Chomp and Stomp Chili Cook-off and Bluegrass Festival

Chomp and Stomp is the coolest neighborhood event/​festival I’ve ever been to. If you’ve never walked through Cabbagetown or spent a bit of time at any of the small businesses around the area, you’re missing one of the coolest micro-​neighborhoods in Atlanta. It’s a tight-​knit collection of bungalows which run street by street, a few small parks and greenspaces, and home to the best chili cook-​off in the city.
As you walk through Krog Street Tunnel, you can smell the onions and spices. It’s a pretty welcoming scent on a colder day, as it was this year, and you can follow your nose to where the fun is. If you want to sample chili, it’s $ 5 for a spoon/​entry. If you don’t want any chili, you can just walk through and enjoy the rest of the vendors, food trucks, beer, etc. However, the crown jewel of Chomp and Stomp is definitely the chili.
Full disclosure: We didn’t sample any chili this year, but definitely plan to in the coming years. It looked like so much fun.
Some of the restaurants serving chili onsite:
Makan
Fox Bros
Victory
Villains
Table at 10
and tons more.
There are also tons upon tons of neighborhood participants in the chili cook-​off. You’ll find them all over the neighborhood and they all have some serious fun in participating.
There were so many other businesses involved as well. It was rather nice to turn the corner and score a doughnut from Revolution Doughnuts as we walked. Along the Living Walls, you’ll find tons of other vendors and fun as well.
I can’t wait for next year. Looking forward to creating a giant stack of cups from chili samples!

Be Warned!!!
If you go late, there will be no Chili left! I heard about this happening in the past and I was hoping maybe something may change but it didn’t.
My rating is based on the fact that it’s advertised until 6pm but the real meat of the festival is over at about 2pm. I get there are beer trucks, food vendors and music that will go on to 6. So it’s a good thing you pay at the event. Considering the popularity of this, they may want to consider pre purchase tickets and more chili.
Considering everything else is around after the chili is gone, its a decent festival.

The Chomp & Stomp is a must-​attend event. It brings out the heart and soul of Cabbagetown and encompasses a true sense of community. Fortunately, I am able to walk from my house but from what I could see, people definitely had to park about ½ mile away and walk in – no big deal, especially because part of the enjoyment of this event is walking around Cabbagetown and checking out the cute houses boasting with character. They do close off the streets near the park. I highly recommend getting there around noon and get your $ 5 tasting spoon ready. If you go around 2:30 or so, many of the chills will be gone. My favorite chilis overall were the individual homemade chills along Wylie – hearty and flavorful, plus it is just fun to see local folks having a good time out there ready to share their pot of chili with you. Some of them dress up to compliment the name of their chili – Beano 911 was definitely an entertaining bunch – they made me feel like I was ready to slap on my best Reno 911 outfit and have some drinks with them out there. My favorite restaurant chili this year was the Table at Ten Cranberry Turkey Chili – it was like you were eating a cup of fall! I discovered that I am not a big fan of beer chilis – one of them tasted like I was eating a cup of hot beer with some chili beans in it – fail. However, there was an outstanding stout chili in the individual chili group. The best chili verde award goes to Noche and the best mole-​style chili award goes to Wrecking Bar. On the way out, I bought up some hot mulled cider from some young entrepreneurs selling bevs in front of their house – a very personal Cabbagetown touch. If I end up getting to stay in Atlanta permanently, I am hitting this up every year. Who knows, maybe I will even cook up my own chili for the event!

