Las Olas Wine & Food Festival

This event needs to take some notes from the South Beach Food and Wine festival but holy hell of a mess. The lines to get checked in were crazy while there were multiple lines elsewhere in middle of festival with no lines. Directing a few people there would have been smart and alleviate some of the long lines.
The festival is literally located on las olas Blvd, ok I get it, it’s las olas food and wine festival but the narrow street with large tents and sidewalks opened for the public made it really tight to walk through and super hot. It was so uncomfortable walking through the tents all you did was want to rush out because it was so crowded. They filled the tents with plants but didn’t have enough garbage cans thus the plant pots became the trash. For such a classy event get it together. There was plenty of wine to try from which was a plus but I was littler disappointed with the food vendors how many they were and what they choose to showcase. Some vendors even shut down early before the event closed a big NO to that.
They did have areas for VIP set up that had more room and you could relax but I’m not sure if there was any GA relaxing area which for amount you pay you should because Sobe does it. All and all paying 100 bucks for this is not worth it at all perhaps 50 but do yourself a favor and go to the Sobe food and wine festival spend the extra 75 – 100 bucks and you get a whole day event from noon –5 with music food galore, seating areas, chef showcases, free giveaways gift bag and plenty of alcohol to go around, not to mention beautiful beach and sand to surround you with a BREEZE!

Yes, I think I shall go with three stars. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time. but the general impression I left with and also hearing other’s opinions of years past, I just don’t think I can say I’m a fan. South Florida is certainly not lacking for food festivals, and Las Olas Food and Wine is one of the few I hadn’t been to. I was SUPER lucky to win two VIP tickets for my boyfriend and I to attend the 2016 festival through Unilocal.Knowing that VIP began at 6:30, I made sure we made our way downtown early, and I was able to park in my go to spot for $ 5 in the garage behind YOLO. We wandered our way down Las Olas and saw the tents set up. At this point we were a little early, but wanted to make sure we knew where we were so we approached the line for will call. They informed us that check in wouldn’t start until 6:30 (I think it was 6:23) but said they would help us out then. Browsed the area a little and headed back where a line had formed. I would like to say check in was a breeze, but not so much. In our case the will call wasn’t all that well organized, it seemed there were somehow multiple lists that had different things on them, so finding the list with our names took a bit. They were very friendly however, and it wasn’t long before we were equip with wine glasses and lanyards and headed into the festival.
Entering there are sections of tents lining Las Olas, all filled with restaurants and wine vendors. Now VIP entrance was at 6:30, and when we entered the first tent they checked for our VIP bracelets and let us by. At the early entrance time there weren’t many vendors prepared to serve food, but we did happen to grab a ceviche from Sucivhe and a glass of wine. As we moved down to the second set of tents again we showed our VIP bracelets and got in, but found many of the vendors not to be ready. By the time we made it to the third block of tents they had stopped letting people in and said the event began at 7:30. At this point i was just very confused. Was VIP not actually early entrance? Or were some areas early and some not? And in general before 7:30 there was kind of an unfriendly «What are you doing here already» vibe from the vendors. I will say however 15^th Street FIshieries was super friendly, were happy and ready to share their dish early for VIP, and the shrimp was delicious.
As 7:30 came we finally got free reign over the entire event. I enjoyed the Crown wine and cheese lounge area (amazing truffle cheese) and the Hard Rock and Kuro and well as Stache had super impressive displays. The theme of the year seemed to be pulled pork, and many of the vendors served it, but there was a decent amount of seafood as well. There were plenty of food and wine choices to make anyone very full, and a little tipsy, and the Zico girls were very welcome for some hydration. All the vendors put on a good show despite the heat, and it seemed like people had come prepared with the right amount of things (though I did leave maybe 20 minutes early).
My main reasons for three stars? First the VIP confusion. What is the purpose of the $ 50 extra for a VIP ticket if you won’t be allowed into the tents or be served anything. The VIP lounge had cocktails, but only one food option (Lobster Bar Sea Grille, which was great octopus). To me one extra food vendor does not $ 50 equal. The setup of the event in general was a little poor. It’s a great concept with a open air stroll through the streets food festival feel, but the aisles through the tents were much too narrow (made more crowded by unnecessary plant décor) and at some points you literally could not move through. Trash cans were also incredibly hard to find, and most I did encounter were the city’s normal garbage and recycling bins along the sidewalks, not ones provided by the event. In general execution just left something to be desired, and if I were to go again I really wouldn’t pay the extra for the VIP unless they clearly laid out what it would include… and one extra food vendor doesn’t cut it. There were some high points with some great bites, and some very friendly restaurants, but in terms of the event itself I’ve seen much better, and for a lower price tag.

