Taste of the Upper West Side tends to draw a large crowd.
This year’s Taste of the Upper West Side food festival, which features food from dozens of local restaurants, is taking place on May 17 and May 18 this year. The festival will honor the West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH), a nonprofit located at 263 West 86th Street that runs a food pantry, teaches nutrition and cooking classes and recently launched a mobile market.
Taste of the UWS, put on by the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District is celebrating its 12th year. The festival raises money for local organizations, including public schools and nonprofits like Meals on Wheels. The money has paid for a sustainable streetscape on Columbus Avenue and things like solar-powered trash cans.
The events take place under a tent in the schoolyard on Columbus between 76th and 77th Streets. There’s more information and info on how to buy tickets here, as well as an overview of the events below.
Summer in the City
Friday, May 17, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Grand Tent, O’Shea Complex Schoolyard, Columbus Avenue between West 76th and 77th Streets
Summer in the City kicks off our annual two-night food event with highly-anticipated debuts of restaurants and bars, along with longtime local favorites. Among the restaurants making their Taste UWS debuts will be Tiki Chick, from the group responsible for Jacob’s Pickles, Maison Pickle, and Lucky Pickle Dumpling Co., Fish on the Fly, Solomon & Kuff, Friedman’s, Melba’s Soul Food, Miznon, Mokum and Tacombi Upper West Side. They will be joining such crowd-pleasing favorites as 5 Napkin Burger, Bodega 88, Bodrum, Gabriela’s Restaurant & Tequila Bar, Good Enough to Eat, Jing Fong, Olma Restaurant & Bar, Mama’s Too Osteria Cotta, Pappardella, Playa Betty’s, Shaking Crab, Shake Shack and Swagat, among others. Several of the neighborhood’s most popular bars and lounges will be introducing signature Taste UWS cocktails, too, including Da Capo, Jake’s Dilemma and Prohibition. As always, there will be the ultimate confectioners’ corner with sweets from the likes of Insomnia Cookies, Sarabeth’s and Treat House, along with unlimited wine, spirits and music, centered around innovative seasonal fare. And making the evening even sweeter will be an eclectic mix of exciting sounds by the inimitable DJ Svetlana, making her Taste UWS debut!
Cost: $115 per person
Saturday, May 18, 2019 from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Best of the West VIP Reception
Grand Tent, O’Shea Complex Schoolyard, Columbus Avenue between West 76th and 77th Streets
An exclusive, hour-long preview of the event, the Best of the West VIP Reception provides an opportunity for participating guests to mingle one-on-one with celebrity chefs and restaurateurs. With limited attendance, special seating area, early entree to the evening’s food, spirit, wine, and beer presentations, and direct access to the chefs before the main event, the Best of the West VIP Reception is a memorable experience in a relaxed setting for an entire hour prior to general admission. In addition, each VIP guest will have access to a specialty bar.
Cost: $235 (Limited availability.)
Saturday, May 18, 2019 from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Best of the West Presented by Park West Village
Grand Tent, O’Shea Complex Schoolyard, Columbus Avenue between West 76th and 77th Streets
Back by popular demand, this year’s Best of the West presented by Park West Village will again have a dedicated mixology section with one-of-a-kind craft cocktails. Among those participating will be 67 Orange Street, Da Capo, Manhattan Cricket Club, Nobody Told Me Cocktail Club, Prohibition and distinguished spirit sponsors, including Tito’s Vodka. Elevated cuisine is Saturday night’s focus with Awadh, Burke & Wills, Calle Ocho, Candle West, Carmine’s, Cesca, Crave Fishbar, Elea, Lincoln Center Kitchen, Nice Matin, Pickle Hospitality Group, RedFarm, Salumeria Rosi. Shake Shack, Storico, Tavern on the Green, Tessa Restaurant, The LEOPARD at des Artistes, Mermaid Inn, The Milling Room, The Ribbon, and The Smith. These dining destinations are being joined by Taste UWS newcomers Boulevard Seafood Company, Flying Fisherman, Lido and Oxbow Tavern. The sweet side of the evening will be bolstered by such favorites as Magnolia Bakery, Mille-feuille Bakery Café and Orwasher’s Bakery, along with other bold name confectioners. Live music by acclaimed group Project Orange, making their Taste UWS debut, will complete the stage and heighten the ambiance of the Upper West Side’s most anticipated event of the year.
Cost: $145 per person
West Side Rag is expecting to be a media sponsor of the event this year.
Clarification: there was originally a typo on the date of the last event.
