18 Unique Father’s Day Food Ideas For Your Next Party

Father’s Day isn’t the only time you show your dad some appreciation and love. But it’s certainly a great excuse to get creative with it! One way to celebrate is by choosing Father’s Day food ideas that go beyond the usual steak and fries. Peerspace is here to help inspire you with a few of our favorite unique menu options for a wonderful lunch or dinner with your family!

1. Stuff and serve bacon-wrapped date appetizers

Start your Father’s Day celebration off right with a sweet and savory appetizer! Bacon-wrapped dates are a show-stopper that’s easy to make yet packed with flavor. From the rich goat cheese filling them to the salty bacon and sweet dates, you have a melange of tastes that ensures these will disappear from the party tray fast. Best of all, they are easy to make and bake!

2. Hire a taco or burger truck

Did you know that food trucks are unique catering options for Father’s Day parties and other special events? You can have a truck come to serve street tacos, specialty burgers, beer flights, and other amazing food. That frees you from having to serve dishes so you can enjoy the evening with family and friends. Many of the venues we have for rent through Peerspace have arrangements with local food trucks. Or you can hire your own to park at a space set aside for food truck catering! 

3. Whip up some meatball sliders

Combine the best elements of spaghetti and burgers with meatball sliders! Rich tomato sauce, herb-stuffed meatballs, and fluffy buns truly belong together. It may be tempting to go with store-bought meatballs but for a little extra time, you can make homemade ones that are packed with flavor! Meatball sliders are small enough to have built-in portion control, too, so you can eat just a few without feeling too guilty.

4. Bake perfect pork and Boston beans

Meat and beans is a one-pot meal option that’s super filling, delicious, budget-friendly, and easy to make. What could be better for folks who don’t want to get fancy in the kitchen yet still want a dish that looks and tastes special? This recipe for pork and Boston beans is especially yummy when a few slices of toasted bread, hot biscuits, or warm cornbread are added as a side.

5. Stuff a hanger steak sandwich

Steak isn’t just for dinner! Now Dad can enjoy it as a lunch option if you make him hanger steak sandwiches. Besides the flavorful, thinly sliced steak, you’ll also be making a sweet glaze to go with it. This is a sandwich that’s on par with anything a fancy steakhouse would serve. Despite you making everything from the creamed spinach to the glaze, the total prep time is just under an hour.

Need a unique, well-equipped space to host your food-centric Father’s Day? Then check out our guide on how and where to rent a backyard for a day and plan a cookout Dad will love!

6. Get fancy with homemade crab cakes

Authentic crab cakes are one of those dishes that’s so much better than people realize! Cheap store-bought cakes often turn first-timers off to the idea. When crab cakes like these, using lump crab meat and a fresh blend of pepper and spices, are one of the best seafood dishes for a special occasion! Lump blue crab is the way to go for tasty East Coast-style cakes but you can use anything except imitation or canned crab meat!

7. Explore Thailand with peanut chicken satay

If you love Southeast Asian food then you’ve likely ordered chicken satay a time or three! How about serving up some peanut chicken satay skewers as a Father’s Day food idea? The sauce has a fair number of ingredients but nothing you won’t find at your local grocery store. These Thai-style chicken satay skewers are the nearest thing to taking a street food tour of Bangkok, minus the plane tickets!

8. Be vegan-friendly with buddha bowls

How about a vegan Father’s Day food idea? Skip the steak and make him a buddha bowl instead! Buddha bowl recipes are endless because all you need is fresh fruit, vegetables, and vegetarian or vegan-friendly proteins like tofu or seitan. The greens, reds, yellows, and orange tones, mixed with the colors and shapes of the plant world, make each one a work of art as well. Buddha bowls can be customized to fit international themes as well; add hummus for a Mediterranean bowl or a base of rice noodles in a Vietnamese bowl.

9. Make grape jelly meatballs

Looking for a Father’s Day food idea that works as both an appetizer and a main course? Whip up some grape jelly meatballs for the party! These are sweet and savory bites of goodness that can be placed on skewers and served on a party tray or kept in the pot with a ladle as a main dish. Best of all, you only need a slow cooker and four ingredients, all of which might already be in your kitchen!

