Once a year an event happens which brings me so close to a heart attack...I can usually feel my organs shutting down. BACONFESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSST!!!! This was my third time going to Baconfest and it was as fun as ever. My favorite part of the 2017 Baconfest was exchanging some pleasantries with Bobby Flay! My life is now complete and you all are cordially invited to our wedding in Spring 2018. Baconfest had 4000 attendees this year! That's just madness. It was as good as ever with all the best restaurants coming out and showing off their best bacon dishes. Uniqueness gets you far at Baconfest and there sure were some cool bacon items. VIP is the best way to do Baconfest. You get in an hour before the masses and can easily hit up the booths with no lines. It's really nice being able to actually talk to the chefs and restaurant reps before they get totally slammed by the crowds. By the time everyone else is let in, you could be mostly done going to all the booths! Bam! It does get warm at the UIC Pavilion so don't bring a coat and be prepared to drink water to stay hydrated. They do of course have tons of bacon cocktails and beer for your pleasure, as well. I truly had a really fun time even though I ate way more any human ever should. Baconfest is probably the best fest in Chicago and I would highly recommend any pork lover attend! read more

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Do you love bacon? Are you a human being? Want to see what restaurants and vendors do with this delectable meat? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then make your way over to Baconfest held at the UIC Forum annually in March/April over the course of three days. I went to the 9th annual Baconfest here in Chicago, and it was great to hear that a portion of the proceeds go to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Awesome cause, and so glad that our bacon gluttony can serve a greater good. There were 80+ vendors on opening day when I went. I was fortunate enough to come with my wife who won VIP tickets, so we got a whole hour with other VIP guests and media. Thanks Yelp! Your ego might think that you can take on all the booths, but better check it at the door, because you will hit the proverbial bacon wall sooner than you think. Bacon pho, bacon tacos, bacon lobster bisque, bacon kombucha - you will find it all here! It all adds up rather quickly. Choose your path wisely, and you may find bacon nirvana. If you make it out of here still desiring bacon, you are a true bacon warrior. Wear that badge with honor (or just get a baconfest t-shirt.) read more

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Nothing says love like bacon! A rare date night brought me and the hubs to BaconFest. Cardiac arrest might be inevitable, but the experience is worth it! We got there for the VIP hour; which is well worth it because when 7pm rolls around and they open the doors to the public, everyone swarms in at once and it's a mad frenzy to make your way to all of the different tables. Rookie move trying to carve out a route in an effort to take notes on each item tasted. Seriously, where did I think these notes were going to end up?! Well, in case you want a copy of my notes for your personal records, rest assured, I have them. Did I have some favorites, yes, definitely. I'm looking at you Bacon Twix Bar and Bacon Lobster Bisque. Then there were a couple that didn't really float my boat, but those shall remain nameless. Also, there were far fewer of those than things that made my tail wag. Included in the admission, you receive seven drink tickets. In the beginning, I was real choosy about which drinks would get my limited drink tickets. Then I came to realize about six drinks in, that there is no way I could drink that much after eating that much and apparently others agreed as everyone and their mom tried to hand me their extra drink tickets. Evidentially, I look like someone who needs everyone's drink tickets or just someone with a drinking problem. Eh, either way, I'll take it. The creativity and craftsmanship that not only went into the food, but also the table displays was not missed by me. I loved how unique the dishes were and how much thought and care went into each restaurant's display. It was an amazing celebration of Chicago chefs and adult beverage creators! I am so happy to have had this experience and will most definitely put it on a must-do Chicago list. This is not like your typical Chicago festivals, this is beyond all of them combined! read more