I’ve lived in Atlanta for 3.5 years and only a few days ago heard of the Chomp and Stomp festival! It was awesome and highly recommended. On the website they say there is no parking at/​close to the festival, so we chose one of their recommended travel options which is to park at the parking lot behind the MLK MARTA stop and take the Georgia Tech trolley into the festival. I read on reddit hat someone’s Jeep Cherokee was stolen on the day of the festival from the Inman Park area, just a heads up.
It was definitely a cold day, but it wasn’t so bad when we got to the festival and the sun came out and there were so many warm bodies milling about. It was packed, particularly around the chili vendors, but according to reddit this year wasn’t even as packed as it had been during previous years. $ 5 buys you a spoon that you then use to sample dozens of different types of chili, to your hearts desire, each one served in a small, cutely designed Chomp and Stomp cup. There were so many different restaurant vendors (and also individual competitors) that I couldn’t sample all of them, even considering that a few had run out of chili by the time I made my way to them. There were lines for almost all the restaurant chili tables but they moved quickly.
The chili overall was great (and perfect for the weather!), with different flavor profiles, level of spice, styles. After we were done sampling chili, we walked around the whole festival (which was pretty sprawling), where there were bluegrass bands performing at different parks, arts and crafts vendors, desserts and pastries like sweet cheats and little tart bakeshop, as well as food trucks like mac and cheese, the fry guy, etc and your usual funnel cake, corn dogs, fresh squeezed lemonade, and multiple Sweetwater beer trucks.
On their website they stated that there would be some competitions on stage like bobbing for brussel sprouts but unfortunately we didn’t make it those.
The Chomp and Stomp was truly «Festive,» and I look forward to going next year!
Just make sure you get there earlier on and not later in the afternoon or you will risk missing out on lots of great chili.

Another groovy Atlanta festival. I’ve attended four times — all great. The downside of the greatness is the attendant popularity and crowds. The first few times, I braved the wall-​to-​wall people to get my share of the chili from the restaurant vendors. This year, I stuck to the individual/​private chili stands and was rewarded with a lot of good samples with almost no waiting.
Typically, Chomp & Stomp has good music, too. No exception this year.
As for parking, I always leave my car on Edgewood and walk through Krog tunnel, which is a treat in of itself.

My first year attending this festival and it’s awesome.
For $ 5 they give you a spoon, and you simply walk down the line of restaurant tents and try as much chili as you want. Pay at the event.
The event opened at 11am, and they started handing out the chili at 12:30. I got there at around 12 and there were already lines forming in front of all the restaurant tents. I had no issue getting to all 25 or so of the restaurants competing. Which left me sooo stuffed after trying, literally, everything.
My two favorites were The Highlander’s Jerk Chili and Fox Bros Pork chili.
Sometime between 1:30−2pm, I could see some of the restaurants near the entrance were all out of chili, so you definitely don’t want to be late to this event. There are definitely a lot of people attending the event, so maneuvering through the crowd was a little difficult.
I didn’t make it to any of the individual chili. I was entirely too full from the restaurants.
There’s also a lot of other stuff going on. They have some other food vendors. There were funnel cakes, Revolution Doughnuts was out there, King of Pops, Taste of Jamaica, turkey legs, and whole bunch of other stuff. There were also beer/​drink stations, live music, some other vendors selling art and stuff.
For parking… check out the website. They have a map showing where the even is and possible parking spots. They also rented out a large parking lot where you would be picked up by the GT trolley and taken straight to the event.

TL: DR; Don’t drive. Be waiting spoon-​in-​hand at a booth at 12:30 sharp. Don’t get salty about not getting to try any of the winners when they are announced. Find a good house party afterward.
Oh, the Chomp & Stomp. What else could make a rational person say, «Yes, I want to wake up early despite a raging Halloween-​party hangover to go run a 5k on a cold November morning AND THEN ALSO eat as much chili as I can»? The Romp & Stomp (as the 5k is known; you can do one without the other, but I think they make a great pair) always includes a shirt with a nice design and comfortable fabric, and a free spoon. The spoon, if you’re not aware, is not only tied for my third-​favorite eating utensil, but also one’s ticket into the chili cookoff, priced at $ 5 if not also running the 5k. Last year they were made from biodegradable corn-​derived bioplastic!
No matter how many chili warriors compete for the fame and adulation of slow-​simmered glory (there are separate categories for restaurants and individuals, each lining two blocks in recent years), they always run out within an hour or so after the 12:30pm start time. Individuals usually cook smaller batches, so to maximize consumption, start there and work back toward the pros.
After the chili’s gone (and damn, how is it possible you didn’t get to try any of the winners AGAIN), head to one of the two parks to listen to some bluegrass… but more importantly to watch hipsters shift impatiently in their giant sunglasses for a full twenty minutes before realizing that they don’t like bluegrass. Then take a stroll through the art vendors (there are plenty, and like the locals selling at the East Atlanta Strut, help seal the neighborhood ambience of the place), realize that all that beer (and the not-​quite-​full-​meal of chili) has left you with a hankering for a Palookaville corn dog from the food trucks in attendance. Tip: Palookaville can even satisfy vegetarians by frying up a big battered pickle instead. Trust me, it’s much tastier than it sounds at first.
Since the festival is a big Cabbagetown party, you have by now met up with friends who have friends in the neighborhood. After all, what else are you going to do when you’re tipsy at 3pm but walk to a nearby house party and continue the drinking? It wasn’t just the lack of parking that made me suggest you not drive!