10. Try Italian desserts with affogato

Why not show Dad how much you love him with a dessert that’s a little fancy? Affogato is deceptively fancy since it only takes two ingredients: gelato and espresso, drizzled on top! But it’s likely neither you nor dad have tried this amazing combination before. So enjoy this sweet treat as an end to any good Father’s Day meal! Add toppings like almond slices, toasted pistachios, or dark chocolate flakes for extra texture and flavor!

11. Skip the oil with grill fried chicken

There’s more than one way to fry a chicken – skip the oil bath or air fryer and try grill fried chicken sometime! The combination of crispy fried chicken coating with the smoky flavors of the grill is truly unique. Be sure to brine the chicken beforehand so it doesn’t dry out on the grill. Once finished you can serve your grill fried chicken with fries, biscuits, sweet tea, coleslaw, and other classic sides!

12. Brew a special sun tea

There’s more than one way to brew sweet tea as well! How about harnessing the power of the sun for a tea brew that lacks the bitter tannins of traditional boiled tea? Sun tea takes about 3-4 hours to steep so you’ll need to plan accordingly. Otherwise, you make it the same way you would any other tea, with the same amount of sweeteners. Try adding flavor additions like lemon, lavender, or basil for a more unique brew!

13. Serve skillet grilled catfish

One of the best ways to celebrate Father’s Day is with a cookout! That means firing up the grill for a memorable evening! Steak and burgers are a must-have but how about a seafood option? Skillet grilled catfish is one of our favorite choices, with a deep-fried crunch that comes from the cornmeal coating. You can substitute catfish for haddock, pollack, or any other thick white fish filets as well.

You might love the idea of a cookout but lament the fact that you live in an apartment. Well, don’t let your Father’s Day cookout be forever a dream! Now when Peerspace is here with hundreds of outdoor party venues near you with backyards, grills, swimming pools, and other amenities. For example, this rustic second-floor deck in Detroit, MI, includes a grill with your event reservation!

Is your Dad a fan of hitting the links? Then our golf-themed party ideas can help you build his party on his favorite sport!

14. Make some pretzel dogs

Now here is a unique Father’s Day food idea, if you’re up for some extra prep time! Pretzel dogs are the grown-up version of pigs in a blanket. You’ll even be making the pretzel wrap from scratch, which only makes them that much tastier than anything store-bought! While baking, set up a few dipping sauces for these impressive hot dogs. Besides ketchup and mustard, how about some sriracha mayo or nacho cheese?

15. Serve a bold Mexican street corn salad

Your list of Father’s Day food ideas might be light on the vegetables. So how about a recipe for Mexican street corn salad? If you’ve had Mexican street corn before then you know what an explosion of flavor it is. Taking the kernels off the cob makes it even easier to enjoy these tastes as a side to a traditional meat dish. Or you can spoon the salad into tacos or on top of burgers!

16. Bake a rich peach & blueberry cobbler

You’ve had blueberry cobbler and you’ve had peach cobbler…But have you ever tried the two of them together? Peach & blueberry cobbler is a colorful dessert with dynamic flavor! The two fruits mesh well, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

17. Try some saucy honey mustard wings

Skip the usual store-bought buffalo wings and try making your own instead! With homemade wings, you aren’t limited to the sauces a pizza shop has on hand. So how about spicy and sweet honey mustard wings? They only take an hour to make and are guaranteed to disappear from the dinner table faster than that!

18. Elevate your hot dog game with some chili 

Hot dogs are a cookout staple so how about classing them up with a helping of chili? Chili dogs take the iconic hot dog and improves on it with not only the chili but shredded cheese, onions, sour cream, and other toppings!

Father’s Day food ideas: conclusion

Father’s Day food ideas should be as unique as your own dad! So try a few of the recipes we’ve collected here as a way of celebrating why you love him so. If you’ve enjoyed the ideas Peerspace has to share for dinner recipes, how about browsing a few of our party venues near you as well? From Father’s Day to wedding receptions, our event venues let you celebrate in style with your favorite people!

Find unique event venues for your Father’s Day gathering on Peerspace