Largest-ever Taste of Cincinnati promises to give your palate a workout
It has been a long wait for foodies and, well, just plain ol’ regular folks. Three years, to be exact, since we were able to get a Taste of Cincinnati, way back in 2019.
In what organizers are billing as the biiiiiggest Taste ever, the event will return this coming weekend to Fifth Street in downtown Cincinnati for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Taste-goers will be able to choose from 37 restaurants and 19 food trucks between Main Street and just east of Sentinel Street (the ramps of Interstate 71 and Columbia Parkway). A committee selects vendors through an application process.
Karen Maier, now retired vice president of marketing for Frisch’s Restaurants, cooked up the Taste of Cincinnati idea after reading in an industry trade publication about a similar event in New York City. It started small, as a one-day event in 1979 in Piatt Park, then known as Garfield Park, drawing about 5,000 people.
Two years later, it was expanded to two days. In 1988, it was moved to Central Parkway and became the three-day celebration of food, drink, entertainment and promotional items that occurs each Memorial Day weekend.
Taste of Cincinnati, presented by Kroger, will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday. Setup will occur Friday. An estimated 550,000 people visit each year, making Taste one of the largest street festivals in the country, according to the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.
This year’s Taste menu shows that all food items will be $3 to $8, with the only exception being Off the Hook’s shrimp fritters coming in at the least expensive, at $2. (And by the way, the fritters were judged as a bronze winner in the food truck appetizer category this year). There is no admission cost to attend Taste.
Participating restaurants:
Alfio’s Buon Cibo
BBQ Highlife
BEBO’s Burgers + Frappes
Better Blend
Ché
Chicago Gyros
China Gourmet
Chino’s Street Food
Deme Kitchen
Eddie’s Southern Style BBQ and Catering
El Vaquero
Gee’s Caribbean Style
Hard Rock Casino – Council Oak Steak and Seafood / YouYu Pan Asian Street Food
Herban Vegans
Izzy’s
Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint
Just Q’in BBQ
Kabobske
Keystone Bar & Grill
LaRosa’s Pizza
Latin House
Mazunte
Mecklenburg Gardens
McK’s
Pompilio’s Restaurant
Roll On In/Buzzed Bull Creamery
Sawasdee Thai Cuisine
Sweets & Meats BBQ
Thai Express
The Cheesecakery
The Cookie Shop
The Melting Pot
The Surfin’ Salmon
Tickety-Boo Treats
Tickle Pickle
Tom + Chee
Wing Champ
Participating food trucks:
Adena’s Beefstroll
Buffalo’s Best
Cups ‘N Cones
Dine-In Hawaiian
El Chevito
Empanadas Aqui
House Cafe & Catering
MamaBear’s Mac
Marty’s Waffles
Off The Hook
Quite Frankly
Red Sesame
S.E.A. Cuisine
Streetpops
SugarSnap!
Sweet Jazz Treats Bakery
Texas Joe Tex-Mex
The Surfin Salmon
Wicked Hickory
While strolling through Taste, you can also enjoy a diverse range of music, with three dozen acts scheduled on four stages. Click here for times of performances:
Saturday: Missy Werner Band, Jason Owens Band, Kevin McCoy Band, Ingrid Rachel Project, Audio Graffiti, Liberty Deep Down, Transatlantis, Ralph and The Rhythm Hounds, The Lady Joya Band, Kryst Kruer, Maria Keck and Elizabeth Walters.
Sunday: Eric Bolander Band, Danny Frazier Band, The Casey Campbell Project, Vinyl Countdown, Catalyst, Buzz Bin, Ricky Nye Inc., Jack Burton Overdrive, 3 Day Rule, Tracy Walker, Courtney Holloway and Mockery.
Monday: Michelle Robinson Band, Derek Alan Band, Varner/Netherton Revival, Tracy Walker Band, Leroy Ellington’s Sacred Hearts, Azúcar Tumbao, Burning Caravan, The Sunburners, J Vaughn, Damon Mitchell, Daniel Van Vechten and Amy McFarland
