Taylor Street Festa Italiana

On this third weekend of August, I, the great Don Antonio, joined the commoners for Festa Italiana. Although not Italian, I feel like one since I am well into my thirties and live with my parents (only sad if you consider they live in a nursing home) and when I speak, I gesture so wildly, people assume I’m being electrocuted. I breezed through the entrance, ignoring requests for a $ 5 entrance fee, living by what a wise man once said, «‘Tis better to ask forgiveness than permission» (Bill Cosby, 1981). All of a sudden, I heard a belch so powerful it set off car alarms. I turned, and there she stood, hair blowing in the wind (from her belch), gut heaving from her Sonic T-​shirt. Perhaps it was the way she held her Peroni beer or the manner by which she sucked down Menthols two at a time, but the moon hit my eye like a big pizza pie.
Mustering my best Italian, I approached, «DiGiorno! Are you Italian?» «Nah, I’m from Schaumberg sugar. Who are you?» «My naughty biscotti, they call me Don Antonio. If Elvis were alive, he’d be impersonating yours truly. When I was in school, teachers brought me an apple. Together let us sample the delicacies of this hallowed fair.» «Whatever,» she said, crushing the empty beer can on her forehead before tossing it over her shoulder. We first visited Pompei, where I suggested we eat our $ 5 meat strudel «Lady and the Tramp» style. She then proceeded to devour it without using her hands. We also massaged our palettes with $ 6 arancini and $ 3 gelatos. «Is it my imagination, or is this amore?» Between bites she said, «I dunno, but why don’t you feed me a little more, eh?»
At the west end of the fest, a band played cherished melodies by Martin and Sinatra. A dance floor beckoned in front of the stage. «My buttered-​up buttercup, let Don Antonio teach you to move like Ginger Rogers playing Dance Dance Revolution.» «Sure Donny Darko, but first, where’s the can?» «Ah, my gassy lassie, the PortaPotties are that way.» She replied, «Ok, but I call ‘em banks and right now I gotta make a deposit.» When she returned we danced under the stars, pausing only so she could put a new cigarette to her angelic lips and also to ask random festival patrons, «You gonna eat that?»
At 10 sharp, the fest concluded. «My puffed-​up cream puff, come away with me and together we will savor the real Italia.» After shotgunning a beer, she said, «No can do. Gotta get back to my job as a host on ‘The View’. Sorry San Antonio.» And so Don Antonio must continue his quest for a maiden with a voice like satin, eyes like deep pools, and the graceful demeanor of a velvet swan. Where will he find such a woman? See you at Taco Fest!

A good street fair. Nice selection of food vendors to choose from. Mostly classic Italian fare such as gelato, Italian ice which was a huge favorite and great sandwiches. I came on a Sunday afternoon and there was a variety of people walking around and enjoying the nibbles.
This area is home to some of the best known Itslian restaurants such as Rosebud, Tuscany and Devanti to name a few. It was nice to walk around and sample a few treats or to pick an outdoor spot and have a full meal.

It has been quite a few years since I’ve been here and was expecting a bit more. The festival is donation based which is nice. When I first walked in the first band stand was playing «Ghetto Superstar». Love the song, but wasn’t really feeling the Italian vibe upon entering. At the other end was another band stand that had Italian opera singers which was a lot more authentic. There was about 20 or so food stands. All of the food is around $ 6 a plate. Definitely recommend grabbing some of the blood orange red sangria! It was delicious. The festival isn’t very large. You can basically eat, walk, and view all the stands in about an hour tops. I recommend going, however don’t have high expectations for a lot of Italian pride flowing through the festival.

Love this fest! My husband and I look forward to it every year. It seems to be getting bigger and bigger too with each year. I def recommend taking a cab here or public transportation– street parking close by is hard to find. They do have lots for your car but I’m sure they are pricey. Anyways the most important thing about this fest is definitely THE FOOD. There are so many great Italian restaurants on Taylor hat it’s hard to pick a favorite. We def recommend the meatball sandwich from Rosebuds. It’s HUGE, & you can def split it! They also have some good music playing too– from Italian singers to DJs. Def recommend coming out to this fest– one of the best in the city.

