This Weekend, Taste Of The Upper West Side Is Back

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — This weekend, chefs and bartenders from dozens of Upper West Side establishments will share their best creations at the 13th annual Taste of the West Side.

Taste of the Upper West Side will take place on Oct. 1-2 under a tent in the playground that hosts the Grand Bazaar NYC market on Columbus Avenue between West 76th and 77th Streets. More than 80 chefs from UWS restaurants will share their signature dishes.

Tickets for the 2020 Taste of the West Side will be honored in 2021. The culinary event was canceled last year.

The festival will be broken into two nights, Grillin' In The City on Oct. 1 from 7 to 10 p.m. and Best Of The West on Oct. 2 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Both nights will feature live music, and tickets cover all food and beverages at the event.

All attendees must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter. Also, no one under 21 is permitted into the event.

Grillin' In The City

The first night of the festival will include popular UWS restaurants grilling up favorite menu items. There will be unlimited wine and spirits, according to the event website.

Local eateries participating on the night include Covacha, El Mitote, Jacob's Pickles, Jing Fong, and Osteria Cotta. You can check out the full list of participating restaurants here. Also on Friday is a whisky tasting in collaboration with Whiskies of the World.

Tickets are $99.

Best Of The West

The second night of the festival will focus on "elevated cuisine" and be hosted by NBC's Lauren Scala.

Participating restaurants will include Alice's Tea Cup, Cafe Luxembourg, Dagon, Elea, Leyla, Redfarm, Tavern On The Green, The Consulate, and the Mermaid Inn. You can check out the full list of restaurants here.

Tickets are $135.

There is also a VIP reception on Saturday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., where guests can mingle with celebrity chefs. These tickets are $215.

The event is hosted by the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) and presented by American Airlines and Mastercard.

Taste of the Upper West Side raises money through ticket sales and contributions to help fund projects for the Columbus Avenue BID's beautification and improvement projects.