has options galore for the high-end event attendee, while Milwaukee's new arena was a little more focused on the everyday fan.
Warriors tickets are going to be a hot commodity for years to come, and the upgrade from Oracle Arena to Chase Center is substantial. Fans attending the new stadium are more than likely to be in awe of the beautiful space, we just hope enough fans have the opportunity to afford the visit.