The Taylor Street Festa Italiana is worth going to for the food. Some of Chicago’s best restaurants are at this street festival.

I can’t believe this was the first time I hit this Street Fair. The variety and quality of the food offered at this gastrointestinal potpourri is second to none. Here is a list of the things I sampled.
Arinchini
Wood oven baked Neapolitan Pizza.
Philly Cheese steak Stromboli
Ravioli.
Not only was everything delicious beyond words, it was affordable. Nothing I ate cost more than $ 6. I have heard this festival of Italian decadence gets really crowded at night. My Wife and I attended in the afternoon. The crowd was sparse. I don’t think we waited more than five minutes at any of the food stands.
Here’s the delicious bottom line on my visit to Taylor Street Festa Italiana. If you love Italian food like I do, a visit to this food fair is a must. I enjoyed people, the food and overall vibe. In a City that milks you dry for every hard earned cent you have, this is an affordable way to enjoy some of the best food Chicago has to offer. Gratzi.

We started with a lovely breakfast at STAX. Great arachnini balls.
Had the worst cannoli, stale shell and mediocre filling… sorry, scafuri but Boston does these better.
Friendly folks. Great kids singing, n, performing and rocking out.
Nice cloudy Sunday before we headed home.

Had a nice time coming out here with my husband. They had different vendors, and most were Italian. One of my favorite places was the Scafuri Bakery. The scones and cake doughnuts were good! Along our walk, we found a little shop with antique pictures and prints of paintings. It was one of the coolest shops. I hope to come back next year.

Celebrating my Italian roots by eating and drinking in summertime Chicago. You can go to an Italian restraurant or a streets vendor on Taylor street. Some of the vendors are not classic Italian but others are great. It’s more Italian American and a pretty low key festival. Donation is optional, donated and they have me a wristband 2012 slightly disappointed.

I loved this fest!
There was lots of great restaurants where you could get MOUNDS of food. We had the heart attack plate… and it definitely was.
I also tried lots of other Italian things… gelato, meatball sandwiches, arancini, artichoke something. All delish.
I didnt see too many wife beaters, but it was a fun fest. There was games and everything. HA! I am getting more into the less mainstream fests that all the trixies go to and more of the city fests.
Go and check it out! You wont be disappointed!

This is my 3^rd time participating in this festival. Due to schedule conflict I was only able to go to one on Sunday. Here’s my thoughts about this year’s festival.
Things that were better this year:
— became more kids-​friendly. There were swings, slides and other stuff for kids to enjoy
— More variety of shows. I thought there was one more stage this year than last year.
Things that have regressed
— There was only one margerita pizza station. Dough boy went out of business, which I thought was a big blow to this festival as a whole. Rosebud didn’t serve clams this year. The only steady bestseller, Patio’s sandwiches, held the fort by itself.
— and as a whole they had a weak list on vendors
— Overall, it didn’t feel like «local». I felt that more vendors participated to make money, but not join the community and contribute to it. This could be just me, but I didn’t have the same vibe and love I had from last year.
I should say this festival has regressed a little from last year. There is a good chance next year’s festival could be the last I will be attending. Hopefully I enjoy next year’s festivity a little better.

great, family-​friendly, low-​key fest. carnival rides complete with carnies. obviously, italian food everywhere (they just call it «food» there). i had the cheese tortellini in vodka sauce from rosebud and then the pork ragu polenta from davanti enoteca — both were SO good and hit the spot. those italians know how to do it. awww yeah. we stopped by the park where a 90s rock cover band was playing. it wasn’t crowded, and there were lawn seats everywhere. we sat under the trees and gazed at the stars and the drunk 45-​year-​old rocking the SHIT out of himself, wearing a camelbak filled with what i assume was old style.
it’s not a fest where you have to dress to impress, although we did spot a few hoes bearing their midriffs. real low-​key, and i like that.

