Taste of Randolph Street

This was my first visit to Taste of Randolph.
Unfortunately, my eating partner (the hubs) was stuck at work and I wasn’t able to enjoy all of the food I wanted to.
I did stop by the BellyQ tent & scored 2 bbq pork tacos with Asian slaw avocado and cilantro purée for $ 7. Not a bad deal at all if you ask me & the tacos were delicious! A little messy to eat while walking but definitely worth the mess.
There were plenty of food and beer tents & many vendors selling various merchandise.
Not a bad spot to be on a beautiful day.

Great music this year. Unfortunately, I got there as the storm rolled in and drenched everyone, but I still was going to make my way in and hopefully catch some music before they shut it down. I thought it was lame that they were still trying to get people to pay the $ 10 «donation» to enter during the storm. Have some decency… it’s storming. We ended up having to leave about a half hour later because the rain got really intense.

I came into this festival with thinking it was just a «foodie fest,» but Taste of Randolph impressed me this year with the variety of art, music, and food stations that they had. The favorite food that I had was a «dirty burger» with a side of mac & cheese. That was a fantastic deal for $ 10. They had some other really cool food items as well; steak tacos, shrimp, beef skewers, etc.
The art was something that I didn’t expect at this festival, they had some really cool stations. My favorite was the guy that had the alcohol scented candles in beer glasses. Really cool idea! The music was not really my style, it was jazzy and less rock. But hey, a lot of other people liked it and it suited the type of people that came to this event. This is the first time I had come to Taste of Randolph– everyone knows the West Loop area as being the «go-​to» place for restaurants with places like Girl & The Goat, Au Cheval, and Avec. And now it is my go-​to place for a «foodie» type summer festival. Great time!

I came here on Friday night and there was many a people walking through the various stalls. It felt like a bougie version of the Taste of Chicago. People were dressed up, ladies were wearing heels, people carried small dogs in their arms, etc. It was my first time attending, so I don’t know if the restaurants offer the same food every year but I did like the offerings.
We ordered a variety of things and while most were good, I did not like the mac and cheese from the restaurant that had the dirty burger. The grass fed burger from another restaurant was better. The mac and cheese tasted gritty and not very cheesy. The gyro was good. Way too much sauce but awesome portion.
I would come again next year, but maybe earlier in the day to avoid crowds and to protect my toes.

The Taste Of Randolph Street is one of the best neighborhood festivals in the Chicago area. The food at this festival is consistently good year after year.

Suggested donation is $ 10…it is not a mandatory admissions fee although the people in the front portray it like it is… don’t be fooled or scared to ask!
There are a lot of delicious food vendors so I would definitely check it out next year. come hungry!

You’ll hear it from every Chicago native — summer is the best time to be in the city. And a lot of that is owed to great street festivals you can find throughout the city every weekend in summer. Now, not all of them are great. Some are straight up duds. But when you put a festival right by some of the best restaurants Chicago has to offer, you know you’re in for something good.
The biggest attraction to Taste of Randolph is the food, and while some of the heavy hitters in the area don’t really do street fests, you do get some greats like Grange Hall with some juicy burgers and Belly Q serving up sweet korean bbq tacos. You also cannot miss out on Publican Qualiy Meats’ sausags. For drinks, you can get some pretty good beer for decent prices.
There are some negatives to the fest. It’s a bit too popular for its own good, and at times can be a pain to traverse. I still don’t know why they don’t open both sides of Randolph for the entire fest instead of just half of it (though I hear coming on Sunday is a smart idea because of this very problem). Also the $ 10 donation cover charge puts it among the highest for fests.
Also, the food choices don’t seem to rotate much year-​to-​year, but it’s great enough that it remains on my annual must visit list. Just make sure to work on your crowd navigation skills.

I’ve gone two years in a row, and appreciate the presence of Strongbow at this fest. Though it’s pricey, it’s still nice to have alternative hard drink option to beer.
The music has always been what brings me to the fest. Last year, I paid the full donation on all the days I went. This year I skipped the lines and just walked in. They don’t seem to check purses or bags unless you want a wristband for alcohol.
The music didn’t sound great midday, but at night everything sounded wonderful.

Taste Of Randolph Street can kiss my ass!
I was very annoyed here by the food. First of all I love Grange Hall as they have excellent burgers, well not the burger stand here. The burger was dry, over cooked, and not very good. Belly Q sucked ass with their sweet tasting Korean tacos, blah! I do not like sweet tacos nor should anyone else! I love the Publican, at least when dining in, here at this stand I had one of their sausages (can’t remember the name of it but who cares) and it was boring. It just decent, and that pisses me off because they usually have some of the best sausages I ever had. What the hell happened here!
The only vendor that did a great job is Decero. Their tacos were a hit and very flavorful. I am giving 2 stars because of Decero, I think I need to pay them a visit very soon just for making me happy here! But really 3 out of 4 places I ate at tanked like a mofo. We dealt with lines, annoying people that think they are so hot, idiots flapping their jaws in annoying preppy voices, idiots stopping walking right in front of us without getting out of the way (rude!), getting bashed in the leg with a stroller from an unattentative mother, all these annoyances for nothing good!
I usually have a big appetite but after two tacos, a half a burger, and a half a sausage (I split items with my brother) I just felt not hungrey and lost my appetite out of sheer disappointment. My brother who attended last year and the year before said it went down hill, so I will not return. I will be back at Grange Hall and The Publican, and I will pay a visit to Decero now, but not at this fest. Belly Q I hear is nasty and everything is sweet on the menu, so I will not set foot in that place, blah! This festival sucked ass!

