The 34th annual Taste of Bethesda will return to Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle on Saturday, October 3, from 11am-4pm, bringing dozens of local restaurants, live entertainment and family activities to downtown Bethesda.
The annual festival will take place along Norfolk, St. Elmo, Cordell, Del Ray and Auburn avenues, approximately three blocks from the Bethesda Metro station.
Admission to Taste of Bethesda is free, with food and drink available through a ticket system. Tickets will be sold on-site in bundles of five for $10, with individual food servings costing between one and four tickets. Ticket sales will end at 3:30pm, while restaurants will continue serving through 4pm.
This year’s lineup features more than 40 restaurants and food and beverage businesses, with a wide variety of cuisines represented.
Participating restaurants and their announced offerings include Agora with grilled meatballs and Ottoman rice, zucchini fritters and oven-baked rice pudding; ala with chicken kebab, kofte sandwiches, baklava and Turkish coffee; Aveninto Cucina with Caesar salad and suppli; Benihana with chicken fried rice and spicy chicken gyoza; and Cubanos with empanadas, croquetas, Cubano sliders, mojitos and sangria.
Other highlights include Georgetown Cupcake with several cupcake flavors; Hawkers Asian Street Fare with tofu bites, basil fried rice and Korean chicken; Kusshi Sushi with pork dumplings, chicken karaage, Japanese calamari and takoyaki; Levain Bakery with several of its signature cookies; Medium Rare with steak sandwiches and French toast; Mon Ami Gabi with French onion soup and pumpkin spice macarons; and Q by Peter Chang with Beijing duck bao, Sichuan chicken bites, Sichuan chili wontons and green tea crème brûlée.
The Big Greek Cafe will serve mini gyros, spanakopita and baklava, while Pisco y Nazca will offer causa de pollo, ceviche callejero and tuna tartare tacos. RUTA plans to serve borscht, sour cherry donuts and beet ice cream, while Smoke BBQ will have pork and chicken sliders, chicken wings and mac and cheese.
Dessert options will include Bethesda Chocolates, Nothing Bundt Cakes Bethesda, Ooh La La Bakery, The Original Velatis, The Red Bandana Bakery, Tout de Sweet and others. Smoothies, teas and specialty beverages will also be available from businesses including Pure Green, Smoothie King, Sweeteria, Teazzi, Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Just Ice Tea.
Several participating restaurants, including The Food Market, Mussel Bar & Grille and Rosetta Bakery, have not yet announced their Taste of Bethesda menus.
In addition to the food, the 34th annual event will feature four stages of live entertainment along with activities for children throughout the festival area.
