The Taste of Cincinnati is an event I always look forward to each year and I have to say that 2026 was much better than 2025! This year there was a larger variety of cuisine types. Last year I felt like I was at a Texas Rodeo with only BBQ options. Highlighting our Cinci Food Trucks and Findlay Market restaurants is always one of my favorite parts. Most if not all restaurants in his year we're showcasing specialty items so it was great to see different options vs everyone having pulled pork bbq or cheeseburgers and so I had the opportunity to try so many things and places that I didn't even know about. Service was also very quick at almost every stop so no long lines, food was hot and the workers were all friendly. Being outside is always a treat and i was thankful it was warm, not HOT, partly cloudy and not sun blazing. This is a great family friendly event, if you haven't gone before, hit it up in 2027!! read more

Have been coming for 30 yrs. Love to find new places to check out and try new things. Tried to come yesterday but the rain got real. But today was gorgeous. We usually come when they start as the crowd and lines are fair less. Everything we tried was good and enjoyed the live music. My hubby is not a dancer but I would have like to dance a bit. Anyway great day here with gorgeous weather. read more

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My partner, his family and I were lucky to attend the Taste of Cincinnati this afternoon. The annual downtown food festival runs from May 24-26 with plenty of local foods brought together, along with music and vendors. Menu items ranged from $3-$12. DEFINITELY a must-do for your list of what to do while visiting this city. read more

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The foods I tasted were pretty good. Price is a bit much. It's an easy way to try different varieties of things. Crowds were tolerable. Music was great. read more

What a great way to start summer. Lots of good music drinks and just lots of fun Everything we ate was spot on. It's a great time to try new things for half the price. read more

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Amazing public event with inexpensive local food truck offerings! Easy to navigate and spend a few hours read more

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An annual tradition we love and enjoy, the food was good as always and the atmosphere was awesome as well. I felt it was even bigger than years past with so many options and local favorites. My favorite of this year was the grippo risotto balls from pompillos! We will continue to visit every year as it's a fun night out with many food options and plenty of live entertainment. read more

What better way to explore our new home city than one of the largest culinary tasting events in the country! Taste of Cincinnati lived up to our hopes. TONS of food venders ranging from restaurants to food trucks, numerous local breweries with all kinds of beer, and live music to stuff your face to. Can't say all the venders were winners, and some definitely charged too much for what you got, but there were plenty more that had amazing food for a good price. It's all part of the food roulette I guess. And despite its huge size, the crowd never really got to an unmanageable level. Busy? You bet, especially down the food truck row, but always felt manageable...especially with one of those tasty local craft brews. Hats off to the organizers in doing a great job setting up such a big event. My only suggestion would be some more places to sit for a bit. read more

Wow -- Taste of Cincinnati never disappoints. This year seemed larger than before, with a lot more food stalls and other attractions. Very well organized -- it was very easy for me to find my way. Yes, the street was packed with people, but you could always take a break and walk on the sidewalk or on a grassy area. There were free water spigots, frequent porta potty locations (yes, that too is important), frequent spottings of police officers and event organizers for security, some game areas and giveaways, and several stages with live acts, as well as the numerous food and beverage stalls. My favorite location was at western end of the Fifth Street -- the veritable tail end of the even-- the food trucks, which offered some of the most authentic and creative culinary treats there. Absolutely feasted on the offerings of A Lil Taste of Soul, Twisted Greek, and the Indigenous Chef food trucks!!! And then I walked back and to a Southern branch of the event, to the Findlay Market section, which I honestly think had the best musical stage. And enjoyed the Brazilian booth (sorry I don't remember the name) and had some of their delicious Brigadeiro truffles! I loved the rest of the festival as well, especially the periodic games and displays, and the give-aways: I went on the last day, when the promoters were trying to get rid of everything -- so they were giving us boxfuls of animal crackers at the Kroger's exhibit, and promised to "fill up your bag" with Yakult probiotic drink at another exhibit (I'm still working my way through those). The only real sour point I found was all the "Smoothies" stalls -- they all offered the same flavors for the same price, so it's safe to say they were all from the same company. No real juice taste in any of them -- they just all tasted like Koolaid. But otherwise, all the other booths offered food and beverages that was fresh, carefully made, and delicious, in a great festival atmosphere!! You'll definitely tire out by the end, but never get bored along the way!!! read more

Very busy, but many good options for those who consume alcohol. Good food options too, but it's mostly alcohol. Very crowded and lots of drunk people. read more

