Instagram blew up this week with everyone talking about the return of the Vegan Street Fair (which had been on hiatus since 2019). It sounded like a big deal: 150 vendors, 60,000 people, and half a mile of food trucks and booths. (One article called it “the world’s largest vegan event.”)

One of the most exciting things was that each vendor had a $4 tasting item, so you can try A LOT of things. Another exciting thing was that several vendors came from other cities (Atlanta, New York, Chicago, etc.) like Community Vegan from Austin with this crab cake slider. (This was one of the best things I tried.)
This is the strawberry pistachio mini popsicle from Yoga-Urt (they also had a chocolate flavor with purple sprinkles).
This one was also really tasty (and a lot of food for $4), the jackfruit ceviche tostada from Yaqui Zen Kitchen. It’s topped with Sriracha mayo and tuxedo sesame seeds.
This cheese pizza from Scandylous Delights is made from a light and buttery pastry with cheese and sauce folded into the corners. It’s topped with crispy onions.
I’m glad Scoops on Tap is semi-local because I wouldn’t mind trying more flavors. This is their Summer Lemon Blueberry Crunch, and it was Very. Good. It’s coconut cream, lemons, blueberry drizzle, and crushed lemon sandwich creme cookies. It sort of tasted like lemon blueberry cheesecake.
I’d seen Compton Vegan at other events, but they were always out of ribs. Fortunately I got there early today! The “meat” has a great chewy texture, and the sauce is delightful–very peppery.
The Plant Lab is another one I’ve been meaning to try. This is the neutron maki roll.
Named for two cats (Nova and Boba had photos posted at the booth), Nova Boba serves tea with vegan brown-sugar boba.
This is the Will Miles sausage from GoodFood Chicago. It has “Chicago-style” toppings, meaning mustard, tomatoes, onion, green relish, sport peppers, a pickle spear, and celery salt.
I ordered the beef but accidently got the guava empanada from Black Rican Vegan. It was so good, though, that I can’t image the beef being better. (Maybe it is!) The dough was buttery and flaky with just enough guava paste to be flavorful without being too sweet.
Avocadamama specializes in vegan mac and cheese. This is their OG mac, the original cheesy pasta topped with bread crumbs.
Another one of my favorites was the elote cup from Drippin Wangz. It was creamy without being heavy and tasted very light and fresh.
And finally, one of my all-time favorites, Plant Power Fast Food. I meant to avoid things I’d already tried, but I couldn’t resist their chocolate shake.
Walking the 1/2 mile of Vegan Street Fair in 14 seconds.
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