We had a BLAST at the event! It was very well organized, staff was friendly, and we had more food and drinks than we could have imagined! What an amazing event for a great cause! Thank you American Lung!

We love this event. Our 2^nd time attending and its definitely growing in popularity.
We decided to use Über to take the hassle out of driving and parking. We shared our ride down with 2 random 20yr old, they were fun to chat with.
Opted for the VIP experience so we arrived early to get a jump on the evening. Check in was a breeze and we picked up our wine glasses and wrist bands. The wine glasses were accompanied by a peculiar looking holster that was attached to a lanyard to hang around your neck. Looks more like some sort of crazy sex object but what do I know, lol.
We hit the VIP lounge and got loaded up with cocktails and wine while we walked around and people watched. It was a little challenging trying to figure out what was open early so we did a lot of bouncing around. IMO, they should’ve had VIP food vendors near the VIP check-​in and lounge.
7:30 came quickly and all the GA showed up in droves. We managed to get through the whole thing and sample some amazing food and select wines. Some of our faves were the Crave Rum Cakes, fish dip from 3030, pasta from Louie Bossi’s and Sette Bello and ceviche for SuViche. Truthfully everything we tried was great and we definitely will be going to visit them to sample more.
To top the night off I was hoping to meet some of my Unilocal friends and was lucky enough to run into «Blue and his crew» which I remember Greshka, Tina but sorry, I forgot the other 2.
If you haven’t experienced this event before mark your calendar and make it happen next year. I was surprised there were no portolets along the side streets but hopefully they’ll continue making improvements for next year.

Awesome time! Great food! I would like to see an increase in the quality of the wine offered. Still a great event!

All up and down Las Olas you can drink win and beer and eat and sample lots of food until you are sick. The cost of the ticket is normally $ 100 but I did not have to pay. It was an adventure, many restaurants were there — honestly I drank so much wine, I don’t remember most of them… sorry… a few radio stations. our own personal Unilocal booth where I won a fan and all. It was very interesting people watching and the type of people who go or try to impress others by taking them.
While I had a good time, would I pay $ 100 for it? Sorry but not my style, it was hot walking up and down the street, I wouldn’t even pay $ 25 for it. I would rather go in a/​c and sit somewhere where I can drink and eat and enjoy. However, lots of people love it, so don’t take what I have to say for gospel, I think everyone should try it at least once (especially if you don’t have to pay… LoL)

This was my first year attending the Las Olas Wine and Food Festival, and I was lucky enough to snag a VIP ticket from Unilocal :)
My hot date (Ashley M) and I arrived promptly at 6pm and immediately ran in to fellow Unilocalers — Max and Dennis. After some wandering around the Riverside Hotel we finally figured out the VIP reception area was up on the 8^th floor. A large area with a balcony we were able to relax with Michael C. and Goldie C. as well while catching up over light bites — passed ceviche and grilled chicken, as well as a large selection of cheeses, crackers and some Mediterranean style snacks. Wine choices in the VIP area were Cab Sav and Chardonnay… and hey I may have even gotten carded up there ;)
As 7:30pm approached we grabbed our wine glasses and convenient food holding tray and headed down to the main festival. The festival itself runs straight down Las Olas with many restaurants in the area serving up small bites as well as separate wine vendors setting up to pour their varieties. Stretching from Cheesecake Factory and way down past AmSo this event is nicely spaced out so it never feels too crowded and you’ll definitely get your steps while there!
Sure, some of the restaurant lines got long, but it was easy to bypass them and swing back around on another loop and get in line then. I must note that I didn’t see any place running out of food at any point, and I don’t believe we left the festival until close to the end time! So, that’s a HUGE plus… I frequently attend wine and food festivals and frequently see the food run out early on.
As noted by Brenda P. who attended a previous year, I also didn’t see many desserts at this year’s festival, and we ended up at Indigo afterwards to grab a sweet treat :)
Overall it was a great night, and the weather cooperated, so no rain, and no sweat! It worked out perfectly.
A great way to hang out with friends and sample a bite from the area restaurants while getting more than your share of wine, however at $ 100 for GA this is one of the pricier wine and food festivals in the area!

