Taste of Times Square

Love coming to the taste of time square each year. Every year I feel it just keeps getting better and definitely more organized. It’s a great opportunity to get and sample food from different restaurants and definitely try new things you never thought you’d enjoy. Can’t wait till next year!

I absolutely LOVE this concept!
30+ restaurants from around the Time Square area set up «booths» and serve some of their signature dishes. You purchase tickets ($ 1 each) and buy which ever dishes you like. Prices ranged from 2 tickets for a pulled pork slider to 6 tickets for seafood paella. So you’re able to sample different dishes from restaurants you May have always wanted to try, without the obligation to buy an entire plate (or the price).
Wish I knew about previous years, but this will definitely be an annual thing for me going forward.

Dragged to the 2016 version and left saying ‘told ya so’ after swimming though 46^th Street across a few avenues (it now extaends to 10^th, contrary to the listing). The whole thing is a predictably awful, cluttered, disorganized, cash only affair, with more foolish bottlenecks than Times Square proper, and odd setups for the vendors with places either right in front of or far from their actual B&M frontage. There was only one line around 5pm, for Virgil’s, and we still left frustrated (but fortunately bought no tickets and just ate nearby). Add random live music to offset the horrible Coca Cola and Gold Peak corporate nonsense, plus cops & Times Square Alliance folks doing absolutely nothing but getting in people’s way, and you have a great waste of a few minutes of your life.

This is an amazing experience for everyone I must say. I just came across the event on facebook, and decided to attend not really knowing what it would be like. The weather was a bit off with some drizzle every now and then, but the spirit of the event and delicious food were more than enough to keep me and everyone else out there, going.
This event is a great platform for restaurants to showcase their food. The quantities were very apt for the prices at most of the stalls. Lively music and bustling crowds made the food experience even better. I tried quite a few different dishes, my most favorite being the bread pudding dressed in crème anlaise by Le Rivage. I also quite enjoyed the sweet potato casserole by Ruth’s Chris Steak House, had it twice actually.
Overall, a great experience for any food lover. If I had to recommend something; it’s better if you go there in a group so you can sample more food without feeling full very soon (which I most certainly did).

Having lived in NYC my entire life, I usually try avoiding Times Square like the plague, but this gem of a food festival makes the trek out to this tourist trap so worth it. This was my second time attending, and despite the chill and the frequent bursts of rainfall, I still managed to have a great time and was actually hoping that the rain would dissuade some people from attending, but it was still a packed house.
Things that I love about Taste of Time Square:
1) Unlike other food events in the city that can run a hefty price, the entry is 100% free, so anyone who wants to attend is given the opportunity to do so.
2) I like the system of using tickets instead of actual money in order to purchase food. Although each ticket is worth $ 1, so essentially you could just spend this amount in cash at each booth, it helps save loads of time because each vendor doesn’t have to dole out change for each customer and you don’t feel it as much when you’re exchanging tickets for food instead of actual money.
3) The variety in food and vendors is immense and it helps educate people on some great restaurants in the area other than giant chains like Planet Hollywood or Applebee’s. The «prices» were also great and you could spend from 2 tickets at one booth to up to 5 at another depending on what they’re serving.
4) The music! They featured a wide variety of different musicians on each street. From an African American bluegrass band (the Ebony Hillbillies) to a barbershop quartet type group to a didgeridoo player and really did encapsulate the amazing melting pot that is NYC.
Despite the sometimes long lines — unless you arrive early — and the lousy weather, I had a great time in Times Square, something you’d probably never hear me say otherwise, so next year I’ll definitely be returning.

