My friends and I had an amazing time at the Eat Show. Think 626 night market, but indoors, less vendors, smaller food portions, selected food items, shorter lines, open bar, and a lot more food you can stomach in one go. We went there for lunch from 12:00 to 15:00, and it was definitely worth the price tag for the general admission ($50). We arrived at registration, got our wrist bands, meal card, and a couple of pretz and fruit sodas. Make sure not to lose your meal card! The vendors and security guard need to check it off since you can only pass through each food station once. We did pass by the VIP booth to check what was inside the bag, but it didn't seem like there was anything worth the $40 price difference (I mean, yes you get to go one hour earlier but for that price, you mind as well just buy another general admission for dinner). Apparently there were some "special VIP bags" randomly selected which contained gift cards and other things that might have justified the difference in cost, but that was not available for every single bag.
The thing I liked the most about the Eat Show is that I got to try a bit of (almost) every single vendor at the event. If you are like me and just want to try a bite of everything, this event is far more worth it than other food markets. Although I have had meals separately at several of the showcased vendors locations, I still had a really good time and got to try some new dishes. Plus, I got to discover new eateries and food products that interest me. The vast majority of the items there were included with the cost of your admission, but there were some vendors selling things as well (from the top of my head, I know they were selling a bottle of some sort of beverage to help with hangovers).
The open bar had a selection of about 5 cocktails, and it was located in the center of the entire floor. There were also booths with sake and beer in other corners of the event. I'm not a big drinker, but I think it's nice that people could drink as much as they wanted. I had a sip of Screw The Roses, but I couldn't stomach much of it since it had a curry/masala like taste to me. I also had a Geronimo which contained watermelon, and it appeared to be the most popular drink there. They had coffee and fruity sodas available for grab as well, and they were giving boxed water in one of the food stations.
Of all the food items, I was most excited to get some meat from fogo de chão and halal guys. Fogo de chão: the sausage was pretty on point, but the plate that I got had some tough beef so that was a bust for me. Halal guys: amazing and spicy, pretty much a very "nostalgic mouth on fire" experience if you haven't had it in a while. In terms of dessert, the riesling peach sorbet from jenis ice cream was a hit, and it was such a palate cleanser. One of the new places I will be trying after this event will definitely be the Thai restaurant that was showcased. Their yellow chicken curry had such a nice kick to it. The food truck that had the katsu burger was also a favorite for my group.
I think this event has a come back value if one of your hobbies is eating and learning about new places to go practice that hobby. However, if you are the type of person who dislikes overeating and for the most part knows exactly what you want whenever you go eat, this event might feel like a waste to you. You will be consuming a lot of needless calories and there will be times you are downing your food down your throat as you walk to the next line. Three hours seems like a long time, but given the sheer amount of food (and small trays), it goes by fast. My friends and I almost completed our ticket meal card, but we arrived just as they had closed down the line for our last station (ughh). I did see some meal tickets left forgotten at tables, which is such a shame, but honestly I don't think anyone would steal someone else's meal ticket. There was plenty of food included. Also, towards the end of the event they were just giving out/getting rid of so many of the pretz boxes and drinks. People were taking dozens of them, so I got ten of them as well (then I was given 5 more by the staff on the way out) and realized that they expire next week haha. read more