i love this wine and food festival. in my opinion this is the best local food festival in south Florida. To begin, its on Las Olas blvd which is beautiful and fun place to eat, walk around shop and on any night. Add to that the street is lined from one end to the other on both sides with booths serving up samples of some of their marquis dishes. nearly every restaurant on Las Olas and fantastic restaurants from all around south Florida are represented. this year there were a few more craft beer booths and a few less wine… that was ok with me. the vibe and atmosphere are just so much fun, i cant wait for next year.

We’ve done the festival twice and, if it was up to me, I’d never do it again.
Forget the lines, and how warm it is, and how annoying parking can be, and how long it could take to complete the check in process, and how it is that they didn’t think about the bathroom situation, and how they didn’t place benches for people to sit for rest here and there… forget all of that. The bottom line is the fact that this festival should be renamed from the Las Olas Food and Wine Festival to the Las Olas Food and SUCKY Wine Festival.
Great food indeed… although this last time a lot of the restaurants served the same things and some didn’t serve bite-​sized servings which made it difficult to eat. Still, good food indeed but… the wine is horrendous. PERIOD! End of story! And hopefully end of my story at the Las Olas Food and SUCKY Wine Festival.

I don’t know why some people say that the lines are long… and the food isn’t that good.
THis is my second food fest… and although I wish the price wasn’t $ 100.00…I def had my fill.
I NEVER encountered a line… except when I redeemed my entry ticket… and I left FULL on delicious food. I couldn’t even eat everything because I was so stuffed.
Definitely a fantastic event!

3 ½
This was my second time at the LOWFF.
I bought regular tickets online using the Unilocal discount code (THANK YOU Unilocal!). I arrived early and was allowed to check in. Score! I was shocked that we were able to just stroll in and out easily with our (real) glass and tray (checking in was a mess the last time I attended). Ladies, make sure you take a comfortable purse and shoes: balancing it all can get very tricky!
We started walking around right away. Most tables had little to no wait. I really didn’t see it get full until almost the end (lucky for us most people seemed to be on Miami Cuban time!). The setup for this event is well planned. The street is wide enough to allow the vendors and guests enough space alike. The event takes place completely outside. I am not sure why there’s a need for the small, random tented areas though. It gets extremely hot under those. For the most part, I skipped them. Who wants to stand in line sweating (more than usual) for a bite of food? Not me!
Usually, there are a lot of seafood options at most of these food festivals (a lot of ceviche and shrimp). It seems the memo this year was meatballs, meatballs, meatballs. If not meatballs, then it was any kind of meat! Perhaps that’s why Asia Bay stood out with their sushi? ha! Those were delicious. If it wasn’t because I was already really full, I would have returned. They were extremely generous too! The VOSS water stations were also everywhere! Considering it was incredibly hot and humid that night, that worked out nicely. The taco at Tap 42 was to blame for making me full. I just had to eat it all even though it was huge! No bite size offering here! Another favorite was Mango’s crab dip! Delicious.
I agree with Sherry, what happened to the desserts? I’m sure there were more, but I recall seeing just one station. Maybe they were under those hot tents I skipped! A-​ha! As full as we were, our group (of 10) ended up at Cheesecake Factory for a «bite» of something sweet. I know, I know, what a bunch of gluttons we are huh?
I vote they change the name to the Las Olas Wine & Beer Festival. The wine showing was very poor. Even when the wine was decent, it was served HOT. Um, no thanks. Pass. The breweries were the stars at this year event! Funky Buddha, Wynwood Brewing Company, and Michael’s Genuine? Sure! Bring it on! Cold and just perfect!
I am familiar with these type of food festivals and frequent them often. For what’s offered, I think the ticket prices for this particular one are set way too high. I would consider returning if a) The price was lowered (or I get another nifty discount code) and b) The wine selection improves to match that of the beers offered (and please serve the wines at a better temperature then at one that shows they’ve been sitting in a car all day). It IS a WINE and Food Festival after all, right?
Overall, it was a splendid evening combining all of the food and beer with a (mostly) great good of friends. I kid. I love you all!
See you next year! Maybe.