From taste of Cincinnati event. Food a little pricey compared to portion but delicious! Nice weather, family friendly. Seems to have expanded more vs. prior years Vendors are accommodating. read more

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Overall, a great day- very busy on Monday before the Reds game- I thought the set up was good- it would be nice if they could put this down with Octoberfest - you get a little line in your booth and the road is blocked. Also, I know prices are up everywhere but for 8 dollars you get a very small portion (taste) most of the places just gave you a small portion- I had a 1" long Cubin sandwich, for 8 bucks you should get the whole sandwich, they took the 8.00 sandwich and cut it into 6 pc's - I had a brisket taco that was very good but 7.00? and some potstickers (5) very small - just didn't see the value as in past years. Most everyone was saying the same thing. And why were retail window companies having booths- it's a food event. 86 that idea. read more

It's been years since I last went to Taste of Cincinnati! It was a great time! The booths were set up in an orderly fashion. The food was delicious! I liked the fact that the banners indicated which ones had won for a particular food item in the judging. It help when your hands were full and getting the phone out and finding the app would be difficult! Some vendors allowed for credit card but cash was still the preferred way to pay for your food. The crowd was mostly easy to maneuver. Having a few live music stages to choose from was great! We really enjoyed the day and the opportunity to try local restaurant and food trucks in such a broad way. read more

Lots of racist bs, I was told our food probably isn't good because I'm white.

Yay Taste of Cincinnati! This is a yelpers dream!!! So much yummy food and the best from Cincinnati all in small affordable portion sizes perfect for grazing. There is alcohol. There is awesome food. There are free samples. There are fun and games to be had. This is one event I look forward to consistently every single year. This event is the perfect opportunity to try good from restaurants you haven't made it to yet. I encourage all my Yelp friends to attend. It's a blast! read more

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Hold up!! Wait a minute!! Did I just get lucky coming into the city for work and have this awesome event happening during my stay?? I never get this lucky!! But sure,, lets check out what culinary delights this wonderful city has to offer. Little plates from different restaurant stalls ranging from $3 - $6. There's not just food, there's also beverages as well. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Summer is definitely in full effect, and there is no better drink than that of a refreshing craft beer. You also get free things from all the sponsor booths, like my measuring spoons from esTate Parm. I also got some free stickers from 5hr Smenergy and a rubber band bracelet from that Duck factory. Yes!!! Who doesn't like free stuff. Anyways, I had an amazing time eating and drinking my way up and down the street during this fun filled festival. Thank you very much for the experience. read more

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Taste of Cincinnati 2018 was pretty great overall. We were there early in the afternoon on Saturday..the weather was nice..it wasn't nearly as hot as it was in prior years and the rain held off until after we left. It seemed like they had a lot more performance areas this year. Almost every area that had seating had a stage..or something close to it..and had either live music or some kind of act going on. Food truck alley was back this year..as was Taste of Findlay Market. Both areas were well put together with a lot of great food options to check out. Some of the highlights from this year: Seeing that I discovered Red Sesame at last years festival, and have since been a regular at their Jungle Jim's location, I felt it fitting to grab a taco from them. As always it was wonderful. I've always wanted to try out Joella's Hot Chicken and I finally got my chance here this year. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! We chose the second to hottest option..and it was really hot. The chicken was nice and crisp and the hot sauce was so flavorful and fiery hot. They give you a piece of bread and some pickles to go with the strips..I felt it random at first but once the heat of the chicken kicked in, both helped a lot in cooling my mouth down. Tickle Pickle has been on my radar for awhile but for one reason or another I have never made it out there..so I made sure to stop by their stand and grab one of their burgers. I went with the Pearl Jam..their Jalapeno Jam Burger. It was..interesting. There was definitely jam on that burger..which tasted like..jam. I didn't love it or hate it..it wasn't bad. The burger and bun themselves were really good tho. We grabbed a Marinated Potato and Chicken Skewer from Bridges. The chicken was pretty tasty..the ginger flavored sauce it was marinated in was pretty interesting. The potatoes were alright. And of course we grabbed a grilled cheese donut from Tom and Chee. Its funny..I usually only eat this at festivals or events. I never order it when I go into one of their locations. It seems like a festival or event type of food..and it's really interesting and tasty. Overall I had a really good time at the festival this year. It was really really crowded, but the lines for food weren't that bad. I love that everything off all the menus is usually $6 or less..really makes it affordable to try a whole bunch of different things. Will definitely be checking it out again next year. read more