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This was my first time attending bacon fest and I had a good time trying out bacon dish samples, collecting swag, and other non-bacon samples (e.g., metric nitro coffee, pure leaf teas, etc.). The check in process was very smooth and well organized. The restaurant booths were well laid-out and easy to find. The most memorable bites were Slurping Turtle's pork belly wrapped chicken, Gray's bacon macarons, candied bacon with kombucha drink, bacon barrel aged beer (I forgot the name of the brand), bacon lobster bisque, and Metric's coffee. I went back for seconds, thirds, fourths... hahaha to the point where I felt sick with meat sweats. UIC should turn up the A/C, because it was a bit too warm to continue enjoying the food for the entire length of the event. I didn't drink any alcohol, but the unlimited supply of sparkling water was pretty neat! It was also cool to see Bobby Flay in person, but was too shy to approach him. ^__^V If you LOVE, like, REALLY LOVE bacon, do attend the event! It's once in a lifetime thing for me because I can't over eat that much pork belly in one meal again and pay for it the next day. read more

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This was my first time attending Bacon Fest and it was a good time! I had VIP tickets which lets you get to eating an hour before everyone else. It was nice being able to stroll the fest at a leisurely speed and not have to wait in a line to try anything. I like Bacon, but if you are a true bacon LOVER this is for you. Everything from the alcohol to dessert had bacon in it. You even leave the fest smelling like bacon, so my advice is to wear clothes you won't have to wear/dry clean right away. I went to the Friday night session so I would say my favorite items were Bang Bang Pie Biscuit, Acebounce (loved the bacon wrapped taco shells) and I believe Prime & Provisions had the bacon topped cheesecake. Once the clock struck 7:00 a mass of people came and lines started forming. Not a ridiculous amount, but by 7:30 when the last wave of people were coming in it was time for us to head out. We were stuffed by that point! Other highlight of the evening was Bobby Flay was there from Iron Chef. It was such a fun night and thankful for the tickets Yelp! read more

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Oh Baconfest, you have utterly destroyed me. It was like I was unleashed onto a giant bacon buffet after being starved for a week. The VIP hour was mainly why I succeeded in trying so much, but it was also my downfall. I actually did a count and I tried about 80% out of the 57 food tables, not including repeats and drinks. Pricey as the VIP hour is (and luckily I won tickets, thanks Yelp!), that first hour with no lines was crucial. Plus it included a bunch of drink tickets. I've been to a couple Baconfests years ago and I knew how crowded it could get, so I wanted to try as much as I could within that first hour. The judges were also going around during this time, including Yelp's own Alex S.. Bobbby Flay was also making the rounds with a camera man for the Cooking Channel, while his every moved was stalked by fans. I started out at a steady rate for the first two blocks, then it all became a bacon blur. I was trying bite after bite, then I started to strategize to only try the interesting sounding dishes, then I just said f*ck it and ate whatever was in sight until I could barely function as a human being. Some of the standouts: Bacon Fat Jelly Roll (Black Dog Gelato), Bacon Pecan Bar (Chicago's Community Kitchens), Bacon Mussel Consomme (Mercat a la Planxa), Bacon Studded Biscuit w/ Bacon Infused Jam (Bang Bang Pie), Bourbon Bacon Caramel Corn (Kerasotes Theaters), Promiscuous Pork Belly (Cooking Skills Academy), and the Iberico Bacon (Wagshal's Imports). There were a lot of interesting dishes too, like the Bacon Cream Soda, Bacon Pho, Bacon Shell Tacos, and the Bacon Falafel. By the end I was just so full that my brain wasn't functioning properly. I don't think I've ever felt so gluttonous in my life and I loved every bite. read more

Overall: if you love food (especially bacon), this is an event WORTH paying for. Luckily, I won 2 free VIP tickets through Yelp (woo!), so I brought my best friend to indulge in our love of bacon. I've been to a lot of food/drink festivals, so I was expecting some impressive dishes and some mediocre ones, but I was THOROUGHLY impressed with the selection and variety of bacon-inspired dishes at this event. They had everything from bacon croquettes, pork belly on a stick, bacon mac n cheese, bacon tacos, bacon biscuits, bacon ice cream dessert, classic bacon on a stick, I mean...it was endless. The drink selection was even better, we received 7 drink tickets (each drink was 1 ticket) and had Goose Island beer, Lagunitas new beers on tap, bacon Bloody Mary, bacon flavored gin cocktail, even bacon peach Kombucha! I was amazed...all were delicious. AMAZING EVENT. I will pay for VIP next year just to experience it again. read more

