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    Ribfest Chicago

    3.1 (126 reviews)
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    a group of people at a food stand
    Manski E.

    Anyone coming to chicago in mid august should come and visit this place. Its also an annual compitetion. The best rib, the best rib sauce awards and many more awards. We tried the johnsons hickory smoked rib. It was good. So many food stalls in the place, raco, cuban food, columbian food, asian, so many sovenir shops, with livr band. We came here sunday afternoon, the third day of the event. Still lacked with people. Would come back next year.

    Entrance
    Sarah S.

    Ribfest Chicago is a fun time but man the money adds up quickly! There was a good number of food vendors, great music boppin' and some other random booths like State Farm Insurance and Arlington Race Track. The Arlington booth had the most miserable lady working who wasn't a good representation of the race track at all! It was really too bad she seemed to be hating running the booth and just generally hating life. Anyyyyyyyyways.... Rib samplers of 3 were available at each booth for $8. Important to note, you had to buy tickets in order to buy food. Kind of annoying when festivals do this as it seems like a big waste of time but oh well. My friend and I stuck to trying the ribs and didn't venture much further than that at the food booths. We found Chicago BBQ Company to be the most flavorful and a couple others we tried who I shall not name were dry and didn't pack a punch. They had 13 rib vendors and 16 vendors of other things. Black Dog Gelato was there and that's one of my favorite ice cream spots! For $6 we tried a very unique vanilla sundae with pineapples, oatmeal raisin cookies and BBQ sauce. It was madness but strangely worked! We enjoyed the bands while at the fest and there was a good amount of seating. However the tables were pretty disgusting. People are pretty gross not cleaning up after themselves. One cute and funny thing is they have baby wipes everywhere for cleaning up. So smart! Ribfest could be laid out a bit better. There were huge bottlenecks of people and it was quite hard navigating around. Not the worst in terms of Chicago fests I've seen, but it was a bit crowded. And people! Why are you bringing your giant dog and your giant baby stroller to the festival!? Then suddenly stopping for 5 minutes in the middle of flowing traffic causing people to almost walk right into each other. I love babies and love dogs - but if you're going to bring one or both to a street fest, please be mindful of those around you. The money went really fast at Ribfest! Between my friend and I we spent $40 on his beer, 3 rib samplers, water and the Black Dog ice cream sundae. Not to mention the $20 entrance for the two of us. They call it a donation, but I've been to enough fests to know the entrance fee is not a donation. Why these things don't call it an entrance fee being given to a charitable organization, I don't know...because it simply is not optional. So - $60 spent - we weren't completely full - however we did enjoy our time at Ribfest!

    Mexican street corn aka an elote :)
    Salena C.

    I'm not a ribs-eating kinda girl, but I sure do love Ribfest. It's full of so much good food and a genuinely kind crowd, so it just makes for a really fun time. Tickets are $1 a piece. Ribs samplers are typically around 5-8 tickets, whereas full racks can go up to 25 tickets. Aside from the ribs (which the BF loved, but I can't really speak to) there are a TON of other options. Tacos, nachos, mac & cheese, elotes, funnel cake, ice cream (from both Crave and Black Dog Gelato), and so much more. I left highly satisfied with a full belly! There are free samples of juices scattered around, plenty of seating and standing table options, and pretty clearly defined lines for every booth. My only qualm about Ribfest is that they are VERY pushy with their donations. I used to live right on Lincoln Ave, and it was a struggle to get through without paying even though I LIVED in the middle of Ribfest and needed to go in and out for day to day life. They need to relax with that just a little bit, but again a very small issue. I love me some Ribfest :)

    Fried Oreos. Yum!
    Erica J.

    My first Chicago festival and I'm a native?!? And what's more, I don't even like ribs! Lol. Really enjoyed myself yesterday. We went on a Sunday afternoon and lucked up on great, free street parking only half a block from the entrance. There are plenty of ticket booths throughout, so don't feel pressured to wait in the long lines at the entrance. I love that the ribfest isn't just for rib eaters. I enjoyed the Best Damn Rotisserie Chicken (no really, that is the name on the menu) of my life from Rockin Rodizio! Hubby had some great ribs from Robinson's (his first time) and loved them. We also had taco in a bag, fried Oreos (YUM), pina coladas, and fried green tomatoes. I didn't think we'd get so full so fast, but the portions were great! We'll definitely start making this an annual visit. Thanks to my fellow Yelpers for bringing it to my attention that it's not just for red meat eaters. You guys are the real MVPs :)

    Alex A.