Food festivals are hot right now, so Cincy has to have one too. This was a very fun event that brought out a big crowd on a sunny, hot Memorial Day weekend to one of the nicer stretches of downtown on Fifth Street east of Main. Taft Theater and P&G headquarters are along the route. Both restaurants and food trucks were set up to offer small plates at $2-6 per serving. It adds up pretty quickly, and most places take cash only, so come prepared. Some vendors were handing out freebies as well. We picked up a Sichuan marinade kit for cooking chicken and such at home, which we will definitely try. Best freebie was easily the duck bacon. There were also lots of beer and booze vendors, but people were controlling themselves pretty well while we were there. Maybe it gets more sloshed towards evening. Lots of entertainment going on as well, with multiple stages set up for bands and dance troupes. Make time for it if you're in town for Memorial Day. read more

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Food, fun, booze, and a couple thousand of the nicest people on the planet. It's a great way to spend a day off in the sun! Good food and fare from many of the local restaurant favorites. $4 - $6 will get you a taste of most restaurants' popular cuisine, or a small sandwich. Iced Tea was $5 / glass. Water was scarce. In 45 min, we blew through $40, sharing tastes, with no alcohol, so be prepared to spend at least twice that. Our favorites were Sammy's bacon jelly slider, Maple Leaf Farms duck breast bacon, and Habañero's Baja Fish Tacos. The Arepa Place's Arepa and Pompilio's Cannoli were probably the two biggest disappointments - bland and boring. We are looking forward to next year, when we can spend more time and eat more food, now that we know what to expect and how to prepare; learn from our experience: - Park in Taft Garage and come up through the Westin - Wear a hat - Forget how your hair looks - pony it. You're gonna sweat - Bring ice water - Wear sunscreen - BRING CASH - Wear comfy shoes - Saddle up with patience (it's crowded and people move slowly, when they're moving at all) - Very few folks in Cincinnati know how to make a true empanada - skip them and save the room for other things - You can't go wrong with street tacos - PACE YOURSELF - Come hungry, but hydrated - Head straight for the Duck Breast Bacon I can't stress this enough - Come prepared with a hat and sunscreen! Even at 79°, it was a scorcher on the streets! Enjoy, Cincinnati!! read more

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Taste of Cincinnati a Memorial day Cincinnati tradition. During the three day weekend take time on Saturday, Sunday or Monday to head down and try a variety of food from restaurants all over town. This year the food was a lot better than in previous years. M's fig pizza was amazing and one of the best value's ever at the taste $5 for your own personal pizza! Via Vite's Veal Meatball in the tomato butter sauce was incredible, I had to go back for seconds! I liked the Food Truck section addition we have great food trucks in town. Also the new Taste Experience section, but most of the restaurants here ran out of food quite quickly, they should make more or have more than two options for attendees to purchase to taste. read more

Great festival. It takes place every year on the Memorial Day weekend and is country's longest running culinary arts festival. They block the 5th street and a couple of streets around that to make place for all the food stalls. We went there on a Saturday evening and it was buzzing with thousands of people. The variety of food is enormous - Asian, Mexican, Italian, South American, Mediterranean, Russian, German, Indian and of course, native American. There are a good amount of vegetarian options as well. However, when it comes to vegan food, the choices are way too limited. We tried Fried Pierogi from the Oasis-Russian Fusion and it was great. It's basically a potato and caramelized onion mix stuffed into a semi-circle shape crust with some oil (I believe olive oil) drizzled over it. In addition, we also tried Son-in-law eggs from a Thai counter. Son-in-law eggs are basically soft boiled egg deep fried and placed on a bed of rice with some tamarind sauce, chili, garlic, and shallots. Son-in-law eggs have a history in Thailand where it is made by a mother-in-law for her son-in-law if she feels that her daughter is not been treated well by the son-in-law. The eggs symbolizing his balls, suggesting that it will be fired just like these eggs if he doesn't watch his behavior. We also tried the two potato samosa from the Injoy - Indian inspired street food. They were good - nothing so amazing that demands $5 for a samosa. In addition to food, there were many options for beers - craft, drought and more. The Kentucky Kolsch style from one of the "The Beer of Bourbon Country" stalls was great. In addition to food, there was live music on multiple locations and some play areas for kids. Other basic facilities like restrooms, ATM machines etc were also there at multiple places. Overall, a great festival that you must attend. read more