I love the Taste of Randolph! They always have prime food, a good selection of beer (hello Magic Hat!), and really great bands. I can’t believe they got Kaiser Chiefs, Minus the Bear, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to come this year! These are like Lolla quality! =) Anyway, it is always set up properly, despite how busy it gets, and the crowd is usually full of young city professionals, which keeps things classy. I can’t wait to come back next year!

This year was worse than last. Fewer food and retail vendors. I remember the first time I went I saw a photographer selling really beautiful prints. This year, I was excited to try BellyQ but they only had three items on their menu. I didn’t stay for the music, even though I came around 6pm on Friday (the event started at 5pm on Friday). A few bands weren’t even playing.
The lines for suggested donations were very long and inefficient too. I will pass next time and I’ve been going for four years.

Went on Friday night (soooooo crowded — I think some band that was a bit more well-​known was playing) and Saturday late afternoon (still lots of people, but nowhere near as bad as Friday night).
I’m not sure any of the vendors took credit cards, so next year, I would definitely bring more cash.
«Suggested» $ 10 donation at the door, I guess you don’t have to pay it, but who likes to be the dbag who doesn’t donate?
Good food. I had a pulled pork sandwhich that had coleslaw on it, boyfriend had a jalepeno cheddar brat, and we shared onion rings. Very tasty!
Two big stages on either end which was cool and broke up the crowd. If you are familiar with Randolph street, food was on one side of the median and shopping/​crafty stuff was on the other. Nice set-​up, beautiful weekend.
I just love these summer fests!

The food was yummy and the live music was great. We got a glazed duck leg and that was really good. Also got a double order of sangria. It was fruity and for $ 10 it wasn’t a bad deal since beers were $ 6 – 8. The korean tacos were good but thought they would put kimchee on them but it was just pickled veggies. Saw pancetta sandwiches but didnt get a chance to try them. They looked delicious though. It was $ 10 to get in even though the sign said suggested donation.

I’m just here for the food! Everything else is bonus. Bring plenty of cash, but there is no real lines no waiting (unlike food truck fests). I like this one bc you can try some of the pricer food places for a lower cost. Another tip is that many of the restaurants in the area are slightly less busy and good chance to consider reservations on this weekend to get in and then enjoy the music at the fest. Bring patience too, the available walk space is about 3 people wide so more time to walk thru than to get a grass fed burger. Music lineups are usually solid. Also unique vendors on site. Dog friendly. Easy walk from Union Station.
Enjoy!

They should have the dance stage one block west where it would not be right in front of my apartment building. The noise (even on the third floor) is horrendous. I shouldn’t be able to feel the bass up here, but I can.

This is my favorite festival in Chicago! I had just planned on «stopping by» after work, but we ended up staying till the very end. It was packed tonight so I can’t imagine what it will be like tomorrow.
The prices for food are reasonable, the food selections are good (was eyeing that steak Shish kabob), and the music and crafts are exceptional.
The DJ played really good music. No depressing music, but get up and dance music and his dancers did! I also like how the fest has two sides. One side is mainly food and the other side is mainly crafts vendor. (Make sure to check out the liquor designed candles). There are also 2 music stages.
Similar to other fest the establishments are open for business. I highly recommend checking out Packing House (the old Market). We really enjoyed the beautiful view on the rooftop and the DJ music selections. Not to mention the food albeit pricy is delicious.
I also have to mention don’t feel forced to give the $ 10 donation. I plan on coming back probably Sat or Sun so I only have $ 5.00. All in all I had a great time and Taste of Randolph is an excellent way to start the summer :)

Had an awesome time at Taste of Randolph this year.
I met up with a group of friends to celebrate my birthday there. We had an awesome time catching up, drinking, eating, listening to house music and watching the Blackhawks game on the big screen.
One of the great summer fests.

