Downtown Springfield Association
A restaurant worker serves a sample to a guest at Taste of SoMo
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Here it is, your Taste of SoMo guide for 2021

October 22, 2021


Taste of SoMo, presented by SGC Foodservice, is back!

After a cancellation in 2020 and multiple postponements in 2021, you can once again sample some of the finest restaurants and food trucks in Southwest Missouri on Park Central Square. Admission is free.

This year’s festival is noon-4:30 p.m. Oct. 23. Before you visit us, here are some things we’d like you to know.

Use your tasting tickets like cash

The first thing you want to do is get your tasting tickets. You can purchase them at the gate with cash or card. They come in sheets of 10 for $10. Planning ahead? You can buy your tickets now on our website and pick them up at the south gate, near South Avenue and McDaniel.

Those tickets will be used like cash to pay for samples at any of the booths. You can also use tasting tickets to buy soft drinks and water from Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper or beer from Heart of America. Drinks can be purchased with tickets or cash only. If you find yourself cashless, just head over to a ticket booth and use your card to buy more tickets!

Lots of free parking nearby

Don’t know where to park? We’ve got you! There is lots of free parking near the Square. Here are some options.

  • Heer’s Parking Garage, 230 North Campbell
  • College Station Car Park, 409 West McDaniel
  • 310 North Boonville, 2-hour parking
  • 313 North Boonville, 2-hour parking

All four of these options are .2 miles away from Park Central Square. On-street parking Downtown is also free, with no time limit on the weekends.

Don’t mind paying a little to park? For just $5 you can park in the Davis Properties Park Central Garage (434-446 East McDaniel Street), or on the surface lot next to Hurts Donut Co. (320 Park Central West). Both lots are just .1 miles away from the Square! Planning on having a few drinks? We recommend taking Uber or Lyft. We want everyone to have a great time and get home safely.

It’s a rain or shine event

Yes, we’ve seen the forecast for Saturday. We don’t love it. But we are prepared to hold Taste of SoMo no matter the weather. Plan to bring an umbrella, rain jacket, boots or whatever else you need to keep dry while you enjoy your samples. No one likes soggy samples.

There will be music

What’s a party in Downtown Springfield without great live music? We’ve got three acts scheduled to entertain you while you enjoy your afternoon.

Dance off some calories and head back for more samples!

Bring your appetite

We have 19 restaurants ready to serve you, offering everything from Tinga Tacos to OMO Japanese Soul Food, Sugarfire Smoke House BBQ to wings from Harbell’s Grill & Sports Bar and much more. And it’s not all savory. We’ve got several dessert options as well as drinks from Spring Branch Kombucha and Tin Lizzie’s Tonic Truck.

Here’s who else will be serving up samples: Best Of Luck Beer Hall, Big Whiskey’s, Black Sheep Burgers & Shakes, Chameleon Cuisine, Civil Kitchen, Dublin’s Pass, Greek Belly, Jamaican Patty Co., Kung Fu Tacos, NoBaked Cookie Dough, The Sandwich Scene on McDaniel and Xurros Handcrafted Spanish Donuts.

To help you plan ahead, we’ve created this handy-dandy menu. It’s got items and tasting ticket prices for every single restaurant and food truck! You can also view this year’s brochure as well as the map for the festival and plan your path.

Alright, now we’re hungry. See you Saturday for Taste of SoMo!