Checked out the Taste of Times Square for the first time this year. I’m sure it’s because it was on a Monday and it was on the colder side and drizzling out that all but two of the booths (Juniors and Virgil’s BBQ) had little to no wait and I was able to navigate my way through the crowds with little difficulty. The way it works is that you buy tickets at one of the ticket booths and each of a couple dozen or so tents representing restaurants in the area have 1 – 3 options and charge 1 – 6 tickets per item (most were 3 – 4 tickets or $ 3 – 4). I was disappointed that even though it was running from 5−9pm and I got there at 7pm, several of the vendors had packed up and left. As you may expect, the restaurants with little to no street cred (like Virgils and Applebees) were giving the best deals with a huge plate of food for the same amount of tickets as the nicer restaurants so it makes the decision a bit tougher. As I mentioned the lines at Juniors for a full size slice of cheesecake with a self serve topping station and Virgils for wings or a big plate of ribs cooked right there on a grill were crazy long but this time around nothing else had a wait longer than a couple people (again, likely because of the rain this year). What you may not realize is that the Times Square Area actually does have a number of great restaurants and I was sure to hit the tents for the best ones. I dropped $ 20 but was full by the end of it. The stand outs were E & E’s filet mignon skewers (3 perfectly cooked pieces of super tender filet mignon) and Orso’s rigatoni bolognase (also perfectly cooked al dente pasta with delicious meat sauce). Ruth Chris’s beef slider with sweet potato casserole was very good but the slider had nothing on it and was a bit over cooked and Patzeria’s tortellini was also tasty but could have been hotter and the dough was a bit too thick. An obvious fail was Planet Hollywood’s cheesecake but as I wanted something sweet and didn’t want to deal with the line at Junior’s it sort of hit the spot. I’ll be sure to check it out again next year and see if the crowds are still manageable. It would be nice not to try and hold an umbrella and eat something off a plate with a fork at the same time.

This was a great time! My only complaints /​reason I’m giving it 4 stars and not 5 are that 1. why the heck is this event on a Monday night?, 2. Love their commitment to not canceling an event but would have loved if there was a rain date rather than rain or shine, and 3. I wish they let you buy individual tickets (not in increments of 5). Yes it was rainy and yes it was crowded (c’mon, it’s times square after all) but still worth the trip on a work night into the city for a good time with friends and good eats (Lolz @ my friend holding my umbrella while I scarfed down food).
They sell in increments of 5, so I got 10 tickets for $ 10 which is what they advertised for and later went back for another 5 tickets. Most foods cost between 2 – 3 tickets each… to me, 10 was too few tickets and 15 was too much (thus why I would have liked to buy 10 and then get single tickets from there). If you really want to make the trip worthwhile and sample enough, go for 15.
Restaurant vendors I sampled from:
1. Patzeria Perfect Pizza — Tortellini with prosciuutto in the sauce (3 tickets)
2. Schnipper’s — Mac ‘n Joe (3 tickets)
3. Carmine’s — meatball (2 tickets)
4. The View — Swiss chard Ravioli with truffle sauce (3 tickets)
5. Crossroads — Pretzel with «gooey cheese» (3 tickets)
6. Bubba Gump Shrimp — Birthday cake dessert (1 ticket)
Of all of them, I was most excited for the ravioli based on presentation but somehow ended up being my least favorite… too creamy (though I’d still want to visit that restaurant as it looks gorgeous, just would order something else). My friend and I thought the mac n joe was amazing (mac n cheese with sloppy joe) and that the pretzel w/​cheese was a great snack (mmm warm pretzel). Tortellini is one of my favorite foods in general so knew I’d like that especially with that sauce. Glad I got to finally try Carmine’s– I’ve never made it there due to it being pricey but at least this event let me have a sample for a grand total of only 2 tickets!
Hope to return next year, on a sunnier day!

Finally came to the taste of Times Square and had a good time. I purchased 15 coupons for $ 15 and was able to taste a variety of dishes. The place was jam packed and I was supposed to meet some friends and was never ever to catch up with them. It’s best to get their early because it was so crowded we could hardly walk in the narrow street to check out what each vendor had to offer.
Since I didn’t wait to catch up with my friends I just checked out the longest lines and figured the samples had to be good. I was able to sample some tacos, chicken wings, sliders and water for $ 15. The food was good but hard to manipulate and eat with the crowds. I wound up standing in a corner to eat my food or sitting on the sidewalk to devour my chicken wings. There were different areas of live entertainment and New Yorkers and tourists seemed to be having a great time. Next time I will come prepared and wear a small bag and get there early to check out more vendors and get more food items.

It was long block stretching about two avenues or so of just restaurant booths. It was a great way to sample restaurants I’ve never been. My favorite was the Meatball from Carmines. It was a good portion for 2 tickets ($ 2). I got there an hour before and was able to beat the rush to grab a nice table under a tent. There were also free dance lessons under the tent and lots of live swing music. It was definitely a bum rush after the event began. Good thing I scouted the area beforehand and went straight for the things I wanted. Lines were long and everything was just overcrowded. There were a lot of long charcoal grills out and it was a great time.

