Aroma Indian Cuisine is one of 16 downtown restaurants that will be participating in Taste of First Street. Participants who buy tickets will get to enjoy foods from a variety of First Street restaurants. (Photo by Nick Sestanovich)

(This post has been updated from the print edition.)

When it comes to great restaurants, many would say First Street has no shortage. Downtown Benicia has a wide variety of eating establishments of every cuisine, from American to Mexican to Italian to Indian to Thai to a whole lot more. However, trouble does arise for newcomers when it comes to deciding where to eat first—no pun intended, seriously. There are simply too many options.

Well, if you come to Benicia on Tuesday, Aug. 23, you can sample 16 of them.

For the ninth year in a row, Benicia Main Street will be hosting its annual Taste of First Street, in which downtown restaurants set up booths along First Street and provide samples of their menu items. Benicia Main Street Event Coordinator Deborah Housman said the event started after Benicia Main Street employees had seen other communities doing a similar event.

“We chose a Tuesday because that’s a slow night in the restaurant business, so it kind of works out to have this event and get people in the restaurants to taste something that they’re offering,” she said.

Participating restaurants this year include Aroma Indian Cuisine, Camellia Tea Room, Dianna’s Bakery and Cafe, Double Rainbow Cafe, Elviarita’s Mexican Grill, First Street Cafe, Forever Sala Thai, Kinder’s BBQ and Meats, Lucca Bar and Grill, Pacifica Pizza, Rookies Bar and Grill, Rosanna’s Bakery, Sailor Jack’s, The Rellik Tavern, Union Hotel and Venticellos Ristorante Italiano. All of the eateries will be providing small portions of their food to anyone who buys tickets.

“We think Benicia has a lot to offer in terms of the different varieties of food,” Housman said. “When we get people that come into the Depot and they want us to suggest a place, we let them know that we have everything from casual dining to fine dining and all sorts of ethnic and American foods. There’s a lot of variety here.”

The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 23. Advance tickets are $30 per adult or $55 for two adults, but the ticket prices will increase to $35 and $65 respectively on the day of the event. The ticket price includes tastings at all the participating restaurants, a souvenir wine glass and two complimentary glasses of wine. Tickets are limited to 300 customers, so interested participants are encouraged to buy tickets early. Tickets can be purchased online at BeniciaMainStreet.org or in person at the Benicia Main Street offices, located inside the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot at 90 First St. For more information, visit BeniciaMainStreet.org or call 745-9791.

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