This is the first time I have ever heard blue grass. After not much thought, I have concluded that I will not be putting this genre on any of my playlists. Even so, I had a great time listening to the strange music and trying all sorts of food. Parking was unavailable closer to the event but there were free shuttles running every fifteen minutes from a distant parking lot with lots of spots. If you were on a bike, they had this bike valet. Pretty saweeeet.
I was so upset that they ran out of Chili before I had a chance to get there later in the afternoon. It was all you can eat chili for $ 5.00!!! There were sooooo many booths serving chili and they all had their own uniqueness. Asides from the chili, there were a huge line of food trucks! I picked this corndog food truck with a 30 minute wait called Pallookaville. I HATE corndogs but they got it right. I got this massive fried long meat thing on a stick covered in questionable looking batter. Yes, I put it in my mouth and enjoyed it. Smiley Face.
Of course, there was some local artists and business stands. Had a good time admiring fancy splashes of paint I wish I could decorate my apt with and happily putting my friend’s email address on every business I came across. This will go down in my merry memory lane.
Concluding Haiku:
Wake up earlier!
Blue Grass, Chili, art, OH MY!
Create memories

I really like this festival, and have missed the last couple years. So I was super excited when we were going to impulsively go last minute.
…Yea, last minute. We showed up at like 3pm which was a mistake. By this time, all the chili is GONE BABY GONE. but it’s like the peak time to be there. and it gets more popular every year.
I do have one very specific complaint — I went to a main beer truck and there were like 50 people in line. 2 or 3 people behind the table were standing around doing nothing, or staring out into the crowd. Dude at 3pm, you’re not nearly done pouring, and if you want any tip, you should get on this sh! t. You don’t even need to mix a drink, just pull the lever, fill, and push the lever back. turn around and hand me a damn cup of beer. No tip for you.
Best advice is to show up super early to GET ALL THE CHILIS and then sit on the grass digesting, drinking beer, maybe on a blankie with your puppers. and then go home for a nap at like 3pm.
Great festival overall, maybe getting too busy, but good for them I guess — lotsa artsy fartsy, brands, carni food, music, fun, contests. Also, a cool addition this year is they rented the King Memorial Marta Station Parking Lot. and had the GT trolley (and supposedly a furbus according to their website, but I never saw it) shuttling people from the lot to the fest. We took the bus there, but when we were ready to go home, we walked back to the car. It would have been fine if I had the right shoes on. but I had these boots that make my bad ankle act up and I was NOT pleasant to be around after that. The walk is doable, and the day was beautiful, but come prepared if you’re gonna hoof it.

Very crowded– you must arrive when they start giving out the chili samples — they often run out fast– much fun– very popular —

I forgot to write about this! Last year was my first year at the Chomp and Stomp festival. I loved it! Awesome vibe. It was crazy packed but you still had personal space. You can lay a blanket on the grass and listen to live music. There’s all types of food everywhere… some overpriced and not worth it… but others were sooooo worth it!
One thing that I went there for but didn’t get to try… was the chili. I had no idea where it was!

