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<p>The Taste of Chicago kicked off Wednesday morning with more than 80 vendors from across the city — from booths by local restaurants to food trucks to featured pop-ups.</p><p>And while there are plenty of Chicago classics up for grabs, including Connie’s Pizza, Eli’s Cheesecake and Harold’s Chicken, this year’s festival also shows off the city’s international flavors. Chicago is home to millions of immigrants, and this year’s Taste lineup offers proof, from Senegalese cuisine to Argentine-style empanadas.</p><p>Nearly 38% of the participating restaurants are setting up shop at the festival for the first time, according to the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center> <div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop=""> <figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-010000" name="image-010000"></a> <picture data-crop="medium"> <source type="image/webp" width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c12eacf/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffc%2Ffb%2Fa80509b546b9a95d173f1ad43a23%2Ftasteopen-260709-13.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e2914ca/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffc%2Ffb%2Fa80509b546b9a95d173f1ad43a23%2Ftasteopen-260709-13.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <source width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/de59224/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffc%2Ffb%2Fa80509b546b9a95d173f1ad43a23%2Ftasteopen-260709-13.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <img class="Image" alt="TASTEOPEN_260709-13.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/de59224/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffc%2Ffb%2Fa80509b546b9a95d173f1ad43a23%2Ftasteopen-260709-13.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a734ba0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffc%2Ffb%2Fa80509b546b9a95d173f1ad43a23%2Ftasteopen-260709-13.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275" data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/de59224/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffc%2Ffb%2Fa80509b546b9a95d173f1ad43a23%2Ftasteopen-260709-13.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" > </picture> <div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>People walk around Taste of Chicago in Grant Park on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. This year’s event is free to attend and cashless.</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Jeremy Battle/Sun-Times</p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>If it’s been a while since you last attended the Taste of Chicago, you’ll find the ticket system is gone for good.