The State Fair of Texas is often a foodie’s paradise, and the new fare for 2022 is sure to please.
In addition to the three dishes that won at the Big Tex Awards, these creations will make your tastebuds happy.
Funnel cake is a fair staple, but Fernie’s Funnel Cake Factory is kicking it up a notch this year with Fernie’s Funnel Cake Chicken Sandwich. A chicken breast sits between two funnel cakes and can be drizzled with either honey or syrup. Either way, it sounds like heaven.
If you’re near the children’s aquarium or Tower Building food court, grab a big slice of pickle pizza. It’s a cheese pizza topped with sliced pickles.
Pupusas are making their mark on the fair this year. These delicious corn pancakes are stuffed with pork, spinach, and cheese. Stop by Tony’s Taco Shop in the Centennial Building with the Texas Auto Show to try the Latin favorite.
If you are from the Midwest, you will appreciate the dirty sodas spiked with cream, flavored syrup, and fresh fruity add-ins. They can be found at Stiffler’s Mom’s Cookie Factory on the Midway.
If you need a little more of a bite in your drink, go to Nimitz Circle and visit Garza’s Ranchero Fajitas for a Chismosa. A twist on the traditional mimosa cocktail, the Chismosa is rimmed with chamoy and Tajín.
Fair food is meant to be easy to eat, so you will find many selections “on a stick,” or in the case of Texas Ranch Hog Wings, on a bone. The pork is jazzed up with ranch salt, a homemade sauce, and garnished with chives. Find them at the Grand Stick or the Cattle Barn.
Deep-fried southern dumplings will give your grandmother’s sweet potato and pecan pie a run for their money, especially since it’s wrapped in a dumpling and deep-friend, then dusted with powdered sugar. The delectable dessert is served at Ruth’s Tamales with a homemade rum raspberry chipotle dipping sauce.
Other sweet treats include cookies and creme donuts on a stick, Raspberry Chipotle Sopapilla Cheesecake, Deep Fried Praline Cheesecake Egg Roll, Deep Fried Honey, Deep Fried Strawberry Shortcake Crunch Roll, and Doh-Muff, which translates to a donut battered with a banana nut muffin mix, deep fried and topped with strawberries, banana, and pecan butter glaze.
If you find yourself on a diet or “lifestyle change” on your fair day, there is still something you can indulge in, the Shaking Beef Salad. Head over to Chan’s Chicken on a Stick to try the French-inspired Vietnamese dish, which consists of beef sautéed with cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, pepper, and soy sauce.
For a mixture of all things southern and savory, try the Cajun Lobster Bisque Croquettes, a Bayou Bowl made with macaroni and cheese, shrimp, crab, and andouille sausage.
At Benavides Foods, try the Deep Fried Country Cookout, containing pulled pork, herbed goat cheese, and house-made special sauce, rolled up and deep fried, then topped with a dollop of potato salad and coleslaw and drizzled with jalapeno barbeque sauce.
Dim Sum Loco Burritos are Tex-Mex at its best with shredded pork, lightly fried diced potatoes, onions, bell peppers, and mildly spicy, melted pepper jack cheese rolled up burrito style in egg roll wrappers and deep fried until golden brown and crunchy. Available at The Dock.
Fair food is so good that even Elvis has appeared at Holy Biscuit. The “Fat Elvis” is made for a king. A big helping of peanut butter and jelly is put on a biscuit with fried plantains and toasted marshmallows.
To help decide what you’ll eat and where, download the fair food map to plan your trip.