Went half an hour before closing. Lines were huge, and place after place kept running out of food. You have to buy tickets in order to buy stuff, and the tickets are cash only and non refundable. Of course they don’t tell you about the non refundable part until you try to refund them.
First waited on line for Virgil’s. They were out of everything but ribs. After 20 mins on line, they announce they are out of everything. How do you not know when you will run out of food?
Went to stand on another line, they also ran out of everything.
Tried to get a refund, got told no refunds. Went to times square alliance booth, got told no refunds. Asked for a manager, got told no refunds, but that she will call event organizer for me.
Event organizer took longer then the third line, which my SO was standing on. Was able to get some mediocre wings — three for three dollars. Was left with a single ticket — and no way to spend it. Even the water was $ 2. Finally found John’s pizzeria, where I was able to get a slice of pizza barely bigger then my thumb for $ 1. Do you have any idea what kind of a slice you can get at two brothers pizza at 4^th and 8^th? One about 8 times bigger.
All in all, the event was a total rip off. Stay as far away as you can.
Hopefully Debbie in HD can find someone competent to run the event next year. Although I guess from their point of view, the event was a success. Not so for the of thousands of people they ripped off. Hopefully a few class actions on the grounds of false advertising tip the scales a bit.

2014 Taste of Times Square. I got here at 7pm, the festival was semi-​popping when we entered from 46^th & 9^th.
Interlude, should have mentioned this from the jump: The ticket purchases went from $ 5 minimum last year to $ 10 this year.
It also has expaned from only encompassing 8^th & 9^th avenue, it now extends to Bway.
However it was so packed, it was impossible to enjoy one self. I was eyeing Virgils booth, the wait was over 15 min and the amt of heads present made it a real turn off

Usually, you wouldn’t catch me in Times Square. I’m a real New Yorker, which means I will avoid large crowds of tourist, or any touristy location, as much as possible.
BUT, Taste of Times Square was worth dealing with the large crowd. A bunch of restaurants in Times Square were in attendance. Each restaurant had its own booth, and sold small plates of specific food choices from its menu.
Food can be purchased in exchange for food tickets (10 for $ 10). Ticket amounts vary for each restauraunt. My friend and I bought 15 tickets expecting to use them all, but our tummys were full after 9 used tickets. We sold our remaining tickets to random people.
Hopefully, I’ll make it to the next one. In the meantime, I’ll be searching for any upcoming food fairs in the city!

I finally went to this this year, and since it was pouring when it first started (and then finally went down to a drizzle), there were barely any lines. Tickets are $ 1 each. We got to try a meatball slider for $ 1, a plateful of ribs for $ 6, iced cake for $ 1, junior’s cheesecake for I think $ 3, some more pieces of meat, mac ‘n cheese, etc. There was so much to try! But, we got full off of 20 tickets, which is what people recommended.
Might as well try this out, especially if you live nearby!

The Times Square Alliance pulled off another successful event with this year’s 2013 Taste of Times Square. Fifty two restaurants were represented along with a host of bands and street performers that provided entertainment along the 46^th Street Restaurant Row route. As in past years, those who came were able to sample an assortment of dishes from restaurant kitchens in the area. And at an event this big it’s always so difficult to decide what to eat, but here are the new places I tried this year:
Shula’s Steakhouse (the Westin Hotel) offered Blackened Tenderloin Steak Tips along with BBQ sauce. The tips were cooked medium rare and tasted quite good. The selected sauce went well with the steak tips.
Brasserie 1605 (the Crowne Plaza Hotel) came with a Mini Truffle & Lobster Mac & Cheese dish. I thought that dish while flavored with truffle oil was too conspicuously short on lobster and cheese.

I gave John’s Pizzeria another chance this year after a not so good encounter with them last year. Luckily besides pizza, this year they served some really good Meatballs in Marinara Sauce. The meatballs – well-​seasoned with herbs and spices– were nice and chewy with a real tomatoey sauce.
No burgers for Shake Shack – instead they decided with summer coming to showcase their cold custards. I had one of their Raspberry Swirl custards which I really liked. The custard was rich and creamy and surprisingly tasted homemade.
Even though I’m a regular at Junior’s Restaurant for their cheesecake, I still couldn’t resist having a slice of their rich and creamy Pineapple Cheesecake.
I also couldn’t resist returning for seconds from Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Meson Sevilla Restaurant, since they were both so good last year. You can read my previous review to learn more about them.
So at the place where the ball drops every New Year’s Eve like clockwork, despite a short rain delay, this year’s event went off without a hitch.

