Taste of Alpharetta

FOOD FEST!
I only attended this event once and it was as a volunteer. I have to say that it was a great experience and the only way I would choose to experience this event. We arrived very early, were given great instructions and then dispatched to to the venue to help the vendors get situated. We had plenty of tickets so literally ate our way through the event. I still remember the spinach pie that was provided by Peachtree Diner and the delicious shepherd’s pie offered by The Tilted Kilt. Both dishes were memorable and delicious.
This is a great opportunity to literally get a «taste» of Alpharetta and to explore the many dining opportunities that are available. It is also a great time to see the community come together to host a great event and bring families out to provide support and have a great time.
In addition to great food, there is also entertainment and activities for the children. This event occurs every spring in May and I am sure that the next event is already being planned, so look it up and save the date!

Used to love going to these.
I went when they were on Old Milton, and I’ve been when they were downtown.
But they just get WAY too crowded. If they don’t run out of the good stuff, you end up settling for something just because it’s not crowded.
I’m a foodie, but this just isn’t my thing anymore.

I’m still talking and reminiscing about Taste of Alpharetta from last week! This was my husband’s first «Taste of» and it was a huge success.
Parking can be a nightmare in downtown Alpharetta, so we opted to park at Wills Park and take the shuttle (on a side note, we did the same for the Alpharetta Tree Lighting, so props to the city of Alpharetta for making shuttles so convenient!). The event itself is free and you pay for whatever food/​drink/​activity you want.
The last time I attended Taste of Alpharetta, I remember a LOT of strollers. It felt like it was a stroller convention. This year, strollers were as prevalent and I think it’s because there were designated areas for children. For me, as someone who doesn’t have kids, this is awesome. The play areas looked like a lot of fun, too. There was something for the teeny ones and stuff for teenagers. Family fun!
Strollers aside, the event is still packed. I heard people saying come early to avoid the crowds or come late to avoid the crowds. I don’t think there is a «perfect» time to come because the event was completely packed the entire time we were there. There were a lot of great things going on at the event, from restaurants, radio stations, local vendors, retail shops and bands. There was something for everyone.
We paid $ 20 for food coupons and went crazy. Here’s what we had:
— Jerk chicken, plantains and steamed cabbage and a beef patty from Spiced Afro Caribbean Cuisine
–Maple bacon donuts from Davinci’s Donuts (my husband said they were life changing)
–Raspberry gelato served with a dark chocolate spoon from Shakolad Chocolate Factory
–Pimento cheese crostini from Milton’s Cuisine and Cocktails
–Pork belly taco from Village Tavern
–Short rib mac’n’cheese from Miller’s Atlanta Alehouse
Of the dishes we sampled:
Best Value — Jerk chicken, plantains and steamed cabbage
Most Filling — Short rib mac’n’cheese
Most Surprising — Maple bacon donut
Light and Refreshing — pimento cheese crostini
Most Quantity — Pork belly taco
The-​Thing-​I-​Could-​Always-​Eat — raspberry gelato
Overall, it was very enjoyable. Despite the large crowd, there was good music, a good flow, great atmosphere and best of all, good food. I can’t wait to go next year!

Our family had so much fun! It was our first time going. To start it was very gracious of the Methodist church across the street to allow the patrons for the event park there. ^^
We got there around 7pm when the event started at 5. The main middle street where the entrance was, was definitely where most of the yummy eateries were. It was fun for our 3.5 and 1.5 year olds. We brought our double stroller. Although the biggest obstacle with it was trying to maneuver everyone else there was friendly and didn’t mind when we accident bumped. :) the kids had a blast getting freebies of balloons, little knick knack toys, candy and other stuff.
Now onto the food! Hubby and I didn’t know where to start! The lines were long in the places we wanted to try. But this have us the opportunity to try other vendors we didn’t think about. And their foods were yummy too. But to be honest, nothing really wowed us and we live in Duluth so there wasn’t anything that would draw us to the area to eat. We’re hoping to be able to try again next year and try the places we didn’t get to try and maybe find something then.
The Ikea booth was awesome! We got tons of freebies like blue bags and some other items for just taking a picture on Instagram.
I think I was in it more for the freebies than the food. :P

