Great idea in theory - gather a bunch of food trucks, put them in one location, and have a free for…read moreall. Let people mingle amongst themselves, try out different food, and enjoy the weather. Maybe you'd consider it a 'Taste of Evanston'. The location was decent - a short walk from the Metra and CTA stations in a big open park. Terrible in execution. Problem was there were only 3 food trucks, 2 of which actually served food (the other one served cupcakes) and a TON of people. My friend and I waited almost 1:15 minutes for our burger and fries. I don't even think I waited that long at The Shake Shack for a burger and fries. As we are waiting for our food, we hear from other festival patrons that the other food truck ran out of food and we saw it eventually pull away. Even if we wanted to try the other truck, we weren't able to. Don't get me wrong, the burger and fries were good (another review on that) but not worth the 1+ hour wait. I'd recommend to the Evanston Park District to ensure more trucks next year so we have shorter lines and maybe even encourage a 'sampler' type menu. You could easily invite another 4-5 trucks next year. In fact, while talking to my friend, I don't think I'd attend if a similar event had less than 7 trucks. This type of event has great potential if executed properly. You could really host a festival like this several times a year. It just takes a lot of coordination and ability of different trucks to show up and participate.

I don't know why people don't like the food truck festival. What part of that phrase is not to…read morelike? It's basically like Ravinia in Evanston, except the music is free and the food is food trucks. There are, however, prerequisites to enjoy this "Ravinia in Evanston". They are: 1. Don't plan on parking close to the event. Park somewhere that you can walk. 2. Get there relatively early so that the food trucks don't run out of food - as they, you know, have a limited quantity. They do try to stock for the event but it is only a food truck after all. 3. Bring a blanket to chill on. All of those 3 things together ensure a good experience. Meanwhile, people did reviews in 2011. This thing is still going in 2013, so I hope that shows people that it's working (and getting better).

Fabulous as usual with additional music available today. This has really grown into a very vibrant…read morecommunity.

I love heading over to the Evanston Farmer's market in the summer. Growing up, I was always under…read morethe assumption farmer's markets only sold fruit and vegetables. Boy was I wrong! The Evanston Farmer's market not only sells produce but a host of other things. My last visit, I spent nearly 2 hours going through at least 3 dozen vendors. If you're a foodie or a home chef, you will love this place. I found things like specialty pasta from Pasta Pappone, pasta sauce from the River Valley Ranch tent and some beautiful gladiolus stems I sent over to my mom the following day. There are vendors that sell meats and cheese. A few even offer home delivery services. The food vendor line up at this market is also very good and worth checking out. This year Defloured Bakery from Chicago has a tent and they have some of the best gluten free cupcakes in town. I ended up buying a Whoopie pie. If you want to order ahead of time, Defloured accepts pre-orders online for pick up at the market. Their online pre-order menu has more items for sale versus onsite. You would just prepay before picking up your baked goods. A few local restaurants like Gotta B Crepes and Cocina Azteca have set up space so if you get hungry from all the walking those options are readily available. I've tried both restaurants and both are delicious. If you park in the nearby public parking garage next to the Hilton Garden Inn, your parking is free as long as you remember to validate your ticket at the City of Evanston tent on your way out. My only ding on the market (and this might be COVID related) is the lack of seating on the grounds. The Farmer's market page on the City of Evanston website says food can't be consumed on site. So if you plan on eating, you will need to take it to-go. If you are in the area, I would recommend coming to the market at least once for the experience.

I was so happy to find fresh tamale cart on the far Northside of the city…read more You've got to get here EARLY to get your pick. The cart arrives at 5:30am. I arrived at 8:30am and he was already out of everything except Chicken. I was able to get 2 dozen. The price is so reasonable...$1.25 each You can find the cart on the NE corner of Clark and Lunt in Rogers Park.

I finally was able to catch them selling tamales! This is very nearby where I live and I decided to…read moremake it an epic Thursday by strolling into work late, and have a great breakfast full of tamales! They are still located at the corner of Lunt and Clark and their sign says Tamales Garibaldi. Just a little fact for everyone that is eager to get these puppies fresh off the press--they start selling them every morning at like 6am-10am (maybe even until 11am). You have to be sure to get there before 10am because they sell out very quickly! I came one time close to 10am and they were completely sold out. Also, the price on them is 1.25 a pop, which is super cheap for tamales! They serve 3 different flavors: chicken, beef, and cheese and peppers. I purchased one chicken and one cheese and peppers. If you are sensitive to spice, do not purchase these because THEY HOT! You can indeed call these puppies hot tamales. The spice level is at an 8.5 on a 10 scale. I love spice but these are indeed extremely spicy so you will want some water to cool it down. They are a bit salty as well, and the chicken tamales didn't have much meat in them but they are still good. I would totally go back and get them! You can't beat the price, they are super flavorful, and hot in temperature. Get you 2 tamales and you are set for breakfast. They also sell something call Champurrado, which I didn't try but it does look delicious--it look like hot chocolate but it's made from corn flour. Next time, I will try it out. At any rate, go check them out and support them!

