About

Taste of the Upper West Side is hosted by The Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

Taste of the Upper West Side, now in its 14th year, is a much-beloved neighborhood event that showcases the significance and scope of the Upper West Side’s culinary community. It attracts about 3,500 guests over two nights.

Over 60+ chefs from our district’s best restaurants serve tastings of their signature dishes, over two nights. We strive to invite new restaurants each year, some that haven’t even opened yet, to give the community a chance to meet the chef and sample their foods. The range is deliciously diverse, and attendees will experience the wonderful cuisines of our area’s finest restaurateurs.

Please join us in celebrating with friends and neighbors at our annual fundraiser, while sampling delicious food, wine, craft beers, and spirits. The price of admission entitles you to all offerings.

Please note: Attendees must be 21+ to attend, and must provide a valid form of ID when asked to do so. No children are allowed at the event (including children in carriers, strollers, etc.).

The event serves to raise vital funds for the Columbus Avenue BID’s beautification and improvement projects. Your support makes possible our ability to undertake projects that we would otherwise not be able to afford. Some of our recent improvements include providing 19 BigBelly solar and pedal-operated trash baskets to combat a rat issue in Theodore Roosevelt Park; providing funding for a Greenhouse Classroom at the O’Shea School; building our sustainable streetscape block between 76th-77th on Columbus Avenue, with trees, seasonal flowers, and even Manhattan’s first bioswale (a water retention system) with a plaque describing how it works; doubling the size of  the Columbus Avenue tree guards, to make the avenue greener; and supporting the Wellness in the Schools program for the past ten years at the O’Shea School where the event is held under a grand tent. The school houses The Computer School, The Dual-Language Middle School, and the Anderson Program.

As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, your contributions and tickets are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law, with the exception of $25.00 per ticket.