About
Taste Trenton is a restaurant crawl event through Chambersburg and Downtown Trenton to provide needed exposure for the new restaurant offerings in the area, help increase tourism to the City, and re-brand the public image of the ‘burg and central business area. Our goal that this event will attract 500 and 1000 people into Trenton, which will benefit not only the restaurants, but all of the businesses and organizations nearby. Most of all, we expect our visitors to be delighted by the range of cuisines and great food available in Trenton and this will inspire them to return with their friends again and again!
Taste Trenton 2023 — a ‘small plate restaurant crawl’ event — will run June 9 to June 11, 2023 and will feature restaurants in Chambersburg, Downtown, and other Trenton locations. In past years, we welcomed several hundred guests into Chambersburg and Downtown to sample and explore Trenton’s many ethnic and other restaurants. This year, we are gearing up our promotions to greatly expand attendance and again will highlight the new restaurants that have opened in the capital city. All participants can access participating restaurants, locations, and menus through the Taste Trenton website.
Taste Trenton 2023 — a ‘small plate restaurant crawl’ event — will run June 9 to June 11, 2023 and will feature restaurants in Chambersburg, Downtown, and other Trenton locations. In past years, we welcomed several hundred guests into Chambersburg and Downtown to sample and explore Trenton’s many ethnic and other restaurants. This year, we are gearing up our promotions to greatly expand attendance and again will highlight the new restaurants that have opened in the capital city. All participants can access participating restaurants, locations, and menus through the Taste Trenton website.
Taste Trenton, the Capital City’s Restaurant Crawl returns for its sixth season featuring a slew of local restaurants!
Taste Trenton is back! The acclaimed Capital City restaurant crawl will be on June 9th, 10th, and 11th, 2023 to show off some of Trenton’s best eateries.
Once again, food adventurers wearing special wristbands will enjoy reduced-price dishes at restaurants across Trenton. As in previous Taste Trenton events, there's a dizzying array of cuisine options including Costa Rican, Venezuelan, Dominican, and Guatemalan. As well restaurants featuring BBQ, classic African-American fare, and choices with a New Orleans flair. We even have a few "special" opportunities for our guests focused on coffee, cupcakes, ice cream and even Irish whiskey!
This year, as in the past, a broad variety of restaurants will be on the self-guided tour. (Restaurant registration continues through May 25th.) Taste Trenton began in 2015 as a project of the Trenton Council of Civic Associations (TCCA) as an effort to re-introduce Trenton’s restaurant scene to the residents of Trenton and surrounding communities after several well-known restaurants in the Chambersburg Restaurant District closed or re-located to the suburbs.
“We were hearing two consistent stories,” says Bernard McMullan, the coordinator of Taste Trenton.
“First, people told us that ‘All the restaurants in Chambersburg were closed.’ Second, many people proclaimed that there were ‘no places to eat in downtown Trenton.’ "
“We knew that both statements were inaccurate. Yes, restaurants had closed. But most people didn’t realize that new restaurants had opened up within a short time in the same buildings and were offering really exciting food options. Our goal is to introduce these new restaurants to guests in a low-cost, easy manner.”
Here’s how it works: Food tourists purchase a wristband from Taste Trenton. Wristbands are valid for the entire weekend. (Daily pass wristbands are also available). Come to ArtWorks (19 Everett Alley) to pick up the wristband and a map that lists each participating restaurant and provides an on-link showing each location describing their weekend specials.
The tour is self-guided; those on the tour select which restaurants they want to visit, how long they want to stay, and which of the specials they want to try. Since its launch in 2015 as a one-day event focused on 12 restaurants in Chambersburg, Taste Trenton has expanded to an entire weekend promoting dozens of restaurants throughout the city. Each event has attracted more and more guests, from 150 participants in the first year to 250 to 350 annual guests since then. The pandemic caused Taste Trenton to be suspended for 2020, but was revived for 2021. We are delighted that so many of our restaurants have weathered the crisis and it is now time to celebrate their perseverance.
“We believe that getting people to cross the thresholds of restaurants is very important.” McMullan notes. “The tour guides people to the restaurants; the reduced price samples mean guests are not concerned about dropping a lot of money on something they don’t like; and, the restaurant has the opportunity to make these guests return visitors.”
1911 Smokehouse Co-owner, Reggie Hallett, is a strong supporter of Taste Trenton. “When we were invited to join in the second year, we jumped at the opportunity. I can confidently point to 15 to 20 of our regular customers who first came to the Smokehouse for that event, and they haven’t stopped coming.”
Once again, food adventurers wearing special wristbands will enjoy reduced-price dishes at restaurants across Trenton. As in previous Taste Trenton events, there's a dizzying array of cuisine options including Costa Rican, Venezuelan, Dominican, and Guatemalan. As well restaurants featuring BBQ, classic African-American fare, and choices with a New Orleans flair. We even have a few "special" opportunities for our guests focused on coffee, cupcakes, ice cream and even Irish whiskey!
This year, as in the past, a broad variety of restaurants will be on the self-guided tour. (Restaurant registration continues through May 25th.) Taste Trenton began in 2015 as a project of the Trenton Council of Civic Associations (TCCA) as an effort to re-introduce Trenton’s restaurant scene to the residents of Trenton and surrounding communities after several well-known restaurants in the Chambersburg Restaurant District closed or re-located to the suburbs.
“We were hearing two consistent stories,” says Bernard McMullan, the coordinator of Taste Trenton.
“First, people told us that ‘All the restaurants in Chambersburg were closed.’ Second, many people proclaimed that there were ‘no places to eat in downtown Trenton.’ "
“We knew that both statements were inaccurate. Yes, restaurants had closed. But most people didn’t realize that new restaurants had opened up within a short time in the same buildings and were offering really exciting food options. Our goal is to introduce these new restaurants to guests in a low-cost, easy manner.”
Here’s how it works: Food tourists purchase a wristband from Taste Trenton. Wristbands are valid for the entire weekend. (Daily pass wristbands are also available). Come to ArtWorks (19 Everett Alley) to pick up the wristband and a map that lists each participating restaurant and provides an on-link showing each location describing their weekend specials.
The tour is self-guided; those on the tour select which restaurants they want to visit, how long they want to stay, and which of the specials they want to try. Since its launch in 2015 as a one-day event focused on 12 restaurants in Chambersburg, Taste Trenton has expanded to an entire weekend promoting dozens of restaurants throughout the city. Each event has attracted more and more guests, from 150 participants in the first year to 250 to 350 annual guests since then. The pandemic caused Taste Trenton to be suspended for 2020, but was revived for 2021. We are delighted that so many of our restaurants have weathered the crisis and it is now time to celebrate their perseverance.
“We believe that getting people to cross the thresholds of restaurants is very important.” McMullan notes. “The tour guides people to the restaurants; the reduced price samples mean guests are not concerned about dropping a lot of money on something they don’t like; and, the restaurant has the opportunity to make these guests return visitors.”
1911 Smokehouse Co-owner, Reggie Hallett, is a strong supporter of Taste Trenton. “When we were invited to join in the second year, we jumped at the opportunity. I can confidently point to 15 to 20 of our regular customers who first came to the Smokehouse for that event, and they haven’t stopped coming.”