It’s been maybe three years since I have attended the Taste of Alpharetta. It has become much bigger than I remember. Granted, the logistics of crowd flow have also seemed to improve dramatically.
As most would recommend, go early or go late. It gets very crowded. This year I like how the street layout went. Once the Alpharetta downtown refresh is done, I can see this getting even bigger. Parking and in roads were crowded. Wills park seemed like a good spot. If you come in on Academy St. The church was a good option. We were fortunate that we live close enough to walk.
Now to the food:
–Best Value: goes to Alpine Bakery. Huge piece of red velvet cake for 4 tickets ($ 2) that my wife and I shared. Cake was moist and served cool. Cream cheese icing!
–Surprising Savory: Fresh Market was serving a chimichurri steak. I think they were my sleeper favorite.
–Comforting Wow: Village Tavern served up pork belly tacos. Served with a crunchy slaw. Pavlovian.
–Flavor pop: I ordered a masala dosa (rice and lentil crêpe stuffed with potato masala, served with lentil soup and coconut chutney). Guy made the crêpe fresh. It was huge and the flavors were amazing. Many gawkers as I walked the plate to a table. I’ll do this one every year.
–Should have picked their other dish: Had the pimento cheese crustini from Milton’s. It was tasty but left me wanting something else. Maybe they should have given out 2 pieces.
–Always sweet and good: wife loved the mini cupcakes from Gigi’s. Not quite the same portion value as Alpine, but tasty.
–Wish they brought the cheese dip and pretzel bread: Old Blind Dog pub brought their food truck. Meatloaf sandwich was good. Would have preferred the cheese. If you visit them in Milton, try the cheese.
Many other restaurants participated (over 60). Glad to see most of them.
Show up early, consider sunscreen. Easy to grab a bottle of water and put in your pocket while you walk around. Tables and shady spots were plentiful. Dogs are welcome, but easy for bumps with the crowd. As for kids, I think the stroller is an ingenious tool for getting people out of your way and safeguarding the kiddy’s toes.
Was happy to see the Unilocal tent at this year’s event.
Finally, big shout out to Alpharetta PD and EMS. Great presence and attitudes. Know you must have been burning up in the sun. Thanks for being there!

My wife and I love attending the taste of Alpharetta this year. We enjoyed so many great food venders. Also you only need to buy $ 15-​$ 20 worth of tickets because the portion sizes are large.

Gastronomer Heaven! The Taste of Alpharetta has grown exponentially over the past decade as the floods of people have embraced the Northside of Atlanta OTP. As a result, the restaurant scene has taken off with 4 and 5 star eats that rival some of the urban greats. What does that mean for you? It means you get 5 hours on a Thursday night to walk through hundreds of gourmet restaurants for pennies on the dollar.
Not only has the Taste grown, they have gotten smarter. Now a ticket based system, for $ 5 you buy a set of 10 tickets on a sheet. Most everything on the menu is between 2 – 6 tickets making each dish $ 1-​$ 3. You eat like Kings!
Taste of Alpharetta takes over old town with two large music stages, live broadcasts from WSB, and just about everything represented within a 10 mile radius. Come one, come all. Great chance to find those hidden gems that may not be reviewed yet or ones you might have simply missed.
Be prepared for thousands upon thousands of people descending on the taste these days. Lines can be 20 – 30 deep, so come between 5 – 6 if at all possible and then stay for the fun.
Alcohol isnt sold on the streets, so head over to the main building in old Alpharetta like Smokejack BBQ and others than can legally sell it to you.
Lots of community organizations and activities for the kids too. Just a great evening in a great city. Like them on Facebook or bookmark the website. You don’t want to miss this each year!
Now if only we can get them to throw it more than annually…

«Lunch is for wimps.» — Wall Street (1987)
Why eat a meal when you can walk around the city square and eat from 50 different restaurants? Like I said, lunch is for wimps.
I like how this «Taste» is run — buy tickets and trade them in for food — less to worry about with money. Trade in anywhere from 1 to 6 tickets (each ticket is worth $.50) and you get to try a delicious taste of a dish from their restaurant. Some places had many selections to choose from (Flying Biscuit had 6 ranging from 1 to 3 tickets), (Alpine Bakery had 6 flavors of cake and generous slices were only 3 tickets each), while others had only 3 selections, but they were well worth it, even if they were 4 to 6 tickets each.
My favorites were Flying Biscuits’ Biscuits and Gravy, Village Tavern’s Shrimp and Grits (c’mon is had bacon in it), 5 Seasons Pork Taco, Alpine Bakery’s Oreo Cake (OMG) — note they gave me a huge piece because they made me wait so long (okay darn). Then we found 3 Brothers. I had never heard of them until ToA and wow was it delicious (
). Roast pork, Grilled chicken, Collards, Sweet potatoes, corn bread and their sauce — chocolate something. WOWZA. Check them out.
There were other business around giving out schwag (grocery totes, stickers, balloons, etc.) for whatever reason ( Unilocal had you checking into the event on their mobile app to get sunglasses, Unilocalstick, etc.) Go Unilocal!
Overall, quite the Smörgåsbord! And, I found a new place I need to go to. This is why I love the Tastes!

This was my first time, but will not be my last. Don’t miss this next year!