Though I am arguably biased as a local, Chicago in the summer is one of the greatest cities in the world. Part of that is due to the number of events on a given weekend, including Chase Sapphire events<\/a>.<\/p>\n One such marquee event is The Infatuation’s Eeeeeatscon<\/a> Chicago, Presented by Chase Sapphire.<\/p>\n Picture a music festival-meets-food festival experience, with local and national restaurants as the headliners, plus live music performances and panels.<\/p>\n I attended The Infatuation’s Eeeeeatscon Chicago, Presented by Chase Sapphire from July 13 to 14. Here’s what the event was like, and how you can find similar events near you.<\/p>\n Daily Newsletter<\/p>\n Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter<\/p>\n Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG\u2019s experts<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This summer, Reserve cardholders can also purchase VIP tickets for music festivals across the country, including Lollapalooza, Outside Lands and Ocean’s Calling. They’ll enjoy entry to the Sapphire Reserve Lounge with a guest as well.<\/p>\n For this particular event, my favorite part was the Sapphire Reserve Lounge for Chase Sapphire Reserve<\/a> cardholders, who also earned 3 points per dollar spent at the festival.<\/p>\n 1 of 4<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Perhaps it was because of the first bite of food I had, but my favorite food of the festival was in the Sapphire Reserve Lounge. It offered various appetizers from Diego, a Mexican craft cocktail bar in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood.<\/p>\n 1 of 4<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Of everything I tried, the tuna tostada, the corn and tomato tostado and the suenos ceviche were the best bites of the event.<\/p>\n The lounge offered complimentary bites and five cocktails for purchase, including the Sapphire Signature Cocktail \u2014 a vodka or gin concoction with blueberry, goldenberry, lime, ginger, oregano, five spice powder, bee pollen and pearl dust. <\/strong>Reserve cardholders received two free drink tokens for use throughout the lounge.<\/p>\n 1 of 3<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Chase cardholders who purchased presale tickets received 50% off individual ticket purchases, plus applicable taxes and fees. Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred Card<\/a> holders also got early access to the festival at 11 a.m. CDT \u2014 one hour earlier than general entry.<\/p>\n Reserve cardholders could also purchase tickets for cardholder-only events, including a cocktail class held by Apotheke, a cocktail apothecary-themed speakeasy in New York City’s NoMad neighborhood.<\/p>\n On both days, there was a Sapphire treat time for cardholders in the lounge from 4 to 4:30 p.m. It included free espresso martinis from Menotti’s Coffee Shop on Saturday.<\/p>\n 1 of 2<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Other cardholder events included Sapphire Hour, where Preferred and Reserved cardholders could enjoy free food from a select vendor. Saturday’s Sapphire House featured Tribecca’s Sandwich Shop, a local counter-service spot in Avondale that offered free food from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. My boyfriend took one for the team and enjoyed the Reuben sandwich from TriBecca’s.<\/p>\n 1 of 3<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Sunday’s Sapphire House was at Los Angeles-based Tacos Los Cholos. There was also a Chase Ink Market Chicago-themed shop with Funky Chunky pretzels, candles and Spice House teas for purchase. Shoppers received an Ink-themed bag.<\/p>\n 1 of 5<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Given the brutal heat of the day, the lounge felt like an air-conditioned safe haven, with two restrooms, phone chargers and plenty of seating from which to watch the main stage.<\/p>\n 1 of 4<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n More than 20 restaurants from Chicago and elsewhere were available at the event. Each served tasting-size portions at stands throughout the grounds.<\/p>\n 1 of 4<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The majority of stands were outside. More specifically, there were food options from:<\/p>\n 1 of 4<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Although the event advertised vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, most of the food was catered to equal-opportunity eaters. Guests could enjoy the food at picnic-style seating inside and outside.<\/p>\n Seeing as I am gluten- and dairy-free, my boyfriend indulged in the items of my choosing (aka the ones I couldn’t eat). Since I am a personal fan of Shake Shack, I made him try their exclusive menu collaboration with Ann Arbor, Michigan’s Zingerman’s Delicatessen \u2014 a pastrami Shackburger with Angus beef, Swiss cheese, pickles, sliced pastrami and Shake Shack’s special sauce for $12 \u2014 which he thoroughly enjoyed.<\/p>\n 1 of 2<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Right next door was Ciao Ciao, so he obviously had to try the salted caramel gelato, which he quickly devoured.<\/p>\n 1 of 2<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As a dairy- and gluten-free eater, only two out of the 20 vendors offered options for me: Tuk Tuk Thai Isan Street Food and Tacos Los Cholos. Given the line at the latter, I opted for pad thai with shrimp at TukTuk ($10), which hit the spot.<\/p>\n 1 of 2<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Outside the main food hall, there was a Teremana Tequila stand with complimentary crafted tequila cocktail samples.<\/p>\n 1 of 3<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Though food was the main event, the experience included music programming events with two Chicago rappers as well. One was a moderated conversation with Chance the Rapper, and the other was a book signing with Common.<\/p>\n 1 of 4<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n On Sunday, there was a panel with TV personality and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen, who also had a booth for her book “Cravings.” My favorite activation was from La Croix; the long line was worth the free goodies, such as a glass cup and a hat.<\/p>\n 1 of 5<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Activities outside of the lounge were open to all attendees.<\/p>\n 1 of 3<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Other performances came from Dee Dee Da Goat, Maker, DJ Intel, Lori Branch, The Jesse White Tumblers, Creation Chicago, the South Shore Drill Team and The Pack Drumline.<\/p>\n Select Chase cards<\/a>, particularly the Chase Sapphire Reserve<\/a> and the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card<\/a>, offer cardholders access to special events nationwide throughout the year. Events include Eeeeeatscon and Sapphire Presents, a concert series hosted by Chase Experiences<\/a>.<\/p>\n 1 of 4<\/p>\n CAROLINE TANNER\/THE POINTS GUY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When considering the annual fees of these cards ($550 and $95, respectively), keep in mind cardholder perks like these. They easily contribute to each card’s overall value since event access is specifically restricted to cardholders.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/07\/20240724_Eaaats-Chicago_CTanner_264.jpg?width=3840\"\/)
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<\/picture>\nChase Sapphire cardholder perks<\/h2>\n
Food options<\/h2>\n
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Nonfood activations<\/h2>\n
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