CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — After it was bumped from the regular summertime lineup due to the NASCAR street race, the 2023 Taste of Chicago returns to Grant Park this weekend.
Although the festival is free to enter, the costs can quickly start to pile higher than a fully stacked Rainbow Cone. It’s a shame, too, because with a little extra planning and good strategy, foodies can fill up on some true Chicago bites for $30.
WBBM caught up with Neal Heitz, with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). Heitz has been involved with the Taste for 19 years and has run the festival since 2018. Over the years, he’s learned how to stretch a dollar at the Taste and has helped make sure festivalgoers can do the same. Below is some of his best advice.
The best Taste of Chicago bargains are, well, the “Tastes.”
Every food vendor at the Taste of Chicago has to include a “Taste of” portion on their menu. Unlike regular items, which generally cost $8 – $15, the “Taste of” portion is capped at $5 (that includes the cost taxes and fees, so it really will be $5).
The “Taste of” items include a ton of the classics, too. Chicago Eats, from Austin, is selling peach cobbler, Italian beef, and a Jim Shoe sandwich — which has Italian beef, corned beef and gyro. Elote nachos, smoked wings, sliders and tiramisu are among the options available from other vendors.
“I think the real way to go through Taste is through the 'Taste of' portions,” Heitz said.
Taste of Chicago has dozens of vendors; plan ahead.
The 2023 Taste of Chicago has 35 participating restaurants and 17 food trucks. For those on a budget — or a normally functioning stomach — there’s no way to sample everything. With $30 and a strategy to go with “Taste of” portions, it’s possible to try out at least six vendors, or about 10% of the festival’s offerings.
Fortunately, an updated map and menu including all of the available options from each vendor can be found here. Use it to plan out your trip. After all, the fest gives locals the chance to grab a bite from neighborhoods they might not otherwise explore.
“There’s 10 new vendors for this year’s Taste of Chicago,” said Heitz. “They are legitimately from all corners of our city. There is a very, very diverse representation of some really great food. Some [are] very true to Chicago and some [are] true neighborhood gems.”
Turn your “Tastes” into a meal with some help from home.
This tip is all about stretching the experience that your money gets you, and it’s courtesy of Heitz’s wife.
Heitz said she takes empty tupperware from home and plans out her trip so that she knows exactly where to go. After buying a taste from each vendor, she packs the food away in the tupperware so that it stays warm. Then, she finds a nice place to sit down and enjoy a full meal. Here’s Heitz on why he loves the strategy:
“[It’s] about: Instead of just waiting in line, eating it, walking to the next one … if you bring an empty container to put your items in, it makes for a much more pleasant experience. There are a lot of picnic tables at the Taste of Chicago. There’s a lot of beautiful shady space at Grant Park.”
Taste of Chicago’s Friday Night Flights offer beer drinkers a $25 sampler.
Heitz said 25 breweries — including Maplewood, Funkytown, Cruz Blanca, Begyle and more — are participating in Taste of Chicago’s Friday Night Flights event, which runs from 4 – 9 p.m.
For $25, beer drinkers get 10 sample-sized portions from any participating brewery. The sample sizes are 3-ounce pours. Given that a Maplewood four-pack containing 64 ounces of beer, total, is usually less than $15, this feels like a fairly expensive way to get to 30 ounces.
That’s why the best selling point for Friday Night Flights isn’t the deal. Instead, it’s the opportunity to sample 10 breweries from all over the city in a matter of hours. If that sounds like your kind of night, this is the way to do it.
Oh, and be sure to buy your ticket ahead of time. Friday Night Flights cost $30 at the door.
Save money with a song: Karaoke champions can win $500 at the Taste of Chicago.
Chicago Sings Karaoke will be holding karaoke competitions over each day at Taste of Chicago. The prize: $500, which will be awarded to each day’s adult champion.
“It’s a $500 win, so should you be able to belt out a really great song, maybe you’ll have $530 to spend at Taste of Chicago,” Heitz said.
Karaoke signups can be found here.
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