Taste of St. Louis returns Downtown

ST. LOUIS (KMOV) - Saturday was the second day of Taste of St. Louis.

Dozens of local restaurants have booths at Ballpark Village, giving people a chance to try some of their signature dishes.

Not only is there food, but there’s live entertainment with musical performances and DJs all day and night.

St. Louisan Nick Pfaff says the city is full of a rich culture.

“Been living in St. Louis all of my life,” Pfaff says. “Got all of my favorite places to eat right here and get to try new stuff.”

Pfaff says events like Taste of St. Louis help bring the community together even more.

“Just to be supporting local businesses,” Pfaff says. “Giving back to the people that are in our own area is just super important. It’s incredible we do something like this.”

Admission at Ballpark Village is free. People have to bring their appetite and money for the food they buy from the vendors.

Joseph Zichler lives in St. Charles and is happy to be able to easily go from booth to booth.

“Just to have the opportunity to go from one booth to the next when that would be such a far drive between restaurants,” Zichler says. “You can try a little bit of everything.”

Organizer Chuck Justus says the main purpose of the three day event is to bring support to locally owned restaurants.

“These are the folks that create jobs,” Justus says. “These are the folks that put their hard-earned money to take a chance that they can make a difference.”

One of the restaurants at Taste of St. Louis is Westcoast Exquisite Elote’s. Owner Chantress Allen is new to the food scene in St. Louis.

Allen is hoping a food truck is next for her business after selling out of food on Friday night.

“Almost like pinch me is it real,” Allen says. “Pinch me. I still am shocked and I’m loving it.”

Anthony Rivers is encouraging people who haven’t come out to Taste of St. Louis yet not to miss their chance.

“St. Louis has some of the best restaurants in the country so for all of them to come together and get a chance to enjoy the ambiance in an environment is great,” Rivers says.

Taste of St. Louis runs Saturday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.

When it comes to parking, the event is offering discounted parking in the Stadium East and Stadium West garages. Before you park, you’ll need to download the iparkit app.

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