CINCINNATI – May 7, 2025 – Get your taste buds ready for an adventure! The Cincinnati Regional Chamber proudly announces an impressive lineup of more than 80 culinary craftspeople set to transform downtown into a food lover’s paradise at the 2025 Taste of Cincinnati festival, presented by Kroger. While the vendors are locked in, the suspense builds as we await the crowning of this year’s Best of Taste champions across restaurant, food truck, and Findlay Kitchen incubator categories.
Taste of Cincinnati takes place Memorial Day Weekend in Downtown Cincinnati on Fifth Street between Elm St. and Main St. Mark your calendars!
• Saturday, May 24 (11 a.m. until 11 p.m.)
• Sunday, May 25 (11 a.m. until 11 p.m.)
• Monday, May 26 (11 a.m. until 8 p.m.)
Taste of Cincinnati is a community tradition that celebrates foods and local musical talents of the Greater Cincinnati region. The 2025 festival features a spread of unique vendors—from food trucks to brick-and-mortar restaurants—offering dishes from all the cuisines that make up Cincinnati’s delicious and diverse food scene. Find the full list of vendors on Taste of Cincinnati’s website here.
The Best of Taste competition was held on May 6 (Restaurants and Findlay Kitchen start-ups) and May 7 (Food Trucks) with vendors who entered demonstrating their cooking expertise for panels of judges comprised of local media personalities, social media influencers, community leaders and government officials.
“This year’s Taste of Cincinnati is poised to be our most vibrant celebration of Cincinnati’s culinary scene yet. The creativity and passion we’ve witnessed from our vendors during the competition has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Chelsea York, Vice President of Events and Experiences of the Cincinnati Regional Chamber. “From traditional Cincinnati favorites to bold international flavors, this year’s festival truly captures the evolving palate of our dynamic city. We can’t wait for everyone to experience the culinary journey we’ve curated.”
The winners of each category are as follows:
RESTAURANTS
Appetizer/Side-Dish
Gold: Hankering Southern Kitchen, Fried Green Tomatoes
Silver: Kabobske, Street Corn Hummus and Seasoned Pita Chips
Bronze: Alfio’s Buon Chio, Korean Pork BBQ Empanada
Entree
Gold: Alfio’s Buon Cibo, Braised Short Ribs over Gnocchi
Silver: Lobsta Bakes of Main, Pan Seared Lump Crab Cakes
Bronze: Hankering Southern Kitchen, Smoked Carolina Street Tacos
Dessert
Gold: The Cheesecakery, Black Raspberry Chip Cheesecake
Silver: Pompillio’s Tiramisu Cookes and Cream Cannoli
Bronze: Taste of Belgium, Lemon Poppyseed Waffle
FINDLAY KITCHEN START-UPS
Appetizer/Side Dish
Gold: Honey Child Pops, Peach Thyme Soda
Silver: Jay’s Nyam & Jam, Jerk Chicken Wings with Pineapple Jerk Sauce
Bronze: Magnificent Morsels, Shrimp & Grits
Entree
Gold: Jay’s Nyam & Jam, Jerk Chicken “Jamaican” Bowl
Silver: Yee Mama, Chicken & Basil Handmade Wonton
Bronze: Sabor Alaniz, Chicken Taquitos
Dessert
Gold: Walkerbar, Judgy Jenn Ice Cream (baked brie base, ginger pecan praline, fig jam and salted honey swirl)
Silver: Olive Tree, Mixed Baklava
Bronze: Dojo Gelato, Gooey Butter Cake Gelato
FOOD TRUCKS
Appetizer/Side Dish
Gold: Dine-In Hawaiian, Ono Hash
Silver: Maw Maw’s Creole Kitchen, MUTHA CLUCKA
Bronze: Twisted Greek, Deep Fried Feta
Entree
Gold: Twisted Greek, Hera’s Garden Gyro
Silver: Quite Frankly, Pumba
Bronze: Fifty West Brewing Company, Classic Burger
Dessert
Gold: SugarSnap! Sweet Treats, Salted Caramel Brownie Sundae
Silver: Eliza Jane’s Mobile Bake Shop, Peach Cobbler Blondie Sundae
Bronze: Davis Cookie Collection, Strawberry Crunch Sundae
This year’s festival is supported by presenting sponsor, Kroger, Tire Discounters (presenting sponsor of the Food Truck Zone), Chevrolet, Reser’s, EverDry Waterproofing, the Cincinnati Museum Center, Yakult, Renewal by Andersen, Bubbl’r Sparkling Water, Leaf Filter, NRG, VTG Vacations and the Taft Museum.
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About the Cincinnati Regional Chamber
The Cincinnati Regional Chamber is the premier business and civic organization dedicated to growing the vibrancy and economic prosperity of the Cincinnati region. With the underpinning of a strong business community, the Chamber seeks to grow our economy, grow our population and grow our cultural vibrancy to foster a welcoming environment for all who live here. The Chamber’s signature leadership programs, government and regional advocacy efforts, community events such as BLINK and Oktoberfest as well as key partnerships with organizations like Cincinnati Experience, Compass, the Minority Business Accelerator, and its own Workforce Innovation Center, lead the way to making these goals a reality. For more information, visit cincinnatichamber.com.
Media Contact:
Amy Fitzgibbons, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Cincinnati Regional Chamber afitzgibbons@cincinnatichamber.com | 513.579.3106
