One thing about Fort Wayne is there are nearly endless food options. Savory, sweet, spicy, and delectable are just a few words to describe all the different city restaurants. 

It’s hard to make it to all of them, but Visit Fort Wayne’s annual Savor Fort Wayne is the perfect opportunity to expand your palate. 

For 12 days from Jan. 15-26, more than 70 restaurants are participating in deals and special menus to celebrate Fort Wayne’s food scene. This ongoing tradition gives the citizens of Fort Wayne a great opportunity to try some new restaurants rather than going to the same ol’, same ol’. Types of cuisines you are able to try range from Mexican and Italian to Asian fusion and steakhouse. 

Don’t forget all the cocktail bars, coffee shops, and lounges participating as well. 

Bagel shop takes advantage

I got to speak with a couple local business that are participating in Savor Fort Wayne about their excitement and expectations. 

The first was Davey’s Delicious Bagels & Coffee, conveniently located downtown at 1006 Broadway. 

Davey’s are known for their wide array of bagel options and sandwich creations such as their El Guapo, a breakfast sandwich on an Asiago bagel with turkey bacon, pork sausage, egg, cheese, and their famous Davey’s sauce. 

“It’s a lovely opportunity for me to reach like-minded people through the Savor program and share the shop and menu with them,” owner/operator Davey Heritier said. “We pride ourselves with having such a unique shop and product that our biggest obstacle a lot of times is brand awareness in Fort Wayne.” 

Heritier went on to talk about how Savor brings a lots of new faces to his shop to try something new and hopefully return later. 

One of his biggest take aways every year is seeing how “Fort Wayne is full of curious and supportive food enthusiasts.” 

Chance to try cider bar

Tyler Butcher is chief financial officer/vice president of Kekionga Craft Company, a cider bar in northeast Fort Wayne, 7328 Maysville Road. This cider bar features 14 in-house taps with their delicious ciders as well as their menu of wine, mead, and beer. 

Situated in a historic apple mill, Kekionga opened its doors in 2017 for Fort Wayne to see what their ciders were all about. 

“Savor Fort Wayne helps us combat the post-holiday lull,” Butcher said. “It incentivizes guests to frequent us during a traditionally slow time. 

“Savor also gives us a chance to show new customers our great food and service. This has led to several newcomers becoming regular customers. 

“We always look forward to coming up with some creative dishes. Savor is a great time to try out something new and get our regular customers excited to try new things. Our kitchen gets a chance to show off their hard work and talents.” 

Something for every taste

Savor Fort Wayne isn’t the only example of our city celebrating diverse food options. 

We have Taste of the Arts, Greek Fest, Three Rivers, Johnny Appleseed, and even more festivals that showcase the cultural impact and growth Fort Wayne has endured. 

Our city is extremely diverse and has cuisines from all over the world. 

Within recent years, the drinking scene has also grown all over town. From unique coffee shops, distilleries, breweries, wineries, and bars, Fort Wayne has it all. Whether you’re in the mood for a glass of wine or you are just looking for that cozy coffee shop vibe, there are so many locations to choose from. 

While restaurants are still perfecting their menus and getting those specialty options ready, you can check out the list of participating locations at savorfortwayne.com. 

Along with special menu items there will be vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options available at certain locations. 

This could be a wonderful opportunity to set dates for yourself, friends, partners, and families to explore more of what Fort Wayne’s food scene has to offer!