    I think I got her at a good time, which was around 2 -3 pm. It was crowded, but still comfortable enough to walk around pretty freely. The line up of restaurants was awesome! Even though there were plenty of "non-rib" restaurants, i stuck with whoever was claiming had the best ribs. I pretty much just went around grabbing a bunch of the samples 3-bone deal. Everything was super delicious! The place that ended up being my favorite was Bistro Pub. The cornbread was also delicious! My girlfriend and I really enjoyed our time here!

    Kate U.

    I don't really understand all of the 3 star reviews for this festival. I thought it was awesome! I came with Lydia R and we had a great time. It was decently priced for a festival and extremely easy to get to off the brown line. The ribs I had were fantastic (especially with the spicy sauce) and they had a variety of creative food there outside of the ribs. Examples include the loaded fries (they were great, normal fries can never compare now), pina colada drinks in the pineapple, bacon & sausage mac & cheese, and the list goes on. They also had carnival games here! I suck at darts but if I was better, I definitely would have tried to win a stuffed animal! And the best of all is the country music stage that they had. I LOVE country music, especially the more modern stuff and Jared and the Mill killed it. They were the band that we watched and they did a fantastic job. Even though it was raining, people stuck it out to be here because of the great food, music, and atmosphere that the people that set up this festival created. I had a blast and so far it's my favorite festival I've been to this summer.

    There's more than just Ribs!
    Tavi J.

    I had a really good time here or maybe it was the circumstances lol. My date decided to surprise me and we ended up here. Truth be told i don't like ribs, but fear not they have something for everyone. First off public transportation is the way to go and super easy to take getting there. The fest is pretty much right off the brown line. They asked for a donation of $5 a person, but we just gave $5 total and kept it moving. I absolutely LOVE funnel cakes and this fest didn't disappoint. We shared funnel cake, tater tots, and got a bratwurst. All were delicious and non rib related. After $30 worth of food we were stuffed. This fest is actually reasonably priced and you get your money's worth. They have a band as well and right around the corner from Aldo...win/win. Lol

    Jennifer P.

    Ribfest opened at 11am, and my friends and I arrived at 12:30. We found parking easily, it wasn't crowded, and we figured we could lounge around and easily get some eats. Nope. Almost EVERY booth we went to wasn't ready to serve food. It's an hour and a half in...WHY AREN'T THE RIBS READY, people?! We munched on some curry fries and got beer at a local bar since it was obviously cheaper to do that then spend $6 on a 8 oz. cup o'beer while we waited for vendors to get their act together. It was nearly 2pm until we got anything good (ribs, deep fried + chocolate covered bacon, bacon sausage). What we did eat was pretty delicious. By 5:30pm, most vendors were either only selling sample sizes of ribs or were completely out. ...The heck?! WHY ARE YOU OUT OF FOOD 4.5 hours before the fest ends?! I was glad to get the eats that we did, but it was overall disappointing. Not sure I'll attend next year...or if I do, will definitely get there around 2 or 3 and eat to my heart's content before vendors run out. Gahhh.

    Rib Fest 5/14/2009

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    Ask the Community - Ribfest Chicago

    Review Highlights - Ribfest Chicago

    . Before you leave this fest, make sure you stop at the Black Rock Pub for the Maple Bacon Donut Holes.

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    The Tamale Guy - Cheese Tamales

    The Tamale Guy

    4.4(7 reviews)
    1.9 miAvondale

    The Tamale Guy has been a Chicago staple for over 20 years. I had the opportunity to sample these…read moremade-from-scratch offerings over the holidays when the Chicago History Museum offered pick-up dates for catering orders at the North and Clark Cafe. What better time to unwrap the gift of a tamale than heading into the New Year. The signature tamale varieties available for ordering included cheese, pork, and chicken, along with the famous salsa verde. I opted for chicken and was pleased with my choice. The order came with reheating and freezing instructions. The masa is light and the chicken is fresh and high-quality. The perfect comfort food to add spice and warmth to a Chiago winter! I look forward to sampling some of the other varieties and appreciated this collaboration for spotlighting a locally owned business that I might not otherwise have had the opportunity to try.