Maaaadonna… Not worth the money or time. I didn’t feel the Italian-​American pride. In fact most things weren’t Italian at all, not even the music. Your nonna would be disappointed, her cooking is definitely better (well of course but…), and her old country singing tops any of the performers (one group sang Springsteen!). With all of the Italian heritage here in the city and Chicago land area this could have been so much better! No wonder it wasn’t crowded. I’m just glad the money went to the neighborhood which needs to invest in bringing back the old Italian charm.

I used to come to this area with my great-​uncle when I was younger quite often for fine dining and good conversation over good scotch … So I decided to commute to the fest for nostalgia sake — & did quite enjoy strolling up & down Taylor, shopping at what my grandma used to always call «the Conte» di Savoia store — & chowing down on cannoli & delectable sorbet …
And if you refuse to believe that there really is a Chicago dentist named Frank Zappa, you’ll believe it after you walk past his offices … Why is it I suspect one gets the good kind of nitrous there? And Oddly enough, as soon as I got back downtown I noticed a big ad for an office realtor named Robert Zimmerman … So there you go I guess …
(By the way, about people complaining about $ 3 water at the 7 – 11, it’s fine with me just as long as it actually tastes like it emanates from France or from Fiji when I sip the first sip … Unfortunately in Chicago further crackdowns on wholesalers and distributors are still required, which is pretty disturbing … For a long time now I only buy spring water here at large corporate stores — & not ones that are franchised …)

Living in the neighborhood, I’ve gone to this festival a few years. For me, the festival lost a star this year. The food vendors were just ok. Last year I had an amazing wood fired neapolitan pizza. This year the pizza was underwhelming. Wine pours at the general beverage concessions were also lacking for the $ 7 price tag. I’m not expecting high quality but a little more than 4 oz. would be appreciated. There was also an odd assortment of other vendors that seemed out of place (sunglasses? tarot readings?). It made it feel kind of like a cheap county fair.
Despite the downfalls, I still think it is a fun festival to check out. If you’re in the mood for walking around, people watching, and drinking wine in the street (who isn’t!), then check out this festival.

I usually have low expectations for festivals held inside the city. Festa Italiana on Taylor St. was different.
Taylor St. already offers great restaurants so you’d kinda expect that there was going to be great food there anyway. I can’t exactly remember the restaurants I bought food from, but I had a great meatball sandwich with a glass of Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy. You can also go around and have great gelato on the cheap. I had a blast.
The best part about the fest for me was how kid-​friendly it was. Jumpy houses galore. You can purchase tickets for the kid attractions and use them to have your children enter whichever bouncy house they choose. Great job fellas.

Amazing grilled calamari and of course can’t go wrong with a beef and sausage combo! Gelato, italian ice, and cannolis… YUM!

You gotta check this fest out, Chicago! This one’s relaxed, not overly crowded and parking is relatively easy (I can personally vouch after finding parking within 3 blocks of the fest two out of four days… in ten minutes or less). Also impressive: open bocce play, Armand Assante (loved him in the Mambo Kings!), a band called the Hit Men (um), a block’s worth of Italian savories and sweets and the Beviamo tent featuring peach sangria for $ 6. It was so good that I had an extra glass and now can’t remember the other magical ingredients… basil, maybe?
Also cool — the festival runs ’til 11pm on Friday and Saturday and *maybe* just a smidge later. Quite a different story from the large-​scale festivals you’ve come to know in Wicker Park, Andersonville and the like. Wanna enjoy the unseasonably cool breeze for a few minutes past 11 with beverage? Not a problem here, as no one’s splitting hairs. So very mellow… it’s a good one, guys!