Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced today the lineup of 67 restaurants that will participate at the 37^th Annual Taste of Chicago – the world's largest free food festival – this July 5–9 in Grant Park. Showcasing Chicago’s diverse culinary scene, this year’s list of five-day vendors, pop-up restaurants and food trucks will offer Taste-goers an endless variety of dining options to suit every palate.

“As our culinary reputation grows on the national and international stage, the Taste of Chicago is a reflection of Chicago’s vibrant and diverse restaurant scene,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Taste of Chicago brings together a unique array of cuisines and cultural offerings, giving Chicagoans and visitors alike the opportunity to sample the greatest foods our city has to offer from both new restaurants and long-time favorites.”

Taste of Chicago is excited to welcome 16 newcomers to the event in 2017 – including three new five-day restaurants, six new food trucks and seven new pop-up participants who will sell for one or two days. The new food vendors are: American Glory, Aztec Dave’s Food Truck, Bop Bar Truck, Brightwok Kitchen, Broken English, Cheesie’s Pub and Grub, Doom Street Eats, El Patron, Hakka Bakka Indian Kati Rolls, Just Salad, Lawrence’s Fish & Shrimp, The Little Beet Table, Seoul Taco, The Cajun Connoisseur, Ukai Japanese Restaurant and Warm Belly Bakery.

"Taste of Chicago showcases the city’s stellar culinary scene by uniting a diverse set of restaurants, food trucks and pop-ups,” said Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association. “The Association has been a part of Taste since its inception, and we’re proud to welcome visitors to beautiful Grant Park year after year. It’s a time-honored summer festival that truly captures Chicago’s hospitable spirit and exciting range of culinary offerings.”

All 67 vendors will offer signature items, as well as the popular “Taste Of” portions priced at $3.00 or less, allowing guests the opportunity to sample an even greater variety of items. Many will also include Humana Healthier Choice selections for those seeking lighter options. Admission to the Taste of Chicago is FREE, and tickets for food and beverages can be purchased in strips of 14 tickets for $10. Whether craving the robust flavors found in ethnic cuisine, epicurean delights, sweet treats or classic Chicago dishes – and more – Chicagoans and visitors won’t want to miss this year’s Taste!

Celebrity Chef du Jour Dining Experience

The Taste of Chicago will again highlight acclaimed Chicago chefs at the Celebrity Chef du Jour. This 2017 celebrity chefs are Chef Paul Fehribach of Big Jones (July 5 at 6:30pm), Latin Night with Chef Chico Vilchez of Nacional 27 (July 6 at 6:30pm), Chef Oliver Poilevey tribute to Jean-Claude Poilevey of Le Bouchon and La Sardine (July 7 at 6:30pm), American Girl Café Brunch (July 8 at 11:30am) and Chefs Beverly Kim and John Clark of Parachute (July 9 at 5pm).

Attendees of the Celebrity Chef du Jour will enjoy a sit-down, three-course meal in an air-conditioned and decorated dining pavilion for only $45 per person for the July 5, 6, 7 and 9 dinners and $30 per person for the July 8 brunch (limit 4 tickets per person for each meal). Tickets for the dining experience must be purchased in advance and will go on sale Wednesday, May 24 at 10am on the festival website tasteofchicago.us. Additionally, many of the celebrity chefs will show-off their skills at the FREE Lifeway Foods Taste Kitchen cooking demonstration area also located on Buckingham Fountain Plaza.

Concerts at the Petrillo Music Shell

Taste of  Chicago will also present a diverse mix of chart-topping, crowd-pleasing nightly concerts at the Petrillo Music Shell that includes Alessia Cara, Café Tacvba, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Passion Pit and The O’Jays—plus the best of Chicago’s local music scene on the Bud Light Stage. Tickets for the seating area at the Petrillo Music Shell start at $19 and are on sale now at the Taste website tasteofchicago.us.

Cultural Programming and Sabor de Chicago

NEW for 2017, the Taste of Chicago will present an assortment of local cultural programming that includes the Street Art & Graffiti Alley featuring live painting by local artists, the Stomping Grounds Chicago presenting performances by local dance companies, Chicago SummerDance with live music & social dancing in the Spirit of Music Garden and the March of the Puppets daily procession with music through Taste of Chicago. On Thursday, July 6, Sabor de Chicago will celebrate the culture of Chicago’s Latino community throughout the day with dining, dancing, music performances at the Petrillo Music Shell and Bud Light Stage and much more.

CH Distillery Spirit Lounge plus Beer and Wine Gardens

The CH Distillery Cocktail Lounge will offer mixology specials to enjoy by Buckingham Fountain. The specialty cocktail menu during the Taste of Chicago includes theses favorites: Moscow Mule, Strawberry Collins, Tropical Rum Punch and the Mint Julep Slushie. The beer and wine gardens will offer another scenic area on Buckingham Fountain Plaza for Taste goers to enjoy a wide selection of craft beer and an array of wine varietals from the Bodega, Stella Rosa, Three Pines and Maddalena wineries. 

Lifeway Foods Taste Kitchen

The Lifeway Foods Taste Kitchen dishes up a full menu of cooking demonstrations by local and national chefs as well as daily demonstrations by the Celebrity Chefs du Jour. The daily schedules of demonstrations will be announced at a later date.

The Taste of Chicago has seen a surge in popularity since it was shortened to five days and added new elements, including the Celebrity Chef du Jour dining pavilion, pop-up restaurants, food trucks, chart-topping musical acts and cultural programming. Last year's 36th edition of the Chicago's iconic festival served culinary delights to 1.4 million visitors. The event contributes $106 million annually in total business activity to the Chicago economy.

Taste of Chicago is produced by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events in coordination with the Illinois Restaurant Association, which manages food and beverage operations. The festival is sponsored in part by American Girl Doll, Bud Light, CH Distillery, Chicago Parent Media, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Transit Authority, Communications Direct, CLTV-Chicagoland’s Television, Eli’s Cheesecake Company, Humana, Illinois Lottery, Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, Lifeway Foods, Pepsi, Shoreline Sightseeing, Stella Rosa Wines, Southwest Airlines, Univision Chicago, 103.5 KissFM, V103, WGN-Television, and 93XRT.

The 37th Annual Taste of Chicago is July 5–9 in Grant Park with hours 11am–9pm, Wednesday–Friday, and 10am–9pm, Saturday and Sunday. For more information on the FREE admission festival, visit tasteofchicago.us. To plan your trip to Chicago, visit choosechicago.com. Join the conversation on Facebook at Taste of Chicago and follow us on Twitter, @TasteofChi (#TasteofChicago) and Instagram, @ChicagoDCASE (#TasteofChicago).

Illinois Restaurant Association

Founded in 1914, the Illinois Restaurant Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting, educating and improving the restaurant industry in Illinois. The Association manages the food and beverage portion of Taste of Chicago for the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Visit illinoisrestaurants.org and follow on Facebook and Twitter.

Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors.

Five-Day Restaurants (*New for 2017)

Pop-Up Restaurants (*New for 2017)

Food Trucks (*New for 2017)

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