Went to first Chomp & Stomp and followed their advice on taking the MARTA transit. The whole experience was awful. Quite confusing trying to figure out what to take where and which side to get off of. You couldn’t understand what the conductors were saying. Then after about two hours of trying to get there, the chili samples were all gone! The lady selling the spoons were just giving them away on account that there were no more chili. You couldn’t get past throngs of people trying to get to where the stages were for the music events, even. We just went back home and that took another two hours. We only live in Smyrna. I guess if I ever try this event again, I won’t go by the website and take the tram. I’d just risk driving and walking to my destination. Also, maybe going there much earlier would be more helpful. But I do not think we’ll do the Chomp & Stomp again.

I’ve been going to Chomp N Stomp on and off the past few years, and it’s one of my favorite Atlanta festivals, and definitely my favorite Fall Festival.
It’s a Chili cook off with blue grass and sweetwater beer on the first weekend of November. There are always several hundred individual or team entries for the chili competition, and then there are the «pros» or restaurants who have their booths as well.
Chili serving starts at 12:30pm on the dot, and is gone in 30 – 40 minutes.. .this happens every.single.year. So if you show up at 1:15 and don’t understand what happened to the chili, this is your own fault IMO. The restaurants typically serve chili about 30 – 45 minutes longer than the team booths. Today I tried a good 25 different chili’s, and after the first 10, I couldn’t taste anything my mouth was so hot and burning. But it’s always fun! We ran the 5K Romp and Stomp in the morning, so we got spoons with our tee shirts, which meant we didn’t have to stand in line waiting to purchase a spoon for $ 5. Proceeds go to the improvements to Cabbage town, a worthy cause. However I like to bring my own plastic spoons (previous years I didn’t run in the 5K), and just donate the money after the chili is gone because I don’t want to waste time waiting in line. Tip #1, bring wet wipes because the chili slinging can get messy!
If Chili is not your thing, do not worry, there are tons of food trucks, restaurants, caterers serving up anything you can imagine. I got hungry later and hit the grindhouse burger station.. .YUM. I had a red velvet cake pop after my chili from sweet treats. There were no less than 5 sweetwater brewery trucks dispensing beers, and even a wine station if you prefer wine. There is no way to go hungry or thirsty at this event.
Parking, is find what you can get. There are several lots selling spots for $ 10 along Memorial, or take MARTA. However if this is your first time on MARTA, you might want to look at a map, and then watch for the signs outside so you know which stop to get off on.
There are several stages with different bluegrass bands, most of which were really good. I especially enjoy the drunk hoola hoopers in front of the main stage.. .that kills me. Bring a blanket or some folding chairs to hang out in front of the stage, or under the big tree if you need some shade. Tip #2, the shade under the tree spots get filled up first, so snag a spot early if you know you want to sit in the shade.
I’d also like to give a shout out to the person who found my phone, called my Mom to tell her they found it and turned it into the first aid station where I could go get it. Proving once again, really nice good people still exist! I don’t know who you are, but Thank you!
It was another great Chomp N Stomp, great food, great music, great neighborhood, great event! It’s events like these that make me never want to leave East Atlanta. I love these neighborhoods!

Very Crowded and Disorganized. There was a lot of people and no flow or organization, or even insight on how to get the chili.
We arrived right at 12:30 (after a 10 minute walk from the car) and groups had already ran out by the time we made it down to their tent.
However, despite all these things, theres no denying that $ 5 for all the chili (no matter how strange) you can eat is an outrageous deal!
Highlights: King of Pops & Sweetwater were vendors. Bluegrass music playing. Great weather.
We will form a new strategy and try again next year!