Yay to street fests!
I love this one because of the great food… however, it is hard on the pocket book. $ 6 for a small taco… YAWOO.
Come hungry and full of dough and you will be a happy camper.
Its jammed so be prepared to scoot through the crowd balancing your food and drink :)

Chicago 2012, I think this festival is one of the best by far. So go! I hit it up Saturday and am bummed that I left to meet people elsewhere and missed seeing Chris Robinson Brotherhood! All the more reason to check out the festival website before going. Oh. so bummed, saw them recently in Northern Cal a few months back and it was a great show.
What made it so good? Keep reading.
First off lets remember that entrance fee, is a suggested donation. It’s $ 10 but as another Unilocaler already mentioned (Sarah E.) you can donate $ 5, $ 7 etc and still make it in.
It’s downtown but good parking is not hard to come by. My buddy scored some free parking on Lake street. I got parking on Washington, where most meters are $ 1.75 per hour. Remember you can use parking meter stickers anywhere in the city, so if you know where a cheaper meter is…
What made the festival good for me: 1) the flow of it. There are areas of Randolph street which are thin, meaning half of the street and a walkway shared by us, a grassy median and fest stands. In these areas there is a lot of people traffic moving in either direction and it can be overwhelming but keep heading West & stop often to pick up and enjoy a nice white Sangria for $ 6, pretty good. Then there are other areas where the path opens up to four way intersections and the full breadth of the street is open to llamas, people watchers and everyone else. There is much to see and the walk and smells should inspire your hunger.
2) There are many good food stands and most are affordable. Plus! No stupid ticket system. I don’t mind tickets, its just annoying to stand in one line to buy them and then have to follow their pricing /​ticketing system. There were quite a few food stands with offerings under $ 5 dollars. Tacos, pulled pork sliders, desserts and more. I spent less than fifteen dollars and was happy with my selections.
3) People watching. So this is where all the lovely ladies of Chicago are in their best of summer dresses and 3 — 5″ heels. Let’s not forget all the gentlemen in mostly summer pastels, half and quarter sleeved shirts and polo’s and a number of good straw fedoras. I overheard some women talking about shoe shopping. Viewing what other women were wearing and hoping they might truthfully share where it was purchased.
4) The music. Peep the website or catch the detail in any of the other reviews. Two DJ booths with people dancing around or nearby the DJ’s tables. One stage for all the band;, per their website it says 3 stages of great music to be heard.
I had a great time. Exchanged some nice smiles and flirts. Enjoyed some good food as well. For the best of the food, it’s wise to get there early. By about 6 or 7 pm, some vendors were running out of different entrees, sandwiches, etc Needless to say, I’m looking forward to next year. If it wasn’t Fathers Day today, I’d be back for a third round.

It’s long been a theory of mine that everything in life can be explained in (the band) Superchunk song and album titles. So in honor of their mind-​blowingly good headlining set on Sunday night (their new stuff is as good as their old stuff) at the festival, I will now attempt to review Taste of Randolph Street using as much Superchunkanalia as possible…
I was doing far too much «Indoor Living» recently and since I have no «Precision Auto,» I knew the best thing to «Come Pick Me Up» was a festival in the city. I had tried Festa Pasta Vino the day before but it was boring to the point of making me «Too Sick To Move.» In fact it was a «New Low.» So rather than being a «Slack Motherfucker,» I decided to try out Taste of Randolph. I’m glad I did since it pulled me off the «Trash Heap.»
I know I shouldn’t «Act Surprised» but this festival is huge. «Without Blinking,» I was in awe of its sheer scope. Stretching four blocks «Driveway To Driveway,» there was a dining smörgåsbord of all good things West Loop (almost a dozen restaurants spread out along the «Sidewalk» of Randolph mixed in with vendors). I’m not good at «Keeping Track» of everything I ate, but I have to say that the macaroni and cheese muffins from Market were «Flawless.» The taste had me seeing «Animated Airplanes Over Germany» and «Certain Stars.» No need to have a «Cast Iron» stomach to appreciate this food.
In a «Sunshine State» because the water was only $ 2 and the food was right around $ 5 for large portions, I made my way to the stage. It wasn’t a question of if I would make it there, «The Question Is How Fast.» I was left only to say, «Yeah, It’s Beautiful Here Too.» The two stages consisted on both days of some of «The Popular Music» (national headliners) but I was there for only one reason — «Superchunk» (yeah, it’s the title of their first album).
«Every Single Instinct» told me the set would be awesome, and it was. The stage setup was such that the crowd was not packed in. I left with no «Nu Bruises» from being jostled. And the sound was mixed well enough to go over any crowd noise. Crowd noise which, for the record, leaves me «Throwing Things.» Seriously, if you’re going to stand by the stage at a festival, «Here’s To Shutting Up» or at least talk «In A Stage Whisper.» Though the crowd was really a «Late-​Century Dream» who seemed to actually be there for the music (as opposed to some chad-​and-​trixie fests elsewhere).
Also, one last thing that made this festival great — it must have been designed by «Smarter Hearts.» They had separate men’s and women’s port-​a-​potties. So ladies, no worries about the men leaving «Tiny Bombs» on the seats. And, men, no lines «For Tension» when you really have to go and wait in line and no «Water Wings» floating around the stalls.
Seriously, someone would have had to «Punch Me Harder» or there to be more «June Showers» to ruin this festival. At $ 10 suggested donation it was actually a bargain. I’m «Saving My Ticket» for next year’s version for sure!