The big question for me on my way to the festival… is this going to suck as bad as the Las Olas Art Festival? The problem at that sidewalk festival is there is no room to walk; booths are right on top of each other, the place is packed and the walkways are roughly 5 foot wide with foot traffic going both directions… and I vowed to avoid that festival permanently.
Turns out, this event is laid out relieving all previous issues. The vendors were spread apart allowing plenty of space for people to line up for samples and still allow other spectators to walk buy without bumping shoulders or having to say excuse me.
THEME OF THE NIGHT
My twisted mind has me believing that it’s time we have a talk about… BALLS !
Every Wine and Food Festival I’ve gone to over the years (SOBE WFF, New Times Pairings, Iron Fork, et cetera), there is always a «common dish» of the night (making it sort of a theme in my eyes).
One event was all about «tuna»… seared, raw, poke, with seaweed, on a wonton… all night it was tuna…
Another event was all about «tacos»… some traditional with beef and others with fish and cabbage and then some real creativity with pulled pork and funky seasoning…
And of course «sliders» were the common at another event… pulled chicken, smoked brisket, beef patty with pickled everything…
LAS OLAS WFF took the cake this year with the common dish of the night MEATBALLS ! ! ! Totally not what I would expect but I’d say about 6 different vendors were handing out their balls… sadly I didn’t love any of them (I tried all but one).
HOW WAS THE FOOD
I hate to say it but UNIMPRESSED… after most events I can recall plenty of restaurants that I loved and just a few that disappointed. This time it’s reversed… too many dropped the ball.
And what was with all the meatballs… some had potential but some were over salted, some were lacking flavor or the worse one I could not stick a fork into it.
SOME WERE GOOD ! ! !
*** BOKAMPERS (which I have never been to) served a hot bread pudding that was delicious (even included vanilla ice cream). Their other dish sucked though
*** CULT TACO (the newest endeavor from the guys behind Tap 42) served up a brag-​worthy taco
*** HARD ROCK CAFE (which I typically do not like) served up delicious baby back ribs.
AND SOME WERE NOT ! ! !
*** NEW RIVER PIZZA AND GRILL were friendly but pushy to know our thoughts on the food… I ducked away because these fish tacos were bad… maybe next year they will bring pizza as the name suggests.
*** BRIO served bland pasta with overly spicy shrimp (come on Brio, we know you can do better)
*** STEAK 954 served something I’d expect from my grandmother (who happens to be a mediocre cook at best). I heard your a great restaurant but I was hoping for better
WASH IT ALL DOWN
Hats off to the beer vendors of the night… some gave better pours than others but all were more than happy to offer seconds and even multiple pours to try all the beer styles.
As for the wine vendors… I am far from being a wine connoisseur and will not pretend to be one either; but I was with my most reliable wine friend (I do believe he knows his grapes quite well). When he said the best wine of the night is over here, of course I followed… right to CRIMSON WINE GROUP serving Pine Ridge Napa Cabernet… the bottle rep poured my glass and I was scratching my head… he literally poured 1 cm… we both were like WOW…
CLOSING ARGUMENTS FOR 4 STARS
I know it sounds like I didn’t enjoy everything but keep in mind I am over critical and like to acknowledge the good and the bad… so to clarify, I think the event was organized extremely well and I happened to have a great time (regardless if most dishes weren’t memorable).

