Restaurant tastings, wine sampling, and live cooking demonstrations will fill the afternoon when the Plano Food + Wine Festival returns to Legacy West on Saturday, November 7.
The event is scheduled for noon to 6 p.m. at 5908 Headquarters Drive in Plano. Organizers advertise more than 100 wines and a restaurant lineup offering food-pass holders tastings from 15 participating restaurants.
For visitors planning their afternoon, one detail matters first: Food tasting ends at 4 p.m., two hours before wine tasting concludes.
The festival offers separate food and wine passes, a combined option and a VIP experience. What visitors can sample depends on the ticket they buy, not simply on being at the event.
Restaurant Tastings Put Local Teams in the Spotlight
The Plano Food + Wine Festival features about 30 local restaurants, giving the event a food component that goes beyond snacks served alongside wine.
The announced participant list includes Quartino, Truluck’s, Earls Kitchen + Bar, Toulouse Cafe and Bar, Taverna, Kai, Lombardi Cucina Italiana, Fogo de Chao, Tacodeli, Uchiko, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria and Loro Asian Smokehouse, among others.
Those names span several restaurant styles, from pizza and pasta to tacos and barbecue-influenced cooking. The opportunity is to try dishes from multiple teams during one visit, rather than commit the afternoon to a single restaurant.
A food pass includes tastings from 15 restaurants within the larger advertised lineup. It should not be understood as unlimited sampling from every participant.
Visitors hoping to try a particular dish should check the latest festival information rather than assume a restaurant’s regular menu will be available.
A People’s Choice Award Adds a Competitive Element
Participating restaurant teams will also be presenting dishes with a People’s Choice Award in view. The award announcement is scheduled for 4:15 p.m., shortly after the food-tasting period ends.
That creates a smooth afternoon transition: Visitors can explore the food offerings before the event recognizes a participating restaurant.
For diners, the restaurant tastings offer a chance to discover a place they might want to visit afterward. A festival portion introduces the food; a later restaurant visit offers a chance to explore the broader menu.
Anyone whose main interest is food should plan around the noon-to-4 p.m. window rather than arrive near the festival’s overall closing time.
More Than 100 Wines, With a Defined Tasting Allowance
Wine tasting is scheduled to continue from noon until 6 p.m. Wine passes include a festival wine glass and 20 tasting tickets, with each ticket covering a one-ounce pour.
The difference between the selection and the allowance matters. More than 100 wines are advertised, but a wine pass does not include a tasting of every wine.
Visitors can choose among the offerings rather than treat the advertised total as the number included with admission. The same allowance of 20 wine-tasting tickets applies to the wine-only and combined food-and-wine passes.
For groups attending together, the separate ticket options allow each person to decide whether food, wine, or both will be the focus of the afternoon.
Cooking Demonstrations Add Another Way to Explore the Food
Live culinary demonstrations by chefs from Lombardi Family Concepts are also planned.
The demonstrations give visitors something to watch between tastings, alongside local vendor shopping and sponsor activities. They add another component to an afternoon otherwise organized around sampling food and wine.
Visitors interested in a particular demonstration should check the latest event schedule before attending. Knowing when a presentation begins can help them fit it around the shorter restaurant-tasting window.
The program also advertises a complimentary photo booth. These additional activities do not change the separate food and wine tasting hours.
Ticket Prices and Tasting Hours
Published ticket prices range from $45 for wine tasting to $125 for VIP admission:
- Wine tasting, $45: A festival wine glass and 20 tickets, each covering a one-ounce pour.
- Food tasting, $55: Tastings from 15 restaurants between noon and 4 p.m.
- Food and wine tasting, $80: Both tasting options, including the wine glass and 20 wine-tasting tickets.
- VIP, $125: Food and wine tasting, plus access to a designated patio with seating, additional food, and two drink tickets.
VIP patio sessions are listed for noon to 3 p.m. or 3 to 6 p.m. Restaurant tastings end at 4 p.m.; wine tasting continues until 6 p.m. Visitors considering the later VIP session should confirm how the food-tasting access works before purchasing.
Check the final checkout amount and current ticket availability before paying.
What to Know Before Heading to Legacy West
SBG Hospitality is organizing the festival. Tickets are available through its official booking page, which lists a no-refund policy.
The event is advertised as rain or shine, and outside food and beverages are not permitted. Children are welcome, although no child-focused activities are advertised.
Before leaving, check the organizer’s latest updates for any schedule changes or updates to participating restaurants.
For North Texas diners, the festival offers a way to explore several restaurant teams in one afternoon. Which discovery would make the day most worthwhile: a wine you hadn’t considered, a chef’s technique, or a restaurant you would return to for a full meal?
