Hard or Soft? Taco Fest Hitting Lake View this Fall

This year, the first weekend of the fall season will have something more to celebrate than the anticipation of autumn leaves.

I present to you the first annual Sam Adams’ Lakeview Taco Fest.

The inaugural fiesta is slated to hit Southport Avenue between Addison Street and Newport Avenue on Sept. 21-22. Running from noon to 10 p.m., the festival will be all about the tortilla-stuffed favorite.


“Whether one prefers theirs with a hard or soft shell and filled with a meat, chicken, guacamole or one of dozens of imaginative ingredients, expect this new September event to be a popular addition to the Windy City's outdoor street fest scene,” said event organizers in a statement. “There will also be beer and taco pairings, an activity/play area for kids, and visitors will be able to text vote for Chicago's ‘Best Taco.’"

Thus far the food purveyors for Taco Fest include:

• Café El Tapatio: Grilled portabello with mango salsa and shrimp with chili tacos
• Toons Bar & Grill: Tex-Mex smoked brisket and pulled-pork Asian slaw tacos
• The Pony: Duck, smoked beef and pork belly tacos
• Mystic Celt
• Smoke Daddy
• Café Tola
• Crosby's Kitchen
• Taco Joint
• Zocalo

Saturday, September 21

• 3:30  p.m.—Rico (funk/soul)
• 6:00 p.m.—Get Up With the Get Downs (funk)
• 8:00 p.m.—Freddy Jones Band (roots rock)

Sunday, September 22

• 3:30 p.m.—Stache (pop/rock)
• 6:00 p.m.—Kashmir (Led Zeppelin tribute)
• 7:45 p.m.—Wedding Banned  (pop/rock)