Taste of Chicago Unveils 73 Food Vendors for 2018 Summer Festival

The sunshine’s beaming down on Chicago and Mayor Rahm Emanuel is cracking a smile for the annual Taste of Chicago food vendor unveil. The 2018 edition will feature 73 food vendors, including 26 new ones. This is the festival’s 38th year and it will take place from July 11 through July 15 at Grant Park. Last year’s event featured 67 vendors.

Some of the bigger newbies this year include James Beard Award winner Sun Wah BBQ, Albany Park pioneer Arun’s Thai, and the return of the Original Rainbow Cone. Emanuel and Pork & Mindy’s founder Jeff Mauro hosted the unveil on Wednesday afternoon at the Chicago Cultural Center. The mayor talked about how the city has reinvented the event. He also talked about how the festival gives exposure to lesser-known restaurants away from Chicago’s downtown. That’s benefitted the Taste by giving fest-goers more options.

“I really do hope it helps the neighborhood restaurants [as well],” Emanuel said.

Top Chef winner Joe Flamm (Spiaggia) will also do a demonstration on July 13. For more information and tickets for selected events go to the event’s website. Meanwhile, check out the full lineup below. An asterisk (*) denotes a new addition.

38 Five-Day Restaurants

• *Arun’s Thai Restaurant
• *Aunty Joy’s Jamaican Kitchen
• Beat Kitchen
• Billy Goat Tavern & Grill
• BJ's Market & Bakery
• Buona Beef
• Caffe Gelato
• Carbon Live Fire Mexican Grill
• Chicago's Dog House
• Churro Factory
• Connie's Pizza
• Dia De Los Tamales
• Doom Street Eats
• *Esperanza’s Kitchen Delights
• Franco's Ristorante
• Frannie's Cafe Inc.
• *Garifuna Flava: A Taste of Belize
• Gold Coast Dogs
• Iyanze
• Kasia's Deli
• La Bomba Restaurant
• La Mexicana
• Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
• Miller's Pub
• O'Briens Restaurant & Bar
• *Original Rainbow Cone
• *Output Lounge & Sports BarPorkchop
• Porkchop
• *Premier Rollin BBQ
• Ricobene's on 26th Street
• Robinson's No. 1 Ribs
• Star of Siam
• Texas de Brazil
• The Eli's Cheesecake Co.
• *Turtle’s Bar & Grill
• Tuscany
• Ukai Japanese Restaurant
• Vee-Vee's African Restaurant
• *Yum Dum

22 Pop-Up Restaurants

• *Aloha Wagon
• *Bee Nana LLC
• *bettyBOT Shop
• *BITES
• *Blackwood BBQ
• Broken English Taco Pub
• *Chiya Chai Cafe
• *Classic Cobbler
• *Get Off The Couch Catering
• *Grill City (Seafood City)
• Hakka Bakka Indian Kati Rolls
• *Josephine’s Cookin’
• Just Salad
• MAD Social
• *Papa Luke’s Gravy Balls
• Pork & Mindy's
• Seoul Taco
• *So Forking Great
• *Sun Wah Barbecue Restaurant
• *These Wingz?
• Warm Belly Bakery
• Wood Fire Counter

13 Food Trucks

• American Glory
• Auntie Vee's
• Aztec Dave's Food Truck
• Beavers Coffe + Donuts
• *CheSa’s Gluten Free Food Truck
• Da Lobsta
• Giordano's
• Harold's Chicken
• La Cocinita Food Truck
• *Lawrence’s Fish & Shrimp
• *Sausagefest
• The Fat Shallot
• The Lifeway Kefir Shop