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Taste of Cincinnati is held every Memorial Day Weekend downtown Cincinnati which started in 1979 and considered the nation's longest running culinary art festival. Over 40 food restaurants including dessert, beer and wine vendors. They also have music festivals, with continuous live entertainment featuring local and national recording stars performing on multiple stages throughout the event. I do not go every year for two reasons-hot weather and depending on the list of vendors (depending on the selection) This year was better than most. My favorite was the Food Truck Alley and all the free promotions that they were giving away from Oikos Yogurt, Haribo Gummy Bears, Hidden Valley Ranch, and more. The list this year was decent. There is only so much your stomach can take. I wanted to try more food, but got full really fast and money went really quickly too. Here is what I tried and what I thought: -Alfio's Buon Cibo: Spinach Apple Salad $4.00 (loved) -Bangkok Bistro: Spicy Ginger Tofu $5.00 (Yuck!! Way too spicy) -LaRosa's: Pepperoni Rondo $1.00 a piece (Yum! Got two) -Mecklenburg Gardens: Fried Pickles $4.00 (Too greasy) -Sammy's El Pueblo: Garlic Fries $2.00 (Great for the price and Salsa taste good with it) -Via Vite: Veal Ricotta Meatballs $3.00 (You get two! Delish!! My favorite) -C'est Cheese: Bee Sting $5.00 (My husband got this and though it needed more honey and tasted blah, but I loved it on the other hand). -Kentucky Bourbon Ale: Kentucky Ale (Smooth and refreshing) Didn't eat as much as I wanted to, but I know that there will be next year. Some prices were reasonable and some were expensive. If you don't mind heavy crowds, dirty/stinky portalets and hot weather this is the place for you. Me not a huge fan, but Cincy tradition to go. read more

Same 'ol, same 'ol. For the nation's longest running culinary arts festival, I expected more variety of vendors and more eccentric tastes. In it's 34th year, Taste of Cincinnati features the regular line up of vendors that attend in years past. Most of the food genres are similar: BBQ, fried, and Chinese. It also seems like the drink vendors outnumber the food vendors 2:1. This year's Taste featured 40 restaurants, half being regional or national chains like Claddagh Irish Pub, LaRosa's, or Cold Stone Creamery. We've ate there. We know what they have to offer and it's tastier at the restaurant than at a food booth. Let the little guys play; the new, up-and-coming food joints with creative entrees that people may not know about. My biggest gripe about this festival is that a "taste" costs $3.00 - $5.00; most places sell for $5.00. Either you get a meal basket, (i.e. basket of fish with a side of fries) or you get an overpriced smaller version (i.e. a $5.00 mini sample burger, when you can get a full-sized burger at the restaurant for $6.50) I'd like to see more of the following to make Taste as unique as its long-running history: - Bite-sized samples from all vendors, with prices averaging $2.00 - $3.00. - No two vendors selling identical items (or at the very least, only two vendors selling similar items.) - Less fried foods. Sure, this is easy to prep for a festival, but there are plenty of recipes that are booth-friendly as well. Look at Asian Food Fest or Coney Island's Spring Fling for example. - No side of french fries. We just need a bite-sized taste. - More local beer vendors, fewer Bud Light / Miller vendors. - For the music stages, especially the one at P&G Pavilion, turn the audio down! It's blaring loud and people have to shout when they are no where near the stage. If you absolutely must visit, here are some tips: - If it's anywhere near 90º, dress for the weather. If it's hot, less is more. - Bring plenty of your own water in a nap-sack cooler. - The best times to go are noon and 7:00pm. - Use a festival map to plan where you want to eat. Chances are, there is a lot of repeat food. Pick which end you want to start at first. Little known places usually have the best food, even if they didn't win an award. Viewing time: You can walk from one end of the festival to the other in 10 - 15 minutes. Stopping for a lot of tastes, I'd plan for an hour total. Some people have been known to spend all day here nibbling between booths and shows. For me, I saw, tasted, and was ready to leave after 20 minutes. Pricing: Entry: FREE Food: $5.00 per taste Lemonade: $5.00 Domestic Beer: $7.00 read more

Taste Of Cincinnati - Fried food, beer, and a random inflatable prize from the Midway. This pretty much sums up Taste of Cincinnati. - Specialty Food Near Me

