“Taste of” events now dominate the mid-city and Uptown neighborhoods as an efficient way to expose residents and outsiders to the a neighborhood’s dining scene in a rapid-fire, free-for-all food crawl.

Aside from the addition of a Cocktail Crawl (see more information on our calendar), there isn’t much new to this year’s template. Rather, ingenuity is left to the restaurants, which serve up bite-sized morsels hopefully intriguing enough to inspire a follow-up visit.

Identified on the adjacent map are the nine businesses opening up since the last Taste of North Park. They make up nearly 20 percent of this year’s 50 participating businesses, which is perhaps a testament to the large growth happening in North Park’s commercial district.

For a complete list of participating businesses, or to buy a ticket to Taste of North Park (on Oct. 11), visit northparkmainstreet.com.

Highlights from the map:

22
Tacos Perla
3000 Upas St.
What to expect: tacos, both normal and bizarre

28
UnderBelly
3000 Upas St.
What to expect: “local ramen, craft beer”

12
Swami’s Café
2920 University Ave.
What to expect: health-conscious, delicious food, an unnatural combination

13
Bazinga Eatery
3382 30th St.
What to expect: Mac ‘n’ cheese enlightenment

14
Hammond’s Gourmet Ice Cream
3077 University Ave.
What to expect: unrecognized ice cream flavors that you shouldn’t resist

34
Influx Café
3000 Upas St.
What to expect: cold brew coffee, and perhaps a raw-juice-bar creation

35
Venissimo Cheese
3007 University Ave.
What to expect: a horde of refined lactose lovers

30
City Tacos
3028 University Ave.
What not to expect: sour cream, cheddar cheese and mild flavors

36
The SafeHouse
2930 University Ave.
What to expect: 36 taps, “Japanese pub food”