Review of the 2013 festival:
Tickets are sold in increments of $ 5 (1 ticket per $ 1). The tickets fool you into thinking you’re not spending that much when you’re handing them over to the vendors. Considering the amount of food you get, it’s not always the case. Sometimes you’ll get a lot and other times, you get a tiny sliver of a thing. Don’t buy more than you need because they’re non-​refundable! Start off with $ 5 and build up from there. (I bought 10 tickets, but wasn’t hungry after 5!) There were plenty of ticket booths scattered throughout the event if you decide you want more. We ended up biting off more than we could chew — literally — because we simply didn’t want to waste the leftover tickets. Here’s what we tried:
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. — Seafood Hush Pups — 3 tickets. These were made of some kind of seafood, corn niblets and something else. Don’t know and don’t care — I liked them! I prefer these over regular hush puppies because these are moist and less dense. These came with dressing.
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. — Mini Desserts — 1 ticket. Caramel Brownie w/​whip cream — I wouldn’t re-​purchase this at the restaurant, but what the hey, it was only 1 ticket.
Ruth’s Chris — Beef burger/​sliders — 3 tickets. VERY filling and good meat, but VERY plain. How could they not think to bring ketchup or mustard to accompany the burgers?! Without it, the burger was boring. Pass.
Planet Hollywood — Bananas Foster Cheesecake — 2 tickets. Delicious! (Pretty hard to mess up a dessert like this anyway) This was the true deal of the night — slice of this rich cheesecake for only $ 2?!
Meson Sevilla — Paella w/​Mussels — 5 tickets. Favorite main dish of the night (which was cooked in the biggest pan I’ve ever seen), but I must say, very difficult to eat the mussels on a tiny plate with a plastic fork while standing. Advanced dexterity required.
drinks at various stands — Smartwater (2 tickets), tiny can of soda (1 ticket) — This is where they gouge you. Way overpriced, but they know you’re going to buy it because they’re they only option around and you’re parched after 1 dish.
Will I return next year? Probably not. Only if I was already in the area, couldn’t make up my mind as to where to eat for the night, and looking for an interesting way to pass the time on a Monday night (there were different types of live music playing throughout the walkway). Although this event is a convenient way to sample fare from different restaurants all at once, there are way better food events/​festivals to look forward to, like Madison Square Eats, which offers actual seating with trendier and more highly reputable local vendors (so better food) at better deals considering the quality and amount you’re getting.

I don’t agree with the barely any lines part. I was here on June 11^th and did get to sample a few things but was kind of just stuck in the typical crowd space. Maybe my opinion will be different from others because I was actually headed to another event around 7pm and of course did not make it there by that time because I was eating food over here. I did get the Ribs from Bowlmor Lanes Grill. They were on the small side but were tasty. I mean nothing particularly special either at least for $ 5 worth of tickets. I did not wait for the Virgil’s ribs (which I really should have because I felt it would take too long, in reality it really would not have). There were alot of people by Virgil’s area but the lines was regulated very well. I give them 5 stars for organizing that part.
–I then headed to Toloache for a taste. Got the Guacamole and chips and one of the Tacos. I liked it for the most part. Guacamole was very tasty but they did not give you enough chips for me. I mean $ 3 worth of tickets, at least stack me with some chips but then again this is Times Square and prices based on portion were not exactly cheap. I might not have headed here if I was not so pressed for time. I would have probably headed to Junior’s for the cheesecake. It actually looked like a decent sized slice for $ 4 or whatever the price was.
–I am sad I missed out on the Virgil’s ribs tasting. I think the two large Memphis ribs were $ 4 but like I said the size was pretty large. I am one of those people though if I missed this event, I WOULD have sworn I missed something. I missed the event the past few years so at least I got to see all this for myself this time. I looked through the crowds and Thought I might see a few fellow Unilocalers but I guess not this time. I would have given it a higher rating if I had more time to walk around and see everything.

Taste of Times Square is one of the best food festivals I’ve been too. It’s not cheap or expensive, the prices were just right. You get to sample restaurants in the Times Square area. How does it works? Instead of paying at every food stall, you can purchase tickets. 1 ticket equals $ 1. My friend and I purchased $ 40 worth of tickets and most samples were 1 to 5 tickets and we were full off the samples. Some samples were very generous. And the best part, there were barely any lines! We got the food so quick.