Get ready for the ultimate North Carolina State Fair food experience! With the State Fair just around the corner, we’ve put together a complete guide to help you savor every delicious moment. Below, you’ll find a handy food map showcasing this year’s new food, State Fair-inspired recipes, and a full list of all the must-try eats for 2024!
Tasted and Approved
Featured New Food Items
Photos by Getty Images
Alaska King Crab Pop
Oak City Fish & Chips
Fried, seasoned Alaskan King Crab skewered and topped with half a lemon
Crack Fries
GoldenKdog
Fries tossed in cheese seasoning with several dipping sauce options
Chamoy Pineapples
N&T Concession
Flavored pickles wrapped in Fruit Roll-Ups and stuffed with a variety of fruit candy, sprinkles, and Takis chips. Dipped in Chamoy sauce and sprinkled with Tajin seasoning
Mexican Street Corn Nachos
Red Carpet Amusements
Tortilla chips topped with nacho cheese, corn, a drizzle of mayo, parmesan cheese, and tajin. For an extra kick, add Takis or hot Cheetos.
Jerk Pork Belly Bao
Cool Runnings Jamaican
Tender slow-cooked jerk pork belly in a fluffy bao with a zesty vegetable mix
Tanghulu
The Candi Queen
Traditional Chinese snack with a crunchy, sweet exterior and a soft, tart interior, made with a variety of fresh fruits like strawberries, grapes, and mandarin oranges.
State Fair Inspired Recipes
Complete List of New Food Items
o Acai & Dragon Fruit Bowl: Acai bowl with fresh fruit, including dragon fruit, bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. (Brazilian Bowls)
o Affogato: One shot of espresso poured over vanilla ice cream. (Magdalena’s Chimney Cakes)
o Alaskan King Crab Pop: Fried, seasoned Alaskan King Crab skewered and topped with half a lemon. (Oak City Fish & Chips)
o Aqua Loca: Lime juice, orange juice, tomato, and grapefruit mixed to make a strong and exciting drink. (Just Popping Around)
o Bacon Cheeseburger Corn Dog: Burger and cheddar cheese hand dipped in corn dog batter, topped with cheese and real bacon. (Pioneer Wagon)
o Barbecue Bacon Queso Sandwich: Authentic Eastern NC smoked chopped pork BBQ, drizzled with queso and BBQ sauce. Topped with bacon. (Lawerence & Perry BBQ, LLC)
o Battered Bologna Fries: Bologna sliced into long-cut fries, battered and deep fried, served with Carolina gold dipping sauce. (Granny’s Country Kitchen)
o Big Bacon Wrapped in Cheese on a Stick: Bacon and cheese on a stick deep fried to perfection. (Bubba’s Bacon)
o Birthday Cake Cookie Dough on a Stick: Handcrafted cake batter cookie dough dipped in a birthday cake confetti coating, and sprinkled with rainbow sprinkles. (Kora’s Cookie Dough)
o Buffalo Chicken Pizza Cone: Mozzarella, breaded chicken, Ranch dressing, and buffalo sauce inside a warm pizza cone. (Kono Pizza)
o Buffalo Mac Bowl: Sauteed collards, grilled buffalo chicken, mac and cheese, drizzled with buffalo sauce. (Safari Eatz)
o Buffalo Oyster Mushroom Sandwich: Oyster mushroom, lettuce, and tomato topped with buffalo sauce on a bun. (Fresh AF Vegan)
o Cake Parfaits: Red velvet, brandy almond, and lemon meringue cake parfait served in a covered jar. (Cool Runnings Jamaican)
o Candied Oatmeal Pies: Traditional Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies covered with a sweet crunchy candy exterior. (The Candi Queen)
o Candied Oreo Cakesters (Cake Pops): A soft chocolatey snack cake filled with whipped cream filling and covered with a crunchy candy coating. (The Candi Queen)
o Carmel Apple Mini Cakes: Mini pancakes covered in apple pieces, caramel sauce, and whipped cream. (Hot Chix Hotcakes and Chicken)
o Chamoy Pickles: Flavored pickles wrapped in Fruit Roll-Ups and stuffed with a variety of fruit candy, sprinkles, and Takis chips. Dipped in Chamoy sauce and sprinkled with Tajin seasoning. (N&T Concession)
o Chamoy Pineapples: Flavored pineapple wrapped in Fruit Roll-Ups and stuffed with a variety of fruit candy, sprinkles, and Takis chips. Dipped in Chamoy sauce and sprinkled with Tajin seasoning. (N&T Concession)
o Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Iced Tea: Fresh brewed strawberry flavored iced tea infused with Hershey’s chocolate syrup and garnished with three hand-dipped chocolate strawberries. (Tiki Tea)
o Cotton Candy Mini Cakes: Mini pancakes covered in whipped cream, cotton candy syrup, and topping. (Hot Chix Hotcakes and Chicken)
o Cowboy Bites: Smoked white cheddar cheese mixed with award-winning Texas-style brisket and a generous shake of “Bobby’s Original Rub,” rolled in panko and deep fried. (Fat Boys BBQ)
o Crabcake Sammie: Fried crabcake served on a bun with AF sauce. (Fresh AF Vegan)
o Crack Fries: Fries tossed in cheese seasoning with several dipping sauce options. (GoldenKdog)
o Deep Fried Cannoli: A modern twist on a traditional Italian dessert. Hand-filled cannoli on a stick, deep fried, and topped with powdered sugar. (Fontana Foods)
o Deep Fried Loaded Cheese Puffs: Deep fried cheese puffs loaded with cheese, bacon, jalapenos, and Ranch dressing. (Chester’s Gators & Taters)
o Deep Fried Ribs: Deep-fried baby back ribs hand-tossed in a variety of sauces, including BBQ sauce, lemon pepper, Carolina gold, and sweet chili jerk. Each flavor is inspired by a North Carolina area code. (Lawerence & Perry BBQ, LLC)
o Dill Delight Funnel Cake: Funnel cake with powdered sugar, Ranch dressing, and dill pickles. (The Busy Beaver)
o Dilly Dog: A tangy dill pickle stuffed with an all-beef hotdog, fried in panko batter until golden brown. Try it with peanut butter! (Red Carpet Amusements)
o Fried Cheesy Croissant: Mini layered pastry, fried and topped with cheddar cheese and jalapeno slices. (LaFarm Bakery)
o Fried Fufu: Fufu with a chef’s blend of seasoning and deep fried. (Ethio-Indi Alkaline Cuisine)
o Fried Hazelnut Croissant: Mini layered pastry fried and drizzled with hazelnut topping. (LaFarm Bakery)
o Fried Pickle Mac & Cheese: Loaded fried pickle mac & cheese with a drizzle of Ranch dressing. (Chester’s Gators & Taters)
o Glazed Donut Coffee Float: Rich glazed donut-infused iced coffee over creamy vanilla ice cream, topped with a golden glazed donut hole, and delicate glazed donut crumble rim. (Fluffy’s Hand Cut Donuts)
o Granddaddy Nats Fufu Plate: Signature burger covered in gravy with gomen greens and fufu. (Ethio-Indi Alkaline Cuisine)
o Honey Butter Mozza Dog: Mozzarella cheese rolled in homemade batter with panko then deