This weekend's long-awaited, much-delayed return of Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park brings with it the bacchanalian feast of Bay Area food and drink that always accompanies this fest. And it's always worth getting out to the park early just to partake in what's there before you get schwasted and before anyone you actually care about goes on stage.

The Food

Since the very first Outside Lands over a decade ago, this festival set the tone for many other festivals that followed it around the country, going deep into the local food scene and offering up vendors beyond the usual pizza-and-pretzels concert schlock.

This year is no exception, and there are some newcomers to the "Taste of the Bay Area" array, many of which will be lining the Polo Field, and many of which you'll find in the connecting meadow between the Polo Field and Hellman Hollow, where the Twin Peaks Stage is.

Some highlights and new stuff that you won't want to miss this year:

El Garage, based in Richmond after a popular pop-up stint, will be serving up their quesabirria tacos, which became a white-hot trend during the pandemic year of comfort-food eating. Their stand will be on the north side of the Polo Field, down and to the right of the VIP viewing area.

Azalina's will be back serving up Malaysian deliciousness, and that stand will be on the way to the Twin Peaks stage, on the right if you're headed there.

Nyum Bai, the wildly popular Oakland Cambodian spot will be serving Cambodian-style fried chicken (tossed in citrus salt and kampot peppercorn) along with stir-fried rice noodles from the south side of the Polo Field, just below GrassLands. (Media Noche will also be next door serving Cubanos.)

Michelin-starred Sorrel is serving something, somewhere — but the details haven't been added to the Outside Lands app yet. And brand new Fisherman's Wharf Filipino restaurant Abaca will be slinging lumpia, carioca mochi rice donuts, and calamansi iced tea — on the north side of the Polo Field below and to the right of VIP.

Filipino/Japanese-inspired pop-up Ox & Tiger will be in the VIP area serving a pork katsu rice bowl and karaage (fried chicken).

Oakland's own World Famous Hotboys will be serving Nashville-style hot chicken sandwiches (location TBA).

And do NOT miss Otra's carnitas tostadas and chips and queso, which will be available on the north side of the Polo Field, near the route to Lindley Meadow.

The Wine

WineLands is a great place to take a break from the craziness, and there's always an array of great wines to taste — though it all comes at a pretty steep cost, with some tiny tasting pours running you five bucks.

Some excellent Sonoma wineries will be there pouring the good stuff, including Copain, Preston, Scribe, and Marine Layer. And some other heavy hitters like Ridge, Saison Wine Company, and Banshee will be offering up tastes and glasses, too.

Load up your wristband with dollars and throw caution to the wind — and you'll get a commemorative cup to take home for park drinking.

The Beer

BeerLands has only gotten better and better over time, but it's less of a respite from the chaos as it is kind of in the thick of it, at the top end of the Polo Field.

In the beer garden, you'll find tons of craft beer that won't be available at any of the other beer stands around the fest — which will be Heineken heavy.

Be sure to check out whatever Richmond-based East Brother Beer Co. is pouring. Alameda-based Almanac will be there and likely pouring something crazy, delightful and sour. SF's own Magnolia Brewing should have an English-style ale (or something else great) on hand. And Seven Stills will also be there, perhaps pouring one of their delicious IPAs.

You won't go hungry or thirsty at this festival if you do it right. And again, an early arrival is always good to browse the food and wine and beer at a leisurely pace, when you don't have less than five minutes to run to another stage.

Related: Outside Lands Will Have a Full-Time House Music Tent, No Comedy This Year

Photo: Peter P./Yelp