Well, the veggies were fresh but the GREASE was NOT. I could 1000% taste fish in the sandwich. Meh…read more Especially as a vegan. Not like I really want to taste that. The bread was crispy, the veggies were good but the overall flavor was ruined by the fact that I had a fishy aftertaste. The service was fast. They weren't as busy as some of the other trucks but they were almost one of the last ones from the direction I was walking from. Ambiance was the beautiful outdoor campus of University of Chicago. Couldn't have been a more beautiful day. Next time different food truck for me!

Yay! Thanks to our parent committee for sponsoring our teacher appreciation lunch with Chicago…read moreLunchbox Food Truck! The salt and pepper tofu bowl was amazing! The tofu was fried to perfection and smothered with delicious sauce. I'm so glad I got a chance to try this, and even better that the food truck was stationed right outside our school :) can't wait to try their food again!

An absolutely incredible restaurant. They sponsored food for a student-run social engagement…read moreconference and everyone loved it. Great communication as well. Thank you so much Fat Shallot!!!

Sooooo yummy and amazing quality food! I got the regular grilled cheese, which came with…read morecaramelized onions and spinach. Breasted was toasted well with a light layer of butter. The sandwich wasn't greasy at all, which was surprising! This is a food truck, and the lines are not too long! They also served my food incredibly quickly. No seating nearby. Each bite was incredibly addicting, and I couldn't help but devour the entire (small) sandwich in 2 minutes. Regardless, yum!! Def wanna try the truffle fries next time, tho pricey at $6!

Great local place with very friendly staff. The owner served us when our waiter was busy with other…read moretables. It was a nice touch. We didn't know he was one of the owners until later. He never mentioned it our waiter did later. It's a husband and wife team. They are very nice and they know a lot about beer.

This series of outdoor concerts celebrating Space's tenth anniversary is amazing. Held in the lot…read morenear Temperance Brewing, the beer is plentiful. The stage is reminiscent of street festivals, and it is an absolutely great experience. Just like visiting Space in Evanston for a show, the sound here is impeccable. Food trucks and port-a-potties are available and there are other vendors. There's even a booth to register to vote or update your voter registration. If you're feeling brave, climb into one of the bathtubs for a perfect new Yelp (or tinder) profile pic. Parking is free about a block west.

I love Space events, and this outdoor was no exception. Always great to enjoy a show where the…read moreperson on the sound board actually knows what they are doing. The Out of Space events have a great vibe. My only complaint is that there should be more of them!! Nicely done, folks at Space.

As I headed for an early afternoon lunch at Soul & Smoke, I didn't know what to expect - the food…read moresounded good, but perhaps I'd have to put up with overly loud music and a not-very-comfortable environment. However, to my delight when I arrived at 1:40 I was immediately welcomed by a very nice guy at the counter named Rafael. He was able to answer all my questions about the items on the menu as well as a number of microbrews that were available. I had a $23+ reward from the InKind app that would expire by Jan 31st, so I decided to go with a couple of entrees: shrimp & grits and the brisket platter with mac & cheese, collard greens, cornbread muffin, red beans and rice gumbo, apple coleslaw, plus an excellent microbrew - real authentic southern home cookin'! The portions were abundant, so much so that I took about half the food home. I enjoyed my meal with a delicious microbrew with mandarin peel + coriander. The basic cost of my meal minus the discount from my InKind reward brought the price down to around $43, plus tip - what a deal! The restaurant was very clean with sunlight streaming through the windows (it was 11 degrees outside), light jazz playing in the background (not loud), and a clean comfortable washroom. I found free street parking a block away. When I arrived a gentleman was leaving. He raved about the delicious food - he and his wife love this place. I recommended the InKind app. They're also having a raffle for a top-of-the-line smoker with all the bells and whistles that someone would love to win. I hope you'll be looking forward to your first visit as much as I'm looking forward to my next!

Best barbecue I've had!!! Friendly service and great sides too. Will be back. Can't wait for the…read morefull seating but tables are cozy!

Evanston Summer Sounds was a lot of fun! Evanston has a summer concert series that they host from…read moreJune through September, each week a different band. It's held near Fountain Square and they close off the street for a couple blocks. I brought the baby to see Ida y Vuelta, a band I really like, and it wasn't crowded at all. There are no seats or anything besides the curb, so if you want to sit you'll need to bring your own chair (and are encouraged to do so). It's a short evening, this year from 5-7, but an enjoyable one. There were a few food trucks and a couple booths selling some food as well, a couple community/non-profit organizations, and a booth or two selling some sort of merchandise. I really enjoyed this little evening concert, as did my little one, and I'll keep my eye on the schedule for next year too.