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SWINE TIME 2014 I was lucky enough to attend the evening dinner session on Saturday night of the 6th Annual Bacon Fest. The event was completely sold out which happens every year. So if you're ever thinking about going, then buy your tickets in advance. There was a long line to get in but the crew from BaconFest got everyone into the UIC Pavilion remarkably fast. When I saw the line I assumed I would be standing out in the cold forever. This was one of the most organized entrances into a Fest I've ever seen. Well done BaconFest! When we walked in the first thing we smelled was bacon, after 24 hours of bacon being served in here I can understand why. I just wonder how long it takes for the smell of bacon to disappear. The next graduation event in here is going to have all the attendees wanting some pork. After entering the room, I had to go see Chef Amanda from Rockit, she was serving up an Applewood Smoked Bacon Chili with corn tortilla strips, bacon sour cream & chives. I received a cup but I sure could have used a bowl because it was that good. I wish I could have had a second serving but I was full by the end of the night. I was ready to get my BACON on but I only had 2.5 hours to make it around the room. I knew I had to pace myself. This was not my first Fest, so I came up with a game plan. First I decided to stay away from the bacon deserts until the end, if I still had room in my belly. Next, only eat the bacon parts. If it came on bread the bread was not going in my mouth, except for Nana who made a house made biscuit. I could not resist and ate half of it. Yum! There were so many amazing things I ate and I would love to highlight some of the fantastic items I tasted. I met Chef Luca Corazzina from 312 Chicago. He was serving Involtino di Maiale which was a stuffed pork loin with pecorino cheese, oven cured tomatoes and basil pesto, wrapped with Nueske's cherrywood smoked bacon. What? The pork was so tender and tasty. At the end of the night they offered a roll of pork loin for me to take home. I laughed and secretly wished I had a Tupperware dish with me. I also met the owner Joe of J. ROCCO'S ITALIAN TABLE & BAR. His Chef, Steve Chiappetti was making Chicken and Bacon Meatballs featuring Nueske's applewood smoked bacon, pine nuts, and a red pepper cream sauce. I joked with the staff that I need some pasta and they told me to stop by the restaurant because it can be done. Yes! Can we take a moment to say thanks to Nueske's for making an incredible bacon that all the great Chicago Chefs use. It says something about a product when you see it on menus around Chicago. I was glad they had a booth here. I had to sample two pieces because it is so amazing. I also was intrigued by MONTI'S Bacon Stromboli which was a Philly turnover filled with crispy bacon, Black Angus ribeye, grilled onions and swiss cheese. It was like Philly meets Italy. I really need to get over there for one of their Philly sandwiches. Chef Matt Riordan from SAIGON SISTERS was really cool. He was making Bacon Laab with kaffir lime, galangal, toasted rice on endive. It was kind of like a bacon lettuce wrap. I enjoy edible dishes that are green and not bread. I also can't forget about the drinks. Owner Anthony from 3 Aces was serving up a Manhattan. It was called a Ham-hattan with bacon infused bourbon, sweet vermouth, bacon bitters, maraschino-cherrywood bacon garnish. The crew from Wirtz Beverages were pouring some great craft brews from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon. I really loved the red chair beer and had two. I also can't forget Tito's Vodka who was mixing up some delicious infused bacon drinks. I love Tito's! I loved it before anyone knew about it and now everyone loves it. I was glad to be on the wagon before the bandwagon jumpers. But if you're going to jump on any band wagon then this is a good one to get on. Go Tito's and thanks Emily & Chris for everything. You made my night. We also can't forget the classic beers. There was a booth serving up classic Old Style and PBR. Bacon goes well with drinks. Best title goes to Chef Gary Wiviott from BARN & COMPANY. He had written "BBQ life coach" on his chef jacket. That is really inspirational. I also loved how they had someone on site to check your cholesterol and blood pressure at the event. I thought that was really funny with all of the amazing bacon food choices around. I thought that would be a bacon buzz kill, so I stayed away and was able to live another day. BaconFest was a lot of fun. There were so many talented chefs serving up bacon inspired dishes, deserts and drinks. The best part about this Fest is that the money goes to charity and helps the Chicago Food Depository. This event is a win-win for everyone. It shows that bacon can unite everyone to do good. The crowd was great. Everyone was respectful despite it being packed. I look forward to next years event and can hardly wait to get my Bacon Fest on again. read more

