Eleven restaurants will compete at the 18th Annual Downtown Wheaton Chili Cookoff on Saturday, Oct. 3. The event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. in downtown Wheaton, with unlimited chili tastings included in every ticket.

Tickets went on sale Sept. 2. General admission is $20 per person. Friends of Downtown Wheaton members pay $15. A Chili Crew 4-Pack bundles four general admission tickets for $60.

The 11 competitors are Altiro Latin Fusion, Bien Trucha, Front Street Kitchen, Gia Mia, Grange House, Hale Street Cantina, Ivy Restaurant, Luong Loi Restaurant, Moveable Feast + Co., QCurrys Indian Kitchen and The Burger Social.

Front Street Kitchen enters the cookoff for the first time under its new name. The restaurant rebranded from Dough and the Backyard in August, shifting from a pizza-focused menu to modern American cuisine. It joins a field that mixes Latin, Indian, Vietnamese and American kitchens across the downtown district.

Live music comes from Kevin Janus and the Wheaton Dad Band, a local group also known as the DAD Band.

The Downtown Wheaton Association organizes the cookoff through its Friends of Downtown Wheaton program. The 17th edition took place on Oct. 4, 2025, with the same $20 general admission, $15 member and $60 four-pack pricing tiers.

Patch first reported the ticket launch. Tickets are available at tickets.visitdowntownwheaton.org.