The taste of Chicago is one of the largest food festivals in the world. It is a ten day food festival held once every year in Chicago at Grant park, from the Friday prior to the fourth of July to the Sunday after it. Over 70 Chicago restaurants open up stalls and serve food at the taste of Chicago, an event that has been held since 1980 and attracts over 3 million people every year.

Food served at the event is diverse with over 300 food items available, covering all of Chicago’s most popular foods. The food available includes burgers, sausages, Chicago-style pizza and hot-dogs, the famous Eli’s cheesecake, barbecued turkey leg, and fried food such as calamari and steak. Ethnic foods such as Thai, Chinese, African, Indian and Mexican food is also available. Beverages such as wine and beer can also be bought.

Admission is free, though food and beverages need to be bought by way of tickets. Free live musical performances from local, emerging and famous musicians and bands is a regular feature of the food festival. Common complaints about the event are that the food is expensive and that the place gets too crowded. Also, parking in the immediate vicinity of the festival is expensive and hard to get.

Tags: chicago food fair, chicago food festival, food festival, the taste of chicago