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This is one of my favorite food events in Chicago. I've been attending for 3 years straight and I will probably come back again next year. If you love bacon and/or you love food, you definitely need to come here. Nine years running, Baconfest takes place in the UIC Forum over three sessions: Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and Saturday dinner. In each session, different chefs and restaurants add their touches to create special swine delights using Nueske's provided bacon. A special shoutout must go out to Nueske for providing 4 tons, count it, 4 tons of bacon for this year's event. So so much bacon. Before this year, attendees had to pay a flat fee to enjoy all the bacon dishes and limited drinks. This year is different. The organizers gave people more choices. They could either pay $100 for unlimited bacon dishes and 7 drink tickets or they could pay $60 just for the bacon. They could also pay for express tickets ($75 or so) and come in half an hour after the event started to avoid the early standby line. Hard to go wrong with all the bacon and all the ways to enjoy it. The best part of Baconfest is the fact that a significant amount of ticket sales and food that gets leftover all goes to charitable food organizations. Gluttony leads to charity in the best way. So if you're somehow still undecided about going to Baconfest, just go. It's an amazing time and you'll be happily satiated before the end of it. read more

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I loved this event! I attended for the first time in 2016. Proceeds support a good cause. Groupon also generally has discounted tickets, FYI. It's only getting four stars due to the price. Then again, with the Groupon discount, the food and drinks don't make it seem so bad. It's all you can eat bacon. Admission includes seven adult beverage tickets as well. Yum! I attended the Sunday brunch option; they have other options. While it says 12-3, you will need to know that most booths are out and gone before 3:00. So don't let the time fool you. Entry was quick and easy, and who doesn't love quick and easy. Tons of savory and some sweet options. No seating options in the event space. (There may be some outside of the space somewhere) They have a few tables for standing and eating. read more

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Big ups to Johnny T. for giving me a crack at these awesome VIP tix. We were ushered right in when we got there, and it looked like a scene from Top Chef. You know when the food is completed and sampled in a large room? The Publican became a staging area to sample dishes I never thought could go together. Black mole pork belly with citrus? I never thought a combo like that would work, but these great chefs do it. Here were my highlights and the restaurant it came from; 10 restaurants in all, but that's too many to mention. Put on your stretchy pants for this! -- BOKA - served the aforementioned pork belly mole dish. Came with bacon gnocchi. The mole and citrus blended well. The Bristol - alderwood-smoked bacon, with maple-sage breakfast sausage, braised greens, and hard-boiled egg. U[pon sampling, my friend said, "Is there an egg inisde the pork?" Yup, the egg was cooked into the pork belly, and very good. The portion was just a little too big, and we had lots of other pork to consume, so I only ate half. This won the critic's choice for top bacon dish. Gemini Bistro - their own version of bacon and eggs. Glazed pork belly, over-easy quail egg, buttermilk blini, and apricot syrup. Looked so simple, but was bursting with taste. Underrated dish here. Vie - braised lentils, butternut squash, grilled onions, pickled garlic, and rye breadcrumbs. Surprisingly the combo worked, as the butternut squash was the winner here. Eve - Pumpkin-bacon-waffle with pomegranate-glazed pork belly, infused with bacon maple syrup. This was my favorite and won the people's choice. So tasty and the waffle was just awesome, which combined with the pork belly was a great idea. The syrup was better than Jam's, which cost $78 bucks a gallon. The meh list: David Burke - brought a tasty bacon apple fritter, but his reverse pigs-in-a-blanket was too dry. He did pass out a bacon fundip, though. One Sixtyblue - chicken-fried bacon on pretzel bun with a garlic chili mayo with bacon fries. The chicken was too chewy and just too heavy. Overall, a bit too much. Dessert: Chalkboard had a vanilla-bacon ice cream with caramel-lard "shittakii" bacon crumble. I heard many people that did not like this, but it grew on me. After the first bite and thinking I would just dump it off on a table, I ended up polishing it off, so it was aight. On top of all of this, each dish had a beer pairing! Goose Island brewed a smoked bock just for baconfest and won't brew it again until the next baconfest. I guess I'm awesome for getting to sample it! I didn't know if this concept would work but sign me up for the next one! I'll wear my scrub pants so I have a little more wiggle room to eat. read more

