New Taste of Chicago
American restaurant · Roseland ·
Sandwiches, burgers, wings, late-night eats, and delicious gyros
Sandwiches, burgers, wings, late-night eats, and delicious gyros
"Returning for 2023 after a March delay to accommodate the NASCAR Street Race, the festival will run September 8–10 at its customary home in Grant Park but with a slimmed-down lineup: more than 35 vendors, 15 food trucks, and a new area for beer, wine, and boozy frozen drinks, featuring spots like Eli’s Cheesecake, Arun’s Thai Restaurant, Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, Josephine’s Cooking, Connie’s Pizza, and global offerings such as Tandoor Char House and JJ’s Thai Street Food. Founded in 1980 and still drawing tens of thousands, Taste feels smaller than its heyday—when vendors approached 100—and, while it remains a local gateway to a wide swath of Chicago cuisines and a rite of passage for many youngsters, crowds are shrinking and few people said they missed it this Fourth of July. The city privately believes the event can still showcase restaurants and attract big crowds, but organizers and vendors say it needs a revamp to be more approachable and culturally relevant; critics point to high costs (insurance plus a three-day vendor fee of $3,000) and staffing challenges that keep many restaurants away. Historically it has helped introduce regional foods—Tony Hu used the festival in the ’90s to showcase regional Chinese cuisine with bites of dry-chili chicken—and organizers have tried recruiting food trucks and star chefs, but Taste has struggled to keep pace with newer, curated culinary events." - Ashok Selvam
"I'm covering that Taste of Chicago is trying to diversify its food vendor lineup for the festival starting July 10; food vendor applications are due February 20 and restaurants can apply online to be five-day participants, one- or two-day pop-ups, or food trucks, with requirements and an insurance checklist listed on the website, and an informational workshop scheduled for February 7 at the Chicago Cultural Center." - Daniel Gerzina
"The long-running, free summer festival is described as a community-building event that often brings marginalized groups downtown but has 'wasted potential'; critics suggest lowering participation costs, using a committee of food writers to select interesting vendors, and refusing to segregate immigrant-owned booths into a separate area to ensure the festival more equitably showcases the city's culinary diversity." - Ashok Selvam
"An annual summertime food festival in its 38th year, running July 11–15, 2018 at Grant Park; this edition features 73 vendors including 26 newcomers (up from 67 the previous year), offers chef demonstrations and ticketed events, and aims to showcase both big-name and lesser-known neighborhood restaurants to give smaller spots greater exposure." - Ashok Selvam
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