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I was pleasantly surprised with Taste of Cincinnati. I've only been to a couple events like these in different cities, but given the overall size of our community, I was surprised at the overall production - it was a job well done by all the event coordinators in my opinion. I had a wonderful time with my family, which happened to include my two 5 month old twins (see tip for parents below review). It didn't hurt that we had perfect weather today. There were many "festival food type" exhibitors, but there were some very unique ones as well. We foodies who often criticize the festival food often forget that it takes all types to cater to the masses this event attracts. Random thoughts about various vendors at the event: I was very impressed with Alfio's. Being somewhat new to the area, I had never heard of them, but was eager to stop by and see what all the fuss was about with the Spinach Empanadas and Veal Short Rib Raviolis - after all, they were award winning at Taste last year. The bar was set high, and they exceeded expectations. These two items were quite possibly the best I tasted all day. My group also tried the Chocolate Carmel Tiramisu, and it too was amazing. Bella Luna's Cheese Sacchetti with Truffles, also one if Taste's best from last year, was also delightful. Having such good luck with trying award winners from last year, I decided to hit up Indigo for some Indigo Mac & Cheese and Strawberry Shortcake - big letdown for me. The berries weren't fresh, the shortcake too hard, and the savory components in the Mac and cheese weren't prepared properly (in my opinion) which rendered the creative use if the balsamic glaze useless. Keystone Bar and Grill had some good things happening with their Buffalo Springfield Mac and Cheese so my hankering for creative M&C was eventually satisfied after the letdown at Indigo. All in my group were impressed by the "show" going on in Food Truck Alley. I felt like we could have posted up there all day long and been satisfied. Special shout out to Red Sesame for the amazing Korean beef taco and C'est Cheese's Bee Sting sandwich. These two stole the show back in the food truck "honey hole"?area of the event. Trattoria was a bit disappointing to me. We stopped by at around 11:30 (event started at 11:00) and they had no food to offer at the time. Since I was on a mission to try all the vendors I had pre selected prior to going, I circled back at around noon and they were finally functioning. That being said, I was somewhat disappointed in their bruschetta - it was missing some pretty crucial elements. The tomato topping lacked seasoning and olive oil and the bread wasn't toasted. I also tried their Panzerotti Meat Calzone, and it was quite tasty. I'm a fan of Via Vite and they were one if the few vendors I stopped by to try that I have and will continue to dine with (goal if this event was to try new new things for me). They were on their game with their strawberry Panna cotta and penne bolognese. I took slight issue with their under seasoned (in my opinion) veal ricotta meat balls - I'd be interested to try them in the restaurant to see if there is any difference given I rarely take issue with much that they serve and this particular item was awarded one of Taste's best last year. Overall, I think there was plenty for all types of folks to enjoy at this event. I was satisfied after a few hours having visited most all the vendors I wanted to. I will say that I felt some of the food was a bit too expensive IF you were only looking at the value of the food (small portion sizes). Some of the vendors were clearly making a healthy margin on some of their product and I feel like the spirit of the event should be to spread the message about what you have to offer (to drive traffic to your store later) rather than make a buck. I'm glad I decided to go and will definitely go back next year. I'm also thankful our area can manage to host a food event of this magnitude relative to the size if the overall population - it takes a lot to support it and we are certainly lucky to have it. Tip: if you have kids that can't walk, try one of the backpack carriers if you can manage it. If you have multiple kids that can't walk that need a stroller, leave the double wide at home as it is difficult to navigate the crowd. Also, getting their early, as I did today, worked out great as we were able to avoid the insane crowds for at least the first hour (not to mention, people aren't inebriated yet). read more

Taste Of Cincinnati - Cameron and I on a mission. - Specialty Food Near Me

Food was very very portioned for an expensive amount. Overcrowded but good drinks and sweets options. Expensive parking

