Taste of Marietta Brings Flavor and Fun to the Square

MARIETTA — The spirits were flowing, the grills were fired up and the weather was picturesque as tens of thousands milled about Marietta Square on Sunday for Taste of Marietta.

The festival, presented by Superior Plumbing, offered local favorites like Williamson Bros. Bar-B-Q, Piastra, Mac’s Chophouse and L on North, to name a few.

There were also food trucks offering twists on street food, from egg rolls to corn dogs.

For those wanting a taste of traditional carnival fare, they were not disappointed. Turkey legs, funnel cakes and fresh lemonade were spotted all over the Square.

Taste of Marietta is much more than just food, though, offering live entertainment, the Kid’s Alley and a vast array of non-food vendors.

Admission to the festival, held annually in and Glover Park in downtown Marietta on the last Sunday in April, is free, though food and drinks ranged in price from $2-$9.

Organizers said the crowd for the festival usually reaches about 35,000, and that was to be expected this year as well.

Several attendees were excited to try out new dishes they had not yet encountered.

Mariah Johnson got the sampler from Carbart’s K-Dogs, a Korean corn dog food truck dishing out mozzarella cheese-stuffed dogs and traditional beef hot dogs fried in their secret batter and coated with panko, potato or a special Hot Cheetos option.

Carbart’s had a line crossing the entirety of East Park Square throughout the day Sunday.

Another popular spot was EggRoll Boyz, just across from the Korean corn dog spot, which offered specialty egg rolls. The jerk chicken iteration was a hit among those rolling with EggRoll Boyz on Sunday.

Faith Jones told the MDJ she had been to Taste of Marietta years ago, but that she had not made it back to the festival since before the COVID-19 pandemic — until Sunday.

She had just stopped at Gaston Street Eats Food Truck, which offered unique twists on Southern cuisine with inspirations from New Orleans, Atlanta, Savannah and Memphis.

Jones went with the “The Coastal,” a deconstructed shrimp boil with shrimp, andouille sausage, red potatoes and lemons alongside grit cakes.

Other popular dishes from Gaston included the “Granny’s Hangover Cure,” a fried mac-and-cheese ball over pulled pork with barbecue sauce and fried onions, and the food truck’s take on chicken and waffles.

“What better way to spend the day out enjoying life in good weather, than to be out here at the Taste of Marietta,” Jones said.