The abstracts at ASCO 2026 are landmark. The lines for coffee are even longer. While the oncology community debates practice-changing data, the OncoDaily team took on the truly important fieldwork: eating its way across the McCormick Place exhibit hall so you know exactly where to detour between sessions.
The exhibit floor is more than a place to collect badge scans and brochures. For the thousands of clinicians, researchers, and industry attendees navigating Hall A, the right snack at the right moment is the difference between a productive afternoon and a 2 p.m. crash. Below is the OncoDaily guide to the best food at ASCO 2026 annual meeting, booth by booth, with booth numbers so you can plan an efficient route. A flagged floor-plan map is included at the end.
The Top 5 Food Stops at ASCO 2026
Astellas Pharma: Hummus bar Booth 15131
The wellness winner. Build-your-own bowls with fresh pita and a range of toppings make this the rare exhibit-hall food that leaves you energized rather than needing a nap. Smart, fresh, and quietly the healthiest stop of the day.
ConcertAI: Salted caramel cream coffee and a stroopwafel Booth 12131
The undisputed power pairing of the floor. Real-world data on the screens, real comfort in the cup. The warm caramel-and-coffee combination, served alongside a chewy stroopwafel, is the closest thing to a mid-conference reset you will find in the hall. Come for the AI story, stay for the coffee.
Iovance Biotherapeutics: Charcuterie cup Booth 13119
The most elegant grab-and-go option on the floor. Cured meats, cheese, and a few accompaniments are packaged so they can be eaten standing in a poster hall without making a mess. It is the booth that understood you skipped breakfast to make the 8 a.m. oral session.
TerSera Therapeutics: Freshly baked cookies Booth 22149
You will smell this booth before you see it, and that is the entire strategy. Warm, soft, straight-from-the-oven cookies draw a crowd on aroma alone. When it comes to exhibit-hall treats, warm beats everything.
Ascentage Pharma: Hot dog stand Booth 11137
The plot twist nobody expected and everybody appreciated. A full hot dog stand in the middle of an oncology meeting is unpretentious, a little nostalgic, and a fitting nod to the host city. Ballpark energy, no apologies.
Honorable Mentions
- Celcuity — Chocolate-covered pretzel sticks (Booth 15151). The salty-sweet snap that hits exactly right in the mid-afternoon lull.
- Foundation Medicine — Fresh smoothies (Booth 19145). The reset button: cold, fruity, and the most refreshing option on the floor when the halls warm up.
- Precision for Medicine — Toasted marshmallow latte (Booth 10119). Dessert disguised as a coffee. Cozy, a little indulgent, and a good excuse to linger at the booth.
- Bayer — Cookie dough and sea salt caramel ice cream (Booth 13059). The end-of-day treat. Two flavors, zero regrets, and the stop best saved for last.
How to Plan Your Exhibit Hall Food Route
Most of these stops cluster in the western half of Hall A, which makes a single loop realistic between sessions. The Top 5 sit relatively close together near the central aisles, while Bayer anchors the southern stretch and TerSera Therapeutics sits to the east, so build them into your walk to and from the poster area. The map below flags every stop: gold markers for the Top 5 and coral markers for the honorable mentions.
The Bottom Line
ASCO 2026 will be remembered for its science, but the exhibit hall quietly runs on caffeine, sugar, and the occasional hot dog. Whether you are powering through back-to-back sessions or simply need a reason to step away from the posters, these booths are worth the short detour. Use the map to plan your loop, and if a stop earned a place in your day that we missed, tell us in the comments. Follow OncoDaily for continuous coverage from ASCO 2026 in Chicago.
This is a lighthearted OncoDaily feature; booth offerings and locations are subject to change. No abstracts were harmed in the making of this list.