A Guide to Taste of Syracuse 2022: Central New York’s Best Food Festival

Last updated on June 3, 2022.

In Central New York, the Taste of Syracuse is the unofficial start to summer. This beloved festival unites the community over the universal love of food. Restaurants from around the area set up booths to showcase their most popular dishes.

The best part? Every stand offers a sample for $1 or $2. Which means you can hop from booth to booth all day and night and have the most diversified meal of the year. Without spending a fortune.

I’ve been attending Taste since I was a kid. It’s an event I look forward to for weeks, plotting out what samples I want to try and in what order. And since the pandemic canceled the festival for the past 2 years, people are more eager than ever to attend.

There have been years of bad weather, years of mediocre music, and years of ridiculous crowds. But there’s a nostalgia factor that makes you forget all that. It’s always a guaranteed good time. Plus, it’s the best festival for foodies like me.

New Taste of Syracuse Vendors for 2022

Since it’s been three years since the last Taste of Syracuse, plenty of restaurants have both opened in closed in that time. There’s no doubt that this year’s festivities will look a little different than previous years. Check out some of this year’s newcomers:

3-1-fried – One of my newest favorites in town, 3-1-fried will be at the festival showcasing their incredible fried chicken sandwiches.

Danny’s Steaks & Decir Algo – Enjoy two of the newest endeavors of culinary master Kyle Mastropietro. Danny’s serves up the most authentic Philly cheeseteak sandwiches in Syracuse, while Decir Algo operates as a ghost kitchen serving tacos.

Pawsitivitea CNY Café & Cat Lounge – Pawsitivitea is the second cat café to both open in Syracuse and attend the festival. I doubt any kitties will be in attendance, but you can grab an iced tea or half moon cookie. What’s a cat café? A super popular trend in Japan. Check out the one I visited in Tokyo.

Salt City Market – One of the major newcomers? Salt City Market. I’m happy to share that many of the vendors from Salt City Market will also be vendors at the festival. This includes Baghdad, Cake Bar, Erma’s Island, Mamma Hai, Miss Prissy’s, and SOULutions.

Taste of Syracuse Yearly Favorites

“Dizzy Pig” Donuts

Glazed & Confused Donuts debuted on opening day of Taste of Syracuse in 2017. Appropriately so, since the first Friday in June is National Donut Day. Their dish? The “Dizzy Pig”, a maple bacon bourbon donut. Yes, it is as good as it sounds. That first year, they were so successful it gave them the boost they needed to open up their brick & mortar shop. It’s now one of the most famous eateries in Syracuse and regularly has celebrity visitors.

Risotto Bombs

Another favorite of mine are the risotto bombs from Peppino’s. Oh my goodness they are yummy, perfectly covered in marinara. Better yet, give me five. Please and thank you.

Bacon Bombs

If you call a food item a “bomb”, it gets all the attention! This one is packed with meat and wrapped in bacon.

Garlic Parm Pierogies

Moose Shack has unexpected, yet fantastic, garlic parmesan pierogies. The Polish girl in me has to get these every year.

Fried Dough

Pizza Frittes are so beloved in Syracuse that Villa held pop-up fried dough days to help us get through the roughest days of the pandemic. The sugar-coated treat is a staple of both the State Fair and the Taste of Syracuse.

Live Music

With three separate stages located throughout the festival, there is plenty of live music to enjoy. Both local and national acts are ready to entertain yourself while you stuff your bellies. This year, enjoy local favorites like Sophistafunk, Jess Novak, My So Called Band, Just Joe, and a few dozen more.

The highlighted act of the 2022 festival will be the alt rock band Everclear. Find them on the main stage on Saturday night.

Visiting the Taste of Syracuse

The Taste of Syracuse only lasts for two days each year. Friday and Saturday of the first full weekend in June from 11am to 11pm each day. The event is FREE to attend, and if you look carefully, you can find free parking too. Don’t be tricked into paying just to be a block closer.

Go grab your closest friends and head downtown this Friday & Saturday. If you see me, please say hello!