Been many years and one of the real downsides again this year is that this can't take place around Fountain Square, the icon of downtown because of the stupid street car. Shifted east to Main Street through the ramps to Columbia parkway and 71N near Proctor and Gamble the shift works well at that end but you are cut off from the square. (Saw the street car go by twice, both times empty!) So much great food to choose from, I went with the loaded smoked dog from Eli's, the daughter Joella's Chicken and the wife with her favorite a gyro wrap from Andy's Mediterranean Grill . All delicious. In addition, we split two potato pancakes from Izzy's and I also had a Chicago Dog . We also sampled a few of the beers and hard cider. Food prices were all very reasonable but like previous years the beer prices are still ridiculous. A 16 oz beer, whether craft or domestic was $8 and 12 oz was $6. That is why we enjoy Mainstrausse Covington festivals where you can get a domestic 16 oz for $4.50 to $5 from one of the local pubs inside the fenced area. A couple of the beer vendors would let us sample a craft beer prior to buying which is nice. Another downside of the Cincy festivals are the group of protesters (6-8 obnoxious men) with their anti-gay, anti-alcohol and anti-catholic signs standing in the middle of the festival screaming, sometimes with a bullhorn, their anti-the world messages blocking the middle of the festival. I understand their right to do this but can the local authorities make an area for this to take place other than the middle of the festival area? They have rules in place where each of the food/drink vendors are located, why not protesters? Move them to one of the side areas where they put one of the many stages. What a bunch of useless human beings. Great food, very good music and for the most part a large crowd of very friendly people. read more

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This is great and cool event. Many restaurants in Cincinnati and much beer! Also good music live and street performances. We are family but enjoy a lot. We decide to come next year! 毎年この時期に開催されているこのイベント。ダウンタウン一帯が歩行者天国になり、近隣のレストランが少量づつワンコイン程度で料理を振舞い、どれを食べようか迷ってしまうこと間違いなし。ビールも地ビールを始め各国のを楽しむことができ満足すること間違いなしです。片手にライブ聞きながら過ごすこのイベントしふくのひととき。飲み過ぎ注意！ read more

Taste Of Cincinnati - Kentucky bourbon ale! - Specialty Food Near Me

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Ahh I'm still full from this awesome event. There were many food trucks there to sample their items. The event was highly protected by the Cincinnati Police department who looked like they were on Bat mobile's from the Batman movie protecting the city. I enjoyed the various vendors there today. Great drinks and food for the soul. Then I burned off all those calories walking back to the Newport bridge. If ya'all don't believe me go to the waffle booth and try the awesomeness of their waffles with whip cream and fresh fruit on top. It was awesomeness in my mouth. Altogether props to the city of Cincinnati for having a great event for everyone to come together and enjoy great food and drinks. read more

I've been coming to this food festival for years and it keeps getting better. 2018 year seemed to have way more restaurants, food trucks and vendors than I've ever seen here. Nice to see Findlay Market vendors with booths and tents getting their word and names out there. Lots of more stages too for music and seating. This year was a smaller crowd than I have ever seen, so great for the patrons trying to maneuver a crowd. Make sure not to miss the food truck alley usually at the very end of the food booths. They have some of the best food offerings there - Red Sesame food truck is not to be missed!!! Just Jerk food truck also has the best Jamaican jerk hands down and fried plantains bursting with flavor. Streetpops food truck for unique flavoring pairings to help cool you down. This year I had some great curry from Sawasdee Thai, that stayed open late for a quick bite walking out of the Music Bash concerts. J Gumbos, Washington Platform oysters, The inaugural music bash was awesome!! Well organized, good beer and alcohol available with Madtree and Jack Daniels. There was some food booths inside there too. The VIP seating section was worth the ticket price and the lineup with Loverboy, Rick Springfield and B52s was amazing!!! Great throwback bands. Can't wait to see what the Music Bash lineup will be next year and hopefully they do the concerts again with more great names. This is my favorite festival each year in the Cincinnati-Dayton region. read more

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This event was a good event many years ago. The food now is mostly average stuff you get at lower tier restaurants. It is a low budget event at this point. You might be able to have some fun when the event first opens and for the first two to three hours. After that it get too busy and people get hot and aggressive. It's not fun and is very low class. McCormick and Schmidt's is the only half way decent restaurant left. Taste of Blue Ash went down hill the same way... Go early or don't go st all. Yikes... read more

3 stars for the actual food, but 5 stars for everything else. I love all the free non-aspects of it. Samples, coupons, music, interactive sponsor booths, people watching. There are a handful of food booths each year that I get excited about, but most of it seems repetitive. But maybe that's good for my wallet, since even though everything is $5 or less, it adds up quick. The way I did it this year was completely free: I ran up from my house (saved on parking), darted around the crowds and strollers since I was by myself, grabbed a few food freebies, took a program for later reference, said hi to a few freinds working, and got the heck out. I also wore a hat, which I strongly recommend in combination with sunscreen. I love community festivals, and this one to me always means the official kickoff to summer. read more