    This is my second time trying tamales from The Tamale Guy. The first time was when he opened a…read morebusiness on Chicago Avenue near Damen right before Covid hit. Unfortunately, after hearing so much good feedback I decided to try them for myself. Sadly, they were a poor in substance and taste. And sadly his business didn't survive Covid. But he's reopened at another place on Diversey and Richmond between Sacramento and California out of a bar called Quality Time. I want to thank the bartender Dan or Stan(?) for helping me with my order. I ordered one dozen red tamales and a half-dozen chicken tamales. Complimentary salsa was given. Although the flavor for both tamales was good. Presentation had a lot to be desired in order for them to a true wrapped tamale. The filling on both at times were leaking from the side, as if the masa (cornmeal dough) wasn't completely covering the filling. And what's with the one single chintzy corn husk wrapping? I like that they didn't have a lot of masa covering the meat. But they were somewhat sloppy. And update your prices on your tamales since I was charged $12.00 per half-dozen instead of the $11.00 listed on your website. Or notify the customer of the price increase. One more thing, that salsa was very watery. Would I return, I don't know. The jury is still out on this one. But I might go back to the bar and try a special drink that was being offered and depend on how it went down. might order just a half dozen. I am going to check out a new establishment on Harlem Avenue near Addison, that sells tamales. And compare them to yours. The winner gets my return visits. The flavor was almost there, but packaging had a lot to be desired.

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    The Tamale Guy - Menu

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    The Tamale Guy - Logo

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    Papo's Taco

    Papo's Taco

    5.0(1 review)
    3.8 miHumboldt Park, West Town
    $

    I have lived in this city my whole life but I have never once stopped in Humboldt Park. Yes I have…read moredriven past it and around it but today I drove through it and did I find some fun, cool and interesting places to eat. My second stop was at Papo's Taco Truck...he had a sign hanging out that said $1 Taco Tuesdays...deal of the day if you ask me. So we stopped by and I noticed that there location was not on Yelp yet, so I decided to add them. The first thing I noticed was how clean the truck was. I also noticed that they could tell I was not one of there regular customers. The staff inside of the truck was so friendly and nice. I love customer service and this location was so welcoming and inviting. We ordered a Relleno de papa...which reminded me of an Italian Riceball. It was a Potato ball that was deep fried and had meat inside of it. It was really good and was not greasy at all. Check out the picture...sorry for the bite but my wife could not resist before I was able to get the photo. She did sell me on the fact that the picture looks better if you can see the yummy meat inside. So I will give her that one. I also had a Sorrullo which was a sweet corn bread that was deep fried with cheese on the inside. I really liked it...it was like a desert and a meal all in one. One of the things I noticed was how clean this food truck was. In fact, the back door was open so you could see directly into the food truck. They have nothing to hide here just there good food. We also met a few customers who were sitting at a table just behind the truck enjoying some lunch. One of the patrons showed me his Jibarito Sandwich. It looked so good...it was grilled steak with grilled onions in between two fired plantains that acted as the bun for this amazing looking sandwich. He even let me take a picture of it...I really wanted a bite but that would have been too much to ask for after just meeting this nice guy. We then started talking food and after a while I found out that this customer was also the owner. He was such a nice guy and told me next time I come back I have to order the Jibarito...I said, "But it isnt on the menu!" And he told me, "Just ask for it!" I love that! It's like knowing the secret menu. I loved meeting the owner because he loves his food truck. He is also one of the newest food trucks in the park...only being here for a year. He first started out with Mexican food but has since also added Puerto Rica Food too. As we talked food we were able to meet another owner of the food truck down the street. He came over for some lunch...talk about respect between the food trucks in the park here. It is like one big happy family and they were so accepting of me and my wife. He also invited us down to his truck to eat but honestly I had no more room to put anymore food. I really feel like I stumbled on some hidden food truck mecca in the park. This truck also has a TV mounted on the back of the truck, so you can check out some TV while you are eating your food at the table. Now I went during the week and it was not that crowded but I heard that on the weekends it can get really crowded with all of baseball and soccer games going on in the park. I am proud to be the first person to find this food truck and add this location to Yelp. Being open for a year and not a single review on Yelp makes me so sad. I also encourage other Yelpers to check out all of these amazing food trucks in Humboldt Park. You can drive around and see all of them out or just stop at each one and start eating. I love Chicago...this new adventure makes me feel like I am in some foreign place...but I am so excited for a new found place to eat in Chicago. I am coming back for that Jibarito!!! And if you never seen one of these delicious and unique sandwiches, then check out my photo of it!!! YUM!!!

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    Papo's Taco - Relleno de papa!

    Relleno de papa!

    Papo's Taco - Food truck in the park

    Food truck in the park

    Papo's Taco - $1 taco Tuesday's with purchase of a drink.

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    $1 taco Tuesday's with purchase of a drink.

    Ribfest Chicago - localflavor - Updated May 2026

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