Taste of Westmont

It’s a neat event. A lot of carnival rides. I am amazed at how portable those rides are. It was literally put up overnight, right on the street. Overall, it seemed geared towards younger kids, but it was still enjoyable. I would not recommend going out of your way to visit, but if you are in the area it is worth checking out.

We headed out to the Taste of Westmont (2013) for the first time. Going to check out 7^th Heaven play an all-​ages shows, we only knew the main intersection and nothing else about the fest.
Parking was a breeze! The Westmont website clearly stated that we could park on residential streets as long as there weren’t any signs stating that we couldn’t. We turned down the first block and quickly found a spot.
This is a pretty crowded event. It’s no Taste of Chicago, but the beer tent was hopping at all times.
The good people of Westmont are friendly to their visitors! We shared a high top table with a couple of strangers and made easy-​breezy conversation. Good times!
They have B-​I-​N-​G-​O!!! I soooo wanted to play. But, we were there for the show and not my bingo habit.
The food offerings varied from DQ ice cream to deep fried carnival treats to spicy shrimp dishes. We only tasted a couple things, but the prices were in line with what we’ve seen at other similar events and the food was cooked and served. We didn’t end up with anything that had been sitting around, so that was a plus.
The show was great! Other than a brief scuffle by the local drunks broken up by Westmont’s Finest, the whole evening was a lot of fun. I would definitely head out again next year!

My expectations for the Taste of Westmont are always pretty low. As a resident of this town, I know it doesn’t have much to brag about. However, I must admit the festival exceeded my expectations this year.
Taste of Westmont is a street festival of carnival rides, food vendors, business information tables, and crafts. Most of the entertainment is up Cass Avenue, with some games and tents on the side streets. When I arrived, I first noticed all the very 1970’s-looking carnival rides. Lots of pastel swinging, twirling, and dropping contraptions. Most of them contained children. Some of the children actually looked rather placid; a few of the rides were somewhat slow-​moving.
After I passed the carnival rides, I encountered the food vendors all lined up in a row. When I attend a street festival, I scope out all my food options and then order. My first choice was the Tap House Grill stand. I asked for the pesto chicken and bacon wrap. Unfortunately, it was sold out. I then decided to head for Papa Passero’s and ordered a $ 3.00 slice of pepperoni pizza. It was average, somewhat dry festival food. As I said before, I wasn’t expecting much. And I have had worse.
The variety of food available at the festival was sufficient. Chinese, American, Italian, Mexican, and Barbecue food was all there. The snazzy Westmont restaurants — like Bakersfield and Amber — were not in attendance. In the future, it would be nice to see Chipotle and Connie’s at the Taste.
I think one big highlight at this event was the arts and crafts (if you’re into that). I don’t remember many arts and crafts vendors in previous years. This year, I saw numerous vendors with many different wares.
I had a pleasant time at this event. If you live in Westmont, come out to the Taste. If not, I don’t think it’s worth the drive.

Great job again this year, Westmont! Although it wasn’t as packed by the carnival rides and vendors, the food tents were almost impassable and the music stage was alive with people singing and dancing.
I did wish that some of my other favorite Westmont food joints had been present, like Bakersfield/​Standard Market or Urban Legend Brewery, but I was soooo happy that Neat was able to make their first appearance on the scene a memorable one!