CINCINNATI — About 50 vendors showcasing culinary and cultural delights from 15 countries are setting up along Court Street Plaza in downtown Cincinnati this weekend for the return of Asian Food Fest.

Plans call for 40 restaurants and food trucks to pack the pedestrian corridor between Over-the-Rhine and the Central Business District. There are also nine “secret menu” vendors sprinkled throughout the event grounds to make it the largest Asian Food Fest on record.

Hours are Saturday, April 29 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, April 30.

Vendors are serving a total of 170 menu items this weekend. (Photo courtesy of Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber)

The menu of 170 dishes ranges from spicy noodles to sushi to Hawaiian poke. Qorinah Wardhani, co-chair of the Asian Food Festival, said the event team curated the list of food offerings to ensure there was no overlap.

Food prices range from $3 to $10. Local craft and Asian beer are available for purchase as well. There’s no shortage of boba tea offerings, either.

The highlight of the festival is the food, obviously. But that’s not the only thing on the menu this weekend. The event, now in its 12th year, aims celebrates the rich Asian cultures represented in southwest Ohio.

A group of friends created Asian Food Fest in 2010 to promote the diversity in the Cincinnati region by highlighting many of the traditions, cultures and heritages of the of the local Asian American and Pacific Islander community, Wardhani said. She said they viewed food as a strong entry point for doing that.

The Asian American Cultural Association of Cincinnati came about in 2014 as a way to continue that mission. The organization now runs the event alongside the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

“What I’m looking forward to most from the festival is just seeing everybody from the community come together to make this an exciting event,” Wardhani said.

There are more than 100 performers and are scheduled throughout the weekend. Performances include dancing, singing and stand-up comedy. They’re also planning to display the work of local Asian artists.

Downtown bar Tokyo Kitty is letting guests get in on the fun through its inaugural “Eastern Eats and Vocal Beats” karaoke contest. The contest is Saturday from 8 to 10 p.m. Those interested in taking part can register online.

Other activities include an Asian calligraphy workshop, crafts for kids, a game-like tutorial on how to use chopsticks.

Below is a list of vendors and the entertainment schedule. More information is available on the Asian Food Fest website.   

Food vendors

• Angie Tee’s Kitchen
• Banh Lao & Thai Cuisine
• Blesame International Catering
• Boba Cha
• Bridges Nepali
• Chhnganh*
• Chinos Street Food
• Christine’s Casual Dining
• CinSoy Foods
• CM Chicken
• Deme Kitchen
• Desi Plaza / Desi Bites
• Dine-In Hawaiian
• Eden’s Kitchen and Grill
• Evolve Bakeshop
• Fortune Noodle House
• Greater Cincinnati Chinese Cultural Exchange Association*
• Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati’s YouYu
• Inday Nezzy’s Kitchenette*
• Kona Ice
• Kung Fu Tea
• Lalo
• Little Chef Medy
• Lotus Street Food
• Mahope
• Mangan*
• Masala*
• Mena Pastry Collaborative - Sponsored by Dean’s*
• Milk Jar Cafe
• Neko Sushi
• Nou Street Food
• OH! Boba
• Ono Turo Turo
• Pho Lang Thang Group
• Red Sesame 
• Roll on In
• S.E.A. Cuisine
• Sago
• Sawasdee Thai Cuisine
• Smiles ‘n Spice*
• Stone Bowl Korean
• Streetpops
• Taste of Lebanon - St. Anthony of Padua Maronite Church*
• Tea n Bowl 
• Thai Express
• Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Group - Cincinnati*
• Wendigo Tea Co.

*Secret menu vendor

Entertainment schedule

Saturday — main stage

• Noon — Rongrong Li
• 1 p.m. — Taiko Drums (Dayton)
• 2 p.m. — Pamana Dance Group
• 2:30 p.m. — Freya Dance Studio
• 3 p.m. — Bing Yang Chinese Performing Arts Center
• 4 p.m. — Anaya Belly Dance
• 4:30 p.m. — Greater Cincinnati Chinese Cultural Exchange Association
• 5 p.m. — Mark Joshua
• 6:30 p.m. — World Dance Cincy ‘23
• 7 p.m. — Asian Food Fest Comedy Hour with Ayriana Kasper and Pinak Patel
• 8 p.m. — Tokyo Kitty presents, Eastern Eats and Vocal Beats Karaoke! with DJ Hi David

Saturday — DJ stage

• Noon — Samnang
• 1 p.m. — | V |
• 2 p.m. — Hi David
• 3 p.m. — Ani Cheng, B2B, Lokeez
• 5 p.m. — Jibbs
• 7 p.m. — Bhangra X Bollywood Block Party with DJ Vikas and DJ Mowgli

Sunday — main stage

• Noon — Sarah Gorak
• 1 p.m. — University of Cincinnati’s Korean Culture and Dance Club
• 1:30 p.m. — Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Group (Cincinnati)
• 2 p.m. — Bing Yang Chinese Performing Arts Center
• 3 p.m. — Gajdi Jawani
• 4 p.m. — Cincinnati Opera
• 5 p.m. — Filipino American Association of Southern Ohio
• 6 p.m. — Asian Food Fest Comedy Hour with Saku Yanagawa, Ayriana Kasper, Pinak Patel

Sunday — DJ stage

• Noon — Silbak
• 1 p.m. — Spam
• 3 p.m. — DJ Mowgli
• 5 p.m. — Kim L
• 6 p.m. — Vusive

Activities schedule

Both bays

• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Learn to Write (Asian calligraphy)
• 1 to 4 p.m. — Kroger Asian ARG (kids’ arts and crafts)
• 1 to 4 p.m. — Chopstick workshop
• 4 to 6 p.m. — Sand rangoli (sand art)
• 6 to 8 p.m. — Play-Doh mooncakes and dumpling creation station
• All Day — 52 Voices/Tea Tent from Artworks and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
• All Day — Asian Food Fest information/gift basket raffle