Mmmmm. .. chili! I can think of few things better than eating chili on a somewhat cool, brilliantly sunny November day in Cabbagetown. Two recommendations: 1) take MARTA (and take the shuttle from King Memorial), or ride your bike if you live close enough and use the bike valet; and 2) GET THERE EARLY, or you won’t get any chili. At 12:30, when the tasting started, it was madness. Friendly, yummy chili madness (well. .. mostly yummy), but madness nonetheless. And most of the stalls were out within an hour, maybe even more like 30 – 45 minutes. (We got there at about 11:30, and there were already thousands of people there.)
Regarding the booze situation: I’m not much of a fan of Sweetwater (or so I thought), but since it’s all there was beer-​wise, I tried a Sweetwater Blue (because I know I don’t like 420). And to my surprise, I liked it! So I went from «Ugh, Sweetwater?» to «Yay! I don’t have to drink exclusively crappy beer from now on!». So thanks to Sweetwater for sponsoring! And I always feel better when I support local companies.
Another plus was the food truck presence. I love me some food trucks (as long as they don’t suck — lol). And since I didn’t know how much chili we would get to try, and I was starving when we got there, I definitely capitalized. This year they had the Fry Guy, The Good Food Truck, the King of Pops, and several others. Add to that the local artists, jewelers, bands playing on multiple stages, etc., and you’ve got a very happy Kelly.
One thing that irked me is that people brought dogs, even though they weren’t allowed, and I guess no one stopped them. But c’mon people — it’s called common sense. There are a billion people, 99% of whom are wandering around with a meat product. Don’t bring your damn dogs. I left mine at home, and believe it or not, he survived the harrowing ordeal of being alone for a few hours. (I do not recommend using this strategy with babies. But I would recommend you get a sitter, or wear a baby bjorn. Trying to get a stroller down the narrow streets seems like it would be a futile effort, although I saw many people attempt it.)
All in all — I’ll probably go back every year they have this. It’s crowded, but a great way to spend a gorgeous fall day in Atlanta!

I went to my first Chomp & Stomp on Saturday in Cabbagetown and had a fun time. This year’s Chomp & Stomp was the 9^th annual and, according to the program, had 90 individual chilis, 30 restaurant chilis, 60 artists, 30 food vendors, 15 «celebrity» judges, and between 16,000 to 19,000 attendees. It was packed.
I heard from friends who attended last year that the chili ran out fast, so I made a point to show up before the chili tasting began this year. The chili tasting began at 12:30pm this year, which is later than last year. According to Chomp & Stomp’s web site, the time was pushed back to allow more time for people to try the chili.
We arrived around noon, bought spoons for $ 5 each, and headed directly towards Tye St, one of the streets with the individual chili teams. As 12:30 drew closer, people started counting down the minutes and seconds. Exactly at 12:30, the teams released their cups of chili. It was a madhouse. We just walked randomly from tent to tent grabbing whatever cups were available to be taken.
I tried everything from green tomato chili to Korean BBQ braised brisket chili to classic beef ‘n bean chili to black rat chili (the lady told me there was actual rat in there, but I think she was lying) to Srirachili (chili with Sriricha) to Mother Puncher’s New Mexico green chili to chili that tasted like cigarettes to chili with hushpuppies to turkey chili. It was a lot of chili and some of them set my mouth on fire. I made sure *not* to try the Ghostface chili, made with ghost peppers. I love eating spicy foods, but that is one pepper I don’t mess around with.
The chili ran out fast. I estimate all the individual chili teams ran out of chili in 30 to 45 minutes, so by 1:00 to 1:15, all those chilis were wiped out. Restaurant row had some chili left after the first hour, though, and those included good restaurants such as D.B.A. Barbecue, Fox Bros, Graveyard Tavern, and Grindhouse Killer Burgers. Unless they change the setup next year, I would focus on tackling the individual chilis first, then when they run out, head towards restaurant row.
Two of my friends showed up around 1pm, bought spoons, and ended up not being able to try any individual chilis. Bummer. You have to come early if you want them.
There were many food vendors selling everything from corn dogs to funnel cakes to popsicles (King of Pops). There were also several food trucks and a couple Sweetwater trucks (selling beer, of course).
Cabbagetown Park and Brussels Sprout Park each had stages setup and live music was played throughout the day. I didn’t get a chance to check out any of the artists’ booths because I was too busy eating and having a good time at the park.
I saw several of my fellow Unilocalers out there including Ivan S, Jason W, and Edward L.
Parking is not bad as long as you don’t mind walking. Chomp & Stomp has a created a very handy map on Google Maps (
) to let you know exactly where the festival is taking place and what streets are closed. I used it to help me plan where to park. You can park for free in any of the surrounding neighborhoods and walk over. Just be sure to obey the no parking signs.