The festival made improvements with check-​ins since last year. There was no line when we arrived and they quickly scanned our ticket and let us in. They give you a plate that holds your wine glass… this is great when you are trying to juggle everything.
There were no lines at the sample tables. The sample tables’ staff were very friendly. It will take you the 2 ½ hours to visit all the tables. It is a great value for all the samples you receive compared to other wine festivals.
There were a lot of stands with meatballs and tuna tartar. There were only 4 tables with desserts. I miss the cupcake stand from last year. The Royal Pig had a great sorbet, which was refreshing after all the other food.
It was great to learn that Christina Wan’s is opening a new restaurant called Fat Buddha. They had a delicious food sample to show how they are going to infuse the Asian appetizers with a Greek influence.
Parking is easy at the Suntrust lot on Federal and Las Olas. It is $ 5.

When I won a VIP ticket thanks to Unilocal,I felt like I may as well have won the lottery. Saying I was excited for this festival is an understatement! The fact that I got to stroll Las Olas with some awesome friends made it even better… I had an absolute blast yesterday.
The lovely Greshka P. and I arrived shortly after the VIP party (called Privè) started at the Stranahan House (fun fact: I used to be a junior tour guide there in my youth, it’s an awesome little museum). Upon collecting our plates and glasses, we ventured inside and got our first wine tasting of the evening, the LaMarca Prosecco. Anyone who knows me knows that champagne is my beverage of choice, so for the most part, I stuck to the prosecco/​sparkling options throughout the festival for the evening. We then got to sample chicken tikka masala from the Publix Aprons Cooking School (and even scored a BOGO coupon for a class!) and a steak crostini topped with boursin cheese and carmelized onions from Capital Grille. The steak crostini was absolutely delicious — one of my favorite bites of the evening.
Once the main festival began, we headed out to Las Olas and began our grand adventure. Another one of my favorite bites of the evening came from one of the first tables I encountered — the smoked gouda mac and cheese with crispy prosciutto from S3. Other favorites I can name off the top of my head: the amazing short rib taco from Tap 42, the pizza from Caffe Europa, the chips and (spicy!) guacamole from Dos Caminos, the super creamy vanilla bean gelato from Gelato Petrini and the pasta alla vodka from Brio. Honestly, there were so many options to sample that I couldn’t name them all if I tried. I’m quite certain I’m forgetting some awesome options too.
I loved that, in spite of a massive amount of people, there was never a huge line for anything. The longest we had to wait was for the Amsterdam Mule at New Amsterdam… and that drink was so delicious that we waited in line for it twice. All of the people serving the food and drinks were so incredibly friendly and passionate about their businesses. My only complaint is that it’s just not enough time to try everything. There are SO many places participating that you cannot possibly hit all of them in two and a half hours with an event that spans three huge blocks of Las Olas Boulevard. But all things considered, that’s not a bad problem to have: I’ve been to other food & wine events where massive lines cut into your time, or food vendors too quickly run out of food and drinks… not here.
I had an amazing time here, and I’m so thankful to Unilocal that I was able to experience it with my friends. Thanks so much, Unilocal BPB!

I’ve gone to this festival three out of the last four years. I have mixed feelings about how to rate it. On one hand it is an awesome event with more food and wine then any other South Florida event I’ve been too. This was one of the more expensive events at $ 100 a ticket. I looked on line for discounts, but didn’t find any. If a couple goes it’s $ 200 plus the cost of parking. When I pay that much I expect everything to go off perfectly.
First I’ll talk about the event this year, 2013.
There were very long lines to check in. Since most people had already paid for their ticket they needed a better system to get them through quickly. Hey, I paid $ 100 for food and wine, not for standing in line.
It was set up so people could easily go from one table to the other without being crowded. There was a good mix of tables so you didn’t have to search for food or wine. A few of the tables had bottled water. There should have been more water stations. Walking a long way in the Florida heat and sampling all that food makes people thirsty. There was plenty of wine, but it was hard to find anything else to drink.
Only a few restaurants ran out of food early, so people who came late had food to eat.

