Taste of Greektown marks 36th year
Chronicle Media — August 22, 2026
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- Greek dancing takes place at the Taste of Greektown in Chicago. This year’s festival begins Friday along Halsted Street in the West Loop. (Elios Photography)
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- Lamb chops and kabobs on the grill at the Taste of Greektown (Dimitri Kandalepas photo)
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- Workers at Athena Restaurant serve up festival fare. (Elios Photography)
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- Festival patrons gather at the Zeus Restaurant stand at the festival. (Special Events Management photo)
The Taste of Greektown festival returns with Chicago’s largest celebration of Hellenic cuisine and culture on Friday through Aug. 30.
Festivities run along Halsted Street from Adams to Van Buren in the West Loop.
The neighborhood’s Greek restaurants, including 9 Muses Bar & Grill, Athena Restaurant, Mr. Greek Gyros, Ithaki Estiatorio, Spectrum Bar & Grill, and Zeus Restaurant – many of them Greek-American family legacies that have been open more than 25 years – are the stars of the show.
Taste of Greektown provides an all-ages atmosphere with Greek music from Hellas 2000 and djs throughout the weekend, plus Greek dancing, family activities, and shopping and retail, including Athenian Candle Co., a family business that has been open in Greektown for more than 100 years.
A gyros-eating contest will be held at 5 p.m. Aug. 29, with sign-up available starting at 3 p.m.
Greektown has the largest concentration of Greek restaurants in Chicago.
The 36th annual Taste of Greektown festival is presented by the Greektown Chamber of Commerce, with additional support from Greektown Special Service Area 16.
The festival will be open from 4-10 p.m. Friday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 29-30.
Admission is free, with a suggested donation benefiting the Greektown Chamber of Commerce.
For information, visit GreektowChicago.org.
