Roscoe Village Burger Festival wrapping up 17th annual event; Taste of River North also concludes Sunday

CHICAGO — Two big Chicago food festivals conclude their weekend runs Sunday.

The Roscoe Village Burger Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 2000 West Belmont Avenue, while Taste of River North also runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Wells Street, between Ontario and Chicago.

Both events should also be blessed with pleasant weather on Sunday .

Here’s more info on each:

Roscoe Village Burger Festival

The grills have been fired up in Roscoe Village all weekend for the neighborhood’s annual burger festival.

The sights, sounds and smells were back in full swing for the festival’s 17th year, with lots of mouth-watering options up for grabs.

There are two “Best Burger” contests, a “People’s Choice that will be announced at 5:30 p.m. Sunday and a “Critic’s Choice” that was announced Saturday night. WGN Entertainment Reporter and food expert Dean Richards was one of four judges in the “Critic’s Choice” category.

Fatso’s Last Stand, which has locations in Ukrainian Village and Lincoln Park, took home top honors for its classic Fatso Burger. The offering includes a half-pound double-patty of 100% Angus beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions and Fatso’s special sauce.

“I’ve owned Fatso’s now about nine years,” owner Scott Floersheimer says. “But it started in the ’70s as a small little burger joint (with) milkshakes, fries.

“It was called Pepe’s, but it’s been Fatso’s Last Stand proper now (for) about 14 years.”

Floersheimer also said he’s familiar with the taste of victory.

“We won three of the years, our best burger,” he said. “We did not win last year, but we did win the year before that, then we skipped a year, and then the year before that as well.”

Floersheimer is hoping that a new menu item will help Fatso’s clinch the top spot again in the “People’s Choice” category.

“This year we just introduced a bacon jam burger that was around 20% of sales (Friday),” he said. “We are thrilled. And this one, we use a homemade bacon jam and pepper-jack cheese.”

Burgers aren’t the only thing offered at the annual event, however. Nightly live music and a kids’ zone offer a bit of extra fun for everyone.

But for some, this year’s event is bittersweet.

“This is our last year,” said Gail Munoz, who owns Select Cut Steak House along North Halstead with her husband, Tony.

Tony and Gail were among the original vendors at the event. They’ve been running their restaurant for 30 years, but retirement is beckoning.

“We’ve met a lot of amazing people, and you know, got married, had kids, the kids are growing up, and we’ve watched all that happen in the restaurant,” Gail said.

Tony and Gail plan to close up in a couple weeks, but they couldn’t resist bringing the family back to Roscoe Village for one more Burger Festival. They said if they do return next year, it’ll only be to eat.

Click HERE for more information on the Roscoe Village Burger Festival.

Taste of River North

Live music and a variety of food options have also been available all weekend in River North, starting Friday and concluding Sunday.

The event features offerings from 12 area restaurants, and Sunday will include live music from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m., along with a kids’ zone and wine and spirit tasting.

Visit tasteofrivernorth.com for more information.

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