SoNo Fest & Chili Cook-Off

Diverse takes on chili. Loved Underbelly’s version with a drizzle of crema. Grand Olé B B BQ had their brisket and Hammonds was selling ice cream. Big beer garden which we didn’t visit, but it looked all local. And it supports a local elementary school!

Attending the chili cook-​off was like living through one of my favorite Simpsons episodes. The only things missing were Guatamalan insanity peppers and my own pair of chili boots.
While I can’t say that every chili I tried was excellent, there were enough standouts to make the event worthwhile, and it’s nice to see some beloved local restaurants step out of their respective niches and turn their foodie visions into chili. For me, the clear winner was Carnitas’ Snack Shack who, despite a thin base, really infused their chili with their mastery of meat. Sipz, my overall favorite restaurant in San Diego, also came through with a vegan chili that tasted similar to their kung pao sauce.
Thanks to the anonymous person who left their wristband on a table so I could use their last tab for one extra chili!
Pro-​tip: Come with friends and plan carefully so you can try as many different chilis as possible.
Summary: As Homer would say, more please!

I can’t believe I never did a review of this super fun event. All proceeds go to McKinley elementary. Preious Mayor Elect Todd Gloria was one of the Judges of the cook off.
Let me tell you… this isn’t your grandma’s chili cook off. All the best local restaurants bring their A-​game to win the coveted prize. My favoriute last year was from Alchemy. Can’t wait to try this year.
For $ 20, you get a hand fired ceramic bowl which gets you 5 — 2oz tastes and unlimited local chili (non-​professionals). But get started early… some popular locations run out!
There is great beer, jumpys for the kids and this year, they will even have a game truck for the kids to go in. $ 4 for 10 minutes.
I look forward to this event every year and I am excited to go back!

This is a wonderful community organized and run event with proceeds funding the arts and language program at McKinley Elementary School. There are the restaurant chili tastings (so good), and then tucked away alongside the San Diego Ceramic Connection (SDCC) is Chili Alley where the public can participate in the Annual SDCC Community Chili Potluck. Folks share crockpots (or big stockpots) of their best homemade recipes, and the public votes on the best chills (ooh, and cornbread. don’t forget the cornbread!). You use your ceramic bowl from SoNo Fest – and a lot of it is as good (or even better!) than the restaurant chili. More information can be found here:

AMAZING community street festival! Music by some killer bands, vendor stalls selling beautifully crafted one off designs, a beer tent, kids area and chili to sample by the best restaurants in town! Buy (and keep!) a beautiful handmade chili bowl for $ 20 and sample 5 chilis. Come early before it all sells out! You also get to sample and vote for the best community chili made by locals. It’s a great day out! Proceeds go to the Spanish, arts and music programs at McKinley Elementary so it’s all for a good cause too!

Wow! My very first time here and I was thoroughly impressed! $ 20 buys you a lovely hand-​thrown ceramic bowl made at the on-​site studio plus 5 tasting portions! I had such a hard time deciding which ones to choose! I loved Mosaic, Whistle Stop, Waypoint Public, Urban Solace, and I forget the 5^th. Another great feature is the hidden free tastings! We filled up on dozens of tastings from locals pitting their kitchen skills against each other for the prize of best chili! There was even cornbread, sour cream and some chilis came with individual salsas and toppings. We easily ate $ 20plus in chili! The kids had a great time at the craft table and making their cookies at the Ralph’s booth. The little one started melting down before we made it in the jumpy, so we had to head out, and he passed out in the car. The art studio was also a great place for the kids to take a break from the crowds and the noise. Lot’s of fun! Highly recommend!

This was a lot of fun! I had never been and randomly saw a posting on FB about it. We threw some clothes on and headed down.
In general I skip most street festivals in San Diego as I find them to be monotonous with the same vendors and food every single time. This was a fun change of pace. First off the neighborhood has a decent amount of parking so we were able to park relatively close enough to walk.
When we arrived we met my sister as her friends who has already purchased chili tastings. They were already done so they gave us their tastings. So the price is the only thing I can’t comment on since
We didn’t have to pay. Anyway the lines weren’t bad at all. I tried chili from Tiger Tiger, Soda & Swine, the Smoking Goat and one other restaurant.
All if the vendors were very friendly and I was impressed by the variety of restaurants and vendors. This wasn’t your typical San Diego street fair featuring the UT, Cox Communications, several local banks and a guy selling Bob Marley t-​shirts. There were tons of independent artists selling jewelry, clothing and art. On the stage the Creepy Creeps were performing and I appreciated how fun and family friendly they were for the environment. All in all I found this to be a very enjoyable event that I plan on returning to next year!

This festival grows bigger every year as the legend grows. It’s an awesome way to spend the weekend! Fantastic chili tasting from handmade pottery bowls (that you get to keep!). Two contests– one with the restaurants and one where local neighbors who go head to head (or I should say crockpot to crockpot) for bragging rights. There are two stages with live bands, a great local craft beer garden, superfun kids zone and shopping from all kinds of local businesses. The best part is that it’s a fundraiser for the local elementary school so the whole experience is very family friendly.

This is another of our city’s many great neighborhood festivals. I skipped last year, but I recalled 2011 as being enjoyable; busy but not terrifically overcrowded. This year that is no longer the case.
The positives, if you arrive early, are still winning out for now: On-​site ticketing is efficiently run and you’ll get your wristband and bowl in a few minutes. There’s an excellent variety of chili including several vegetarian-​friendly models. Don’t eat beef? Don’t like pork? No problem. The pro division is a nearly complete list of a-​list neighborhood restaurants from the SoNo parks, and some of their offerings are truly sublime. There’s beer, live music, kid activities, and the usual festival ancillary vendors and food trucks.
The negatives are growing, though. Even with add-​on street blocks for food trucks and the beer garden, there’s just not enough space. I arrived less than an hour in and the central area on Thorn (around the eponymous brewery, where most of the Pro chili tastes are located) was theme-​park packed with folks. And then the tasting lines choke off your progress further. Before 1pm the most popular/​famous places are starting to run out of chili, and not long after that the festival’s signature ceramic bowls are gone as well.
Arrive early and prioritize your chili and you’ll have a good time. Arrive during the back half of the day, though, and your enjoyment will most definitely vary. Growing these events is a delicate challenge, and I hope they figure it out.

Went here today and competed in the chili cook off. Took second place. A great time was had by all and I am so looking forward to going again next year.
The people there are great as are the places to sample the local food and not to mention the beer.

The SoNo Park Holiday Fest and Chilipalooza. Where South and North parkers get together and give up old rivalries to gorge on chili instead.
For $ 20 you get to pick a handmade ceramic bowl that you bring home as a keepsake, and you get 5 official chili tastings. All the great restaurants from 30^th street and surrounding areas in South and North park put their best effort into making a chili that will wow festival goers and earn them the title of Best Chili in this Chilipalooza. There is even a «chili alley» where regular people make their own chili for a chili cook off. The chilis were outstanding and inventive. As for the «Holiday Fest» part, there are a bunch of tents for doing some shopping for unique Christmas gifts, mostly handmade items. There’s a beer garden with a bunch of great craft beers and 2 stages with all-​day bands. Also lots of stuff for the kids like jumpies and craft areas.
The event goes from 11 – 5 and well, let’s get into my complaints:
— The chili starts to sell out by 12. It’s like that every year. So what the hell are you doing for the other 5 hours at a venue called «CHILIPalooza»??
— It is PACKED with people. To the event organizers… add another block or two for pete’s sake, and spread out the tents. Jeez
Overall it is super fun and a great little event if you like chili cookoffs, but also like inventive food.