Once you got in only a few tables had long lines, and they went quickly. There were so many tables that I skipped most of the ones with lines and came back to them later.
That brings me back to 2012
.
The weather report was calling for rain and the sky was getting dark. My husband and I were there for about fifteen minutes when it started to rain. It didn’t just rain, it poured. We ducked under an awning with a bunch of other people to wait out the rain. It didn’t stop. The restaurants near us tried to keep their tables open but finally gave up. Some took their food and ran, others left their food out in the rain. A few of the wine tables left their wine and people were running over to grab up a bottle so they would have something to drink while they took cover. My husband and I didn’t want to drink out of the bottle that was being passed around. Even standing under the awning, we were getting wet. We finally ran across the street and ducked into a restaurant. We were wet and hungry and we wanted to get something to eat. Apparently we weren’t the only ones with that idea because the restaurant was crowded. We decided to wait for a table. While we were waiting the rain let up. We decided to see if any of the tables had returned. It looked like a few tables were bravely trying to set back up. A couple of the restaurants that had awnings were serving food to the few remaining people. The rain finally stopped. I don’t know how many tables set back up. I doubt if it was many, since most of the tables had been cleared. We were so wet we decided to head for our car before the rain started again. Anyway we didn’t see much to stay for.
Now let me get back to $ 100 a ticket. There should have been a plan. How about when heavy rain is predicted have a rain date. Or maybe have tents which can be set up if rain is predicted. Before going this year I called to ask if they were offering discounts to people who were rained out before. The answer was no. I know it’s not your fault that it rained, but it is your fault that there was no backup plan.
The Good
Lots of food and wine.
The street was closed and the event was spread out over several blocks.
Most restaurants didn’t run out of food until the end.
The Bad
$ 100 a ticket.
Long lines to check in.
No plan, (at least in 2012), for bad weather.

Best event in Fort Lauderdale though the $ 100 per person ticket price hurts.

This is the review in my head if I had paid full price for my Las Olas Wine and Food Fest experience. I was lucky enough to win premium tix worth $ 225. I attended a small pre event (Prive) at the Stranahan House. (0ldest home in Broward now a little museum– go visit), then I was able to skip all ticket lines and start strolling around with a plastic tray and wine glass. And then, well…
There were very nice vendors and restaurant servers lined up and you can get wine you wouldn’t normally order and small tastings of mostly mediocre food from empanadas to ceviche to steak and frozen yogurt and gin and rum. It was fun and the food wasn’t bad — except for that ceviche ick– but I was high on freebie fumes. Free food and wine tastes better than food you pay for. For $ 225 they could serve up much higher quality food or dinners. The regular entrance fee of $ 100 is not a good value either. And the long lines to check in with those general admission tix — very long for $ 100.
The takeaway– Unilocal contests are great, so look out for them to win tickets to events like this one which should only be attended if your tickets are won in a great Unilocal contest.

What a great way to start your weekend… Las Olas Wine & Food Festival offers countless of wines, beers, and food to taste, and proceeds benefit the American Lung Association.
We started at the Privè event, where we got to try wines from Naked Grape and Apothic, paired with assorted cheeses, with candied walnuts, fruits, and crackers. We also got the chance to visit the Stranahan House Museum.
At 7:30pm we moved to the Las Olas Boulevard where you could sample over 50 local restaurants, and about 50 tables with wine and beers, and the Bombay Sapphire Lounge.
There was everything from pork, chicken, seafood, sliders, desserts… My favorites were the Shrimp, Goat Cheese and Spinach from YOLO, the fresh mozzarella from Mancini (need to go for more), the bread and pesto sauce from Gran Forno Bakery, the mussels from Timpano, and the Rum cake from Crave Rum. Of the wines I got to try, the Apothic red and their Rose stood out most. The Rose is a really good summer, share with friends, chill time kind of wine and it’s new! I got to try the Vanilla Porter beer and a Chocolate Stout (first time trying that). The Bombay Sapphire Lounge was cool, great music, and great drinks.
Everyone working the event was really friendly and genuinely happy to be there. They explained what their restaurants were offering and even a little more from their menus. They recommended which wines to try, according to what you liked. Even the public was very friendly too, we talked and shared some laughs with people while waiting in line for tastings or just walking the event. Everyone respected the lines, all was very organized, very impressed with their preparation.
The only bad thing was time. We got there as soon as event started and were not able to try a lot of the places there. 2.5 hours is not enough to make it all the way through the event and try all it has to offer. Still, must say I had a great time and loved every minute of it.