Taste was HUGE this year, or is it just me? I went on Saturday for about 5-6 hours. I actually was not planning to stay that long, there was just so much to explore! I went with a friend who had never been, so I planned to show him around. We opted for first walking the strip to see what all was there, and then decide what to eat. With all of the foot traffic and long strip, we ended up stopping for food in the Food Truck Alley. We got some very tasty empanadas from Empanadas Aqui. Most of the lines everywhere Saturday were very reasonable, and it was mostly walkable everywhere--though not really if you had a stroller or were on wheels. Number of people around and huge lines were an issue for me in the past, so I recommend going early next year like I did this year. We also liked the range of stages with different types of music. We ended up staying at the P&G Bandstand right on Fountain Square because the band played a good mix of music and from different decades. My one complaint is about Taste being a cash-only event. I don't know very much about the rationale behind this, but I feel like individual stands should be able to make this decision. We only saw one food stand that accepted cards. I personally would have spent more if they accepted cards in more places. read more

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Do NOT pass up Food Truck Alley...some of the tastiest finds in the whole festival. Went twice this weekend (because 1 trip certainly did not leave enough room to try all of the wonderful things that I wanted to try). Both times I went fairly soon after the Taste opened (like 11:30ish) and I could not be happier with that timing. Everything was available at every booth and the crowds weren't too big yet and it wasn't too warm outside. Perfect timing. Alfio's--LOVED the prosciutto and red pepper empanada. LOVED. The steak ravioli was better than average, but not really a standout for me either. Bella Luna--LOVED the banana nutella bread pudding, probably my favorite dessert. The butternut squash lasagna was a good vegetarian option, wasn't my favorite dish, but would have been an excellent, filling veggie plate. Empanadas Equi--Everything on their menu is delicious, their tostones were my favorite appetizer-like dish. Jenny's Homemade Cookies--look them up online...their blueberry lemon and their strawberry and white chocolate cookies were unique and DELICIOUS. McCormick and Schmick's--crabcake slider...pretty tasty...but their star was the firecracker shrimp taco. I hope desperately that those are on their regular menu...they were probably my favorite entree-like dish. SugarSnap! Sweet Treats--we had strawberry champagne, chocolate caramel toffee, and 1 other (I forget the exact flavor)...all of them had perfect cake/icing ratio and the flavors of both were paired really well. Super delicious. To sum it up...if you missed 2015's Taste...I'd recommend at least heading out to one of the City Flea's this year and getting to try out some of the really excellent food offerings of the city's food trucks...they consistently serve food in this kind of format and they're really on top of their game. And come out in 2016!!! read more

Taste Of Cincinnati - Taste of Cincinnati freebies!! - Specialty Food Near Me

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For a beer drinker, this is paradise. Every other stand was beer. Most times, it was the same beer. I'm not against beer, but I expected way more food and food that is authentic to Cincinnati. I'm not sure what Cincy is known for, but I assume it's chili. I hardly saw chili. I saw a lot of pizza and bbq and Mexican-ish type of establishments. I'm sure they were all good, but nothing really jumped out at me except the young man with the duck bacon...it was delicious. I've been to the taste of Chicago and was expecting something similar because this is the oldest running. What I found was overpriced food for the served portion. Overall, the event was clean. Lots of live music and adequate restroom availability. This is always a plus. The event was well executed, just not one of my favorites. read more

Another fun time at the Taste of Cincinnati. Overall mixed feelings on the change of format - the event does seem to have a more spacious feel, however, the food truck section is pretty tight. It also seems like there is a shift of focus towards food trucks versus restaurants. Personally, you have an opportunity to see food trucks commonly at festivals though out the year and it is more of a rare experience to try out restaurants. Hopefully, the event will continue to focus on the restaurants moving forward. In the past fountain square always had a feel of the central point of the festival, the event is now shifted down 5th street towards Columbia parkway. Enjoyed the diverse alcohol selections with many of the local craft breweries represented. read more

