While the city celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month by hosting parades and events, one neighborhood is celebrating it in a new way.

A group of Pilsen organizations will host the first ever “Buen Provecho!” Pilsen event from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 16.

Comparable to a smaller version of the Taste of Chicago, Buen Provecho! is a one- night food feast for a low price.  A single $20 ticket will give the attendees the option of trying authentic Mexican food from more than 20 restaurants, all located in the Pilsen area.

Hector Saldana is director of commercial development at the Eighteenth Street Development Corporation. He gathered interest in the restaurants after meeting with them and seeing what each one would offer for this event.

“There are other neighborhoods that do restaurant tours, and we figured since 18th Street is concentrated with many different restaurants and they’re so close together that you can actually walk to them, why not try to do one here,”  Saldana said.

For many of these restaurants, it will be the first time they participate in an event such as this one.  Adding a little mix to the menu are a couple of restaurants that put a spin on traditional Mexican food.

Leo Barragon is one of the owners of Cafe Mestizo, 1646 W. 18th St., one of the participating restaurants. The cafe is a family business owned by Ecuadorians. He said they selected tamales oaxaenos (tamales from Oaxaca, Mexico); they are made differently than regular tamales because they are made with banana leaves and are a house specialty.

“I think this event is a great idea because food is part of our culture, and culture represents a great part of Chicago,” he said.

Standing out as one of the few Chinese restaurants in Pilsen is Taste of Chinatown, 1343 W. 18th St. The restaurant will serve crab rangoon, Singapore noodles and a combination satay at the event.

Alex Rusli works as a translator at the restaurant. He helps out with the English and Spanish speaking customers.

“We have a good business here,” he said. “We feel great participating in the event because today we can help them and tomorrow they will help us.”

To purchase tickets in advance, contact the Eighteenth Street Development Corporation by phone at (312) 733-2287.