Don't even know where to start with this review... Wish I could give a detailed review of everything I ate but I kind of blacked out (or minor cardiac arrest?) halfway through due too bacon overload. JK no such thing as too much bacon. Sarah does a great job reviewing some of the standouts at the fest. Some of my favorites to add on (although not limited to) are: Black Dog Gelato - I came back to this booth multiple times, not even embarrassed when I was called out. I have a crazy sweet tooth and Black Dog has been high on my list to go to. The Mini Whiskey Bacon Pops were unbelievably good. I can't wait to go try their tasty creations in their shop. Davanti Enoteca - Again, another restaurant high up on my list of go to spots so I was happy to chat with them and their pork belly porchetta with artichoke mostarda was unreal. The porchetta pretty much melted in your mouth and was so good. IPO - Their sous vide pork belly with innovative garnishes like popcorn pudding, spicy chicharrone, and popcorn broth was an explosion of flavor. Definitely made me a believer and I will be visiting this restaurant in the future. Saigon Sisters - I was disappointed when hearing that this place was over rated since I love Thai food, but there's nothing I appreciate more than a good pho. Their bacon pho with black garlic noodles, pickled quail egg and micro Viet herbs was awesome. I could eat this every day. Well done. There were many others... but this is about when my blackout ensued. No wonder this event sells out within 30 minutes of going on sale. My 2nd consecutive year at Baconfest, I consider myself sort of a veteran. However, I didn't follow my own mental notes from last year so I look forward to trying again... and again. Here's some tips for newcomers (and vets): PACE YOURSELF. This is easier said than done. You walk in and the smell of bacon engulfs you. You immediately want to go to the first booth and start shoveling pork products into your mouth. Savor the food, know what you are eating, and take some notes! Bring a Pen and check off your favorite booths and take notes of your favorites. Wish I had done this, so many good things were eaten but I forget what each were and from where. Bring some zip lock bags and/or Tupperware if you're hardcore. This might not be allowed, but trust me, there are lots of leftovers and lots of tasty stuff you'll want to take home. By the end, the vendors that have too much food will pretty much be begging you to take extra. Wow Bao, for example, was giving me 3-4 boas to take home. Hydrate. So much bacon, meat sweats will ensue. Have plenty of water or beer/liquor that is provided at the event. This might mean stopping at the Templeton Whiskey vendor numerous times... delicious bloody mary's! You get 6 drink tickets. Most of these are not used and if you're proactive and drinking from the various vendors, tons of people will happily give you there tickets. If you go with a group of friends, this can be very fun. Load up on drink tickets and let the Goose Island flow. Bacon and beer, doesn't get much better than this! Bring a camera! My phone died and this was a huge disappointment. Whether you're a foodie trying to get foodporn shots or just a novice snapping pics of the hilarious variety of pork related tshirts, there are so many pics to take at this event. Next year, I want to take a pic of all of my favorite shirts, the variety is endless. My favorites that come to mind were "Keep Calm Eat Bacon" & "Bacon Gives Me a Lard On" and the "Pork Me" shirts worn by 2 women. Great event for a good cause. Well worth the $75 ticket. read more