This festival rocks it!!! Awesome cool sunny fall weather, great bands, great neighborhood, tons of booths with delicious food, arts, crafts, and of course cold cold beer. Not a kid friendly place. Get a babysitter for the day. Too many people, something like 20,000 people. It is a hipster artsy scene and so much fun!!!

When I first went to Chomp and Stomp I was, «Cabbagetown? Really? Is there anywhere to even park over there?» Back then it was a small affair, just some modest card tables with pots of bubbling chili. I only ate a little since they ran out so quickly. That was many years ago.
A few years later, when I next went to Chomp and Stomp I was, «Wow. They’ve taken over [the then newly renovated] Cabbagetown Park! It’s huge!» I still had a hard time parking. Also, I only ate chili from Agave since everyone else ran out.
More years passed. In Nov. 2010, I returned to Chomp and Stomp. I was, «Holy crap. When did they start doing THIS? Art vendors up and down the street? (And not the same ol’ ones you see at every arts festival.) Two concert stages? Two whole blocks of just individual chili competitors?»
We got there early. I made James drive. He was able to park. I popped a beer by 10am. I bought my spoon for $ 5. Chili was served at noon. By 1, I was bursting with red chili, green chili, mole (as in the sauce, not the animal nor the skin formation nor the weight of 6.022×10²³ atoms) chili, veggie chili, deer chili, goat chili, pork chili and, yes the ultimate winners, Korean BBQ chili. By 1:30, most of the chili was gone.
We never even made it to the restaurant competitors. It was just as well. I couldn’t take anymore.
It was fun. It was crowded. There were hipsters as far as the chunky-​framed glasses could see, ironic facial hair dripping with multiple flavors of chili. There was bluegrass, there was alt rock. There was a traveling circus. There was Sweetwater beer, Palookaville gourmet corndogs and Grindhouse burgers, if you never got to the chili. There were also five stars to be given on Unilocal

Chili, chili, and more chili at the perfect time of year. This fantastic festival takes place right at the beginning of November. I live within walking distance so we go every year. Tons of fun and lots of people, bring an empty stomach and be ready for the payback in the coming days because you will eat your fill.
We went this year and there were a lot more entries into the contest. More chili than you can handle and you better not be in a small room with people the next day. Just a great experience again.

Another great Atlanta festival. Surely I’m not biased since I just bought a house in Cabbagetown. Chomp & Stomp comes late in the season, around late October or early November, which should mean it is perfect chili eating weather, but in the world of Atlanta reality it could be 70 degrees or it could be 40 degrees; you never know.
This festival is all about chili and bluegrass. It’s a free event unless you want some chili. The chili spoon costs about $ 5 and you get AYCE chili. Be careful: late = no chili left for your lazy ass. They have a chili cook-​off with 2 different categories– local restaurants compete against each other and then they have scores of amateurs competing against one another. The amateurs often don costumes that go along with their chili’s theme.
Besides the chili, they have 1 main stage and one small stage at Cabbagetown Park where you can hear different bluegrass and folk bands playing all day long. Make sure you get there early if you want a big enough piece of grass to hang out on. No dogs allowed anymore which sucks.
There is a local artist market as well and a Romp & Stomp 5K run the morning of (great tshirt).
**Another favorite festival of mine. The festival has grown a lot since the first year and you should get there early if you actually want restaurant chili, but the music and park make this festival worthwhile no matter what.
FYI: Parking is limited so don’t bitch if you have to park far. Or just park in the Tacotown on the otherside of Memorial.