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I can't really think of anything that would be negative to report about Taste of Cincinnati. Full blocks of the city are closed down to have a nice walking stretch of about 5-6 city blocks that are full of tents side by side on each side of the street. Each tent has either a local restaurant, a beverage tent, or a food truck selling their creations. Most items will cost around $6, so you can try a bunch of different things without spending a fortune. The crowd is pretty laid back, and no one seems to be pushing or in a rush. On a hot day there are plenty of spots where you can stop and rest or find some shade. I can't stress enough that there is an insane amount of choices and variety here at this festival. Everything from pub type food to pastries to food from different cultures is available. You can get as adventurous as you wish, or you can just eat food that you already know is great. The beer selection was strong with lots of craft breweries alongside the big guys. My favorite choice at Taste is always the same. Marty's Waffles does a great waffle covered with sea salt caramel with Makers Mark infused whipped cream. Words do not do this dish justice. I agree with the other reviews that the event was missing the presence of Fountain Square. That's the only reason I took off a star. I understand the problems with the street car, but Fountain Square was a great place for the music stage. This is still an event that must be experienced. read more

Taste of Cincinnati is a free food fair that takes over several blocks of downtown on Memorial Day weekend. This year was my first time here, and I had a great time! It was crowded, but we got there right when it opened so we easily found parking (most places $10, we paid $5 because we circled until we found a cheaper option). We brought our dog and had no problem. Yes, there are lots of chain options, but if you're smart you avoid those. We went straight for the best local restaurants, the ones that you normally can't afford, just to sample the good stuff. Here are a few of our favorites: creamed corn from Forno ($3), beef tenderloin with sweet potato casserole from Ruth's Chris ($7), buffalo chicken empanadas from Alfio's Buon Cibo ($4), salted caramel waffle from Marty's waffle food truck ($6), and chicken wings from Pontiac (FREE!). I definitely recommend bringing cash (most places are cash only, ATM's have a $4 fee) and a few friends to split your food with so you can try lots of stuff! Lots of good local beer options, especially from MadTree and Moerlein. There wasn't as much entertainment as I thought there would be, so after we were done eating lunch we just went home. Overall, a fun event, and I would go back again next year. read more

The only thing I can really add any more to what Paige M wrote on 5/27/12 is a hardy "Second". One thing of pique: Is LaRosa's taking up what seemed half a block really needed? I guess they pay their money. But it made me wonder, who goes to the Taste of Cincinnati and gets LaRosas? Really? It's like going to New England and hitting a Red Lobster. There were nice places down there offering good food. I found a couple real jewels like Bangkok Bistro's spring rolls. Not only is LaRosa's bad pizza, it's everywhere. I wanted to shout, You drove from Florence to buy LaRosa's? However, I'm in the minority, because their line to get that stuff blocking foot traffic. But this leads to my next observation. It looked as if most of the folks down there were not there to try to 'taste' anything. There was just a lot of strolling and gawking and blocking foot traffic. With the large crowd the lines to the food were surprisingly quick. It was only trying to walk away with your food that things became difficult. And since the vendors were offering more than a taste it necessitated finding a place to sit or at least rest your plate. They were hard to find...maybe by that family that I saw taking up tables who seemed to have packed a lunch for the taste of Cincinnati. All this is just a plead to focus more on the food. read more

My son and I go every year. While it's too bad Fountain Square can't be part of the event any longer, the new configuration worked well with the Findlay Market and Food Truck extensions on the highway ramps. Best thing I ate was from Mai in the Findlay Market section - Son In Law eggs. Delicious, different and with a real kick of heat. Joella's Hot Chicken was also really good as was their garlic-parmesan fries. Also had the Chicago Beef sandwich from food truck area, good and filling. My son had the dessert from Alfio's, big thumbs up. He had a bbq bowl from a food truck and also liked that. He also like Joella's hot chicken. Just about every craft beer you can imagine - I had IPA's from Rhinegeist and Great Lakes. There also seemed to be more places to sit than I remember from years past. Could have done without the religious zealots - I know it's their right but man, move it to a space for protests/causes and stop blocking the street. read more

A lot of the previous reviews are pretty on the nose about Taste of Cincinnati. The tastes could be smaller and a little cheaper, and I wish there were a little more variety. Why is bread pudding a dessert at nearly every restaurant? Is that a tradition that I'm not aware of? I think, though, the representation of restaurants may be part of the draw for the Greater Cincinnati crowd- which apparently is slightly generic. But then again, some of the chain offerings might appeal to families who have less adventurous palates. Or an outsider who hasn't had some of the Cincinnati staples. I just wish there was a little more for the foodies (but maybe that is a matter of the foodie restaurants wanting to participate). That being said, the OTR slider from Mecklenburg's was awesome, and one of my Taste highlights this year. What I really love about Taste, and the reason I probably would go back, is that it really draws a diverse crowd. There's some great people watching, and I like the idea of an event that brings the city together in this way. read more