Food and drink coma. Prepare to be stuffed, prepare to need an gastroenterologist, a cardiologist and someone from AA to start you on your 12 steps. I will admit at first it seems overwhelming, a big crowd and many booths to hit, so we logically figured out a system. First thing get a drink and then a quick bite of food, once you do that start at one end and work it like a grocery store. The layout seemed to follow food in the middle and aisle to your right or west, and sweets to the east along with the retail items, the drinks are mainly on the south or back wall, this isn't a hard guide, some things are interspersed throughout. There is this gin drink with cucumber that's really refreshing, and another one called Death's Door, that will knock you on your ass. About 8 p.m. people start getting friendlier once they realize that food and drink will not run out, and people will actually tell you where they got something from and if it's good. They can use some more of those round tables for people to put down there plates and eat up. Plus, as much as it's nice to mingle at a table and enjoy your drink, people really need to move on. A couple of times I was balancing a couple of small plates and my drink, with no way to eat what I got. I'm not one for crowds, and for the first 15 minutes, I had thoughts of just leaving. However, if you're not a crowds person give it a chance. I went from wanting to run out to, I'll plan on doing this again. Most of all don't forget big props to the Chicago Food Depository which benefits from this, so the people eating up the fat at Baconfest won't be the only people getting a meal. read more

This is the story of Bacon, gluttony, decadence and a famous chef nearly filing for a restraining order on yours truly. Let's start at the beggining. Baconfest really upped the ante this year. It was twice the size of last years event with twice the exhibitors. I consider myself a big guy with a big appitite, and there was no way I could have sampled everything without exploding. There were BLT's, bacon burgers, bacon chocolate, Bacon Bao, and just about anything else you could think of that included bacon. By the time we got to the last row of restaurants, I was in dire need of a nap. Physically, I could not eat any more. It was the meat sweats and a food coma all wrapped up into one. Out of all the things I sampled, one thing stood out above all else. It stood out by a wide margin. It was the bacon, blue cheese soup from the Girl & the Goat. The soup was so good that I went back three times. Not only did I got back three times, I could not compliment the chef enough. Little did I know that the Chef was Stephanie Izard of Top Chef fame. Not only have I never watched Top chef, I had no idea who she was. In my mind, she was just a wonderful chef who made the best soup known to mankind. I guess my enthusiasm got the best of me. I may have scared the poor woman. Stephanie, if you read this, I apologize for scaring you. No restraining order needed:) Once again the people who run baconfest put together one of the best eating events known to mankind. I'm going to need a month at the gym to work off all the bacon I ate, but it was totally worth it. read more

Who doesn't like bacon fest it's what dream are made of right ? All the best restaurants compete for the best bacon dish and everyone is having a great time doing that. Guest get all these delicious treats and drinks. It's a smaller affair at the UIC Forum which is a good thing you get to try everything faster. Wonderful event with some famous chefs if you can spot them. read more

This review is for the 2013 event. This was my first Baconfest and it is quite an event; approximately sixty venues (many of them high end venues such as Michelin starred Acadia and other notable locales like Table 52, Cafe Spiaggia, Perennial Virant and countless others) each showcase a bacon themed item. Roughly two thirds of the venues had savory items and one third sweet. There is also several adult beverage vendors; various breweries, a couple of wineries and some cocktail stations (from Sable, Barrelhouse Flat and sponsor Templeton Rye). Each restaurant has a station with their samples out, ready for consumption and most were staffed by their executive chef and some additional staff - so it was a nice opportunity to mingle as you consumed several months worth of bacon. For $100 (plus $3.49 processing fee) you have 2 & 1/2 hours to eat and drink to your hearts content (all food and the six drinks are included in the price). For twice the money you can upgrade to VIP status and enter an hour early before the masses. I found the pricing to be fair for what you received for the general admission and do not think it is necessary to splurge for VIP status. While the event is crowded (and tends to sell out quicker than tickets to Next restaurant) it was well organized. The space in the UIC forum was sufficient that it never felt uncomfortably crowded and there were so many vendors that long waits were rare. Signage clearly marked what restaurant is where and there was ample time to eat and drink to your hearts content (well, assuming bacon is good for your heart). My only beef was that people were encouraged to arrive early to check in and line-up, but it was an unusually cold day and people were made to wait outside; it would have been nice if they had staged an indoor waiting area. Food and drink wise I had a fun time, but I would say it was a really good rather than great event. Most of the food was tasty, but few stood out as being outstanding and it seemed like the event was more about quantity than quality. While the crowding did not make obtaining food or drink difficult it did cause the event to lack any type of intimacy or upscale vibe. The biggest mistake I made was trying to eat too much, too fast - thinking that long lines would soon form making it difficult to get my money's worth. As such I devoured everything I could get my hands on at first and realized I was starting to become full after half an hour and had yet to try many items I had been excited about (the menu is posted online about one to two weeks prior). My advice to future attendees is to treat this as a marathon, not a sprint. Be selective during the first hour and a half; just eat the items you are most intrigued by, do not finish something if you are not loving it, and take some time to socialize and mingle between bites. I was surprised that some venues were churning out appetizer sized tastes rather than amuse bouche portioned bites - so it is easy to fill up rapidly if you do not have multiple stomachs. I ended up trying a little over half of the restaurants before becoming uncomfortable full and calling it quits. For me the standouts were the pork belly sliders from Sable, the bacon ice cream atop a waffle with nutella from Black Dog Gelato, the Bacon pop tart with choose-your-own fixings from Acadia, the gougeres with kimchi sweet potato mousse from Bar Pastoral and bacon bread pudding wrapped in bacon with bacon bourbon caramel sauce from Bridge House Tavern. Beverage wise a spicy bacon bloody Mary was my favorite; the other cocktails were too sweet for my liking but it was nice also having various beers and wines available. All-in-all this was a fun event, but as I try to eat reasonably healthy (despite dining out more often than at home) this will likely be a one time indulgence for me. At least I learned a valuable lesson for like minded events to slow down, enjoy and not stuff myself like it is my last meal (though they did have ambulances on standby just in case an event such as at the Heart Attack Grill transpired). I will try to put my own advice to practice next weekend at Cochon 555. read more

I write this in the wake of a bacon and booze filled buzz. I was afraid the growth of BaconFest would ruin it but it was even better this year. Bacon bloody Mary's, Goose Island and PBR were great. Other cocktails interesting but could have done without. Chizakaya, Big Jones, Heaven on 7, one SixtyBlue, Longman & Eagle(with cabin still bourbon and bacon rillete lollipop with bacon cotton candy OMG), and Signature Room all big winners for me. Only a few bad dishes throughout the day. read more

Baconfest Chicago - Festivals Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I had a blast at Baconfest this year. I had a ticket to go last year, but something came up that weekend and I ended up having to sell it. It was probably a bad move since I don't even remember what it was that I had to cancel for. I was bummed out, but I made sure that I had tickets this year and that my schedule was clear. It actually snuck up on me--I didn't remember when it was, so when a friend mentioned that it was coming up, I was pleasantly surprised. The fest was a lot bigger than last year and was held at the UIC Forum. I had never been to the Forum, nor had anyone else that was going with me, so we didn't really know what to expect. When we got there there was a huge line that grew longer every minute. Things weren't looking too great. We went and checked in then stood in line for a few minutes until it started to move. It took us a few more minutes to get in the building and within minutes we were eating our first bacon dish. Super easy and efficient. I know people that didn't attend this year because they thought it would be "too big". What a huge mistake. There were over 50 restaurants that set up tables in the Forum's main hall. They were lined up and guests could pick and choose what one's they wanted to go to. I had high hopes and was expecting to sample most everything. That turned out to be a joke, but I did the best I could. We basically just went up and down every row and tried everything. There were rarely any lines for any specific table and everything moved quickly... perhaps too quickly. I could have used a little more down time between each tasting. With SO many different tables and tastings, the food ranged from great to boring to weird to bad--pretty much what I was expecting. I started off strong but quickly tapered off. I think I missed out on a lot of good food because I just got way too full. A few booths ran out of food quickly too (I'm looking at you Atwood Cafe), so that was a small bummer. Next year I'm going to have to be more selective about what I want to eat. I'm simply not fat enough not to be. The fest ended with me and my friends hitting up Paddy Long's table. They cooked an entire pig. They were low when we got there, so they gave us the snout to much on. Ya, I took a bit out of a hairy, pigs nose. No one said this event was classy... This Friday, at work, I tried my "bacon daddy" from David Burke's table. As it turns out, bacon and caramel together on a stick isn't all that great. But the fact that I know that now is the reason why Baconfest is so much fun. read more

You would never have believed this event. Is there ever a thing as too much bacon, I don't think so! If you don't eat this way all the time I really dont think it's a problem to go to this festival. Warning - the tickets are expensive, they SEEM expensive but you have to realie that if you are buying a ticket you are getting seven, that's right SEVEN free drink tickets. So if you look at it that way it doesn't really seem like so big a deal. Also it's for a good cause, since the proceeds go to charity. If you hate crowds and festivals obviously don't go. You will be frustrated. This being sais it's a once and a lifetime event that I think you will really enjoy. read more

Ok, this is going to sound very sad but I felt like I was among family. A huge group of gluttonous foodies who love bacon enough to want to feast on 50 plus dishes all centered around bacon. A group of people gutsy enough to try bacon fruit roll ups, bacon ice cream, bacon drumsticks, bacon soup, bacon drinks, etc., etc. I cannot think of a single item that was not excellent. The event was very well put together and I CANNOT wait until next year for the family reunion. read more

Unfortunately, BaconFest did not live up to my expectations. It feels like it might have gotten too big. The service and quality of the sample bites just isn't worth the price. Kind of felt like people thought they were doing me a favor by giving me samples as though it were a free event, which it certainly is not. The food quality is spotty at best, with food temps and portion consistency (in flavor and size) rarely coming together. It seems like if there were only one session the staff might not experience such fatigue. Either way, I have no desire to go again. read more

Worth every single penny. Pace yourselves and come with your appetite. There are so many different and delicious things to try. I look forward to coming back again next year. It's is well organized, although I feel like there should be more tables for us to sit at. read more

Baconfest Chicago - Kimchee deliciousness. - Festivals Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My first time and it was sooo goood. About 55 restaurants at this year's dinner session and got to about 42... needless to say i was satisfied, but also damn tired. There was just so much bacon and I loved every savory pork bit of it. Gemini Bistro had this amazing ravioli with pancetta, Three Aces had a bourbon bacon milk shake which was tasty. I can go on and on, but I'll just say you need to go to Baconfest. It included 6 drink tickets, of which I only used 2 since I was so dang full. One of those drinks was called the rusty door hinge, which was made with Templeton Rye Whisky... it was soooooo good, luckily they sent all the Baconfest attendees the recipe. I also tried the bacon vodka bloody mary... it just made sense, why didn't I think of it. I'll probably go again next year if the price stays the same, but will do the lunch session. read more

Baconfest is very fun but we learned the hard way that it doesn't F around. We went in like sorry amatuers without a plan, a direction, a portable tray, sufficient water supply or elastic waistband pants. Post Baconfest could be described as the worst I've ever felt. Ever. I think oxygen stopped flowing properly to my vital organs. But man that first 45 minutes was blissful in all of its bacon glory. read more

Wow! What an event....bacon, cocktails, beer, tons of people everywhere. An orderly line leads you into bacon mania. Bacon in everything...desserts, drinks, popcorn, sandwiches, soups... Not sure I will go back next year but certainly an interesting experience. read more

I am a true lover of just about bacon anything. This bacon fest was something to try out for the first time to see what all the hype was about. Not bad not bad! I wouldn't necessarily say it was worth $100 a person but it was a great gathering of the neighborhood establishments in showing their talents off with the given meat. I may make it back again next year with more people. read more

My favorite event thus far in Chicago! It was such a treat to get a glimpse into the food of 60 different restaurants. Upon entering, I thought I'd try everything...well that just isn't possible for me. So I'd suggest trying read more

Bacon bacon bacon. What a great night. There were about 125 different food stations to taste their bacony goodness. Unfortunately, we only got through about 40 of them before our stomachs decided to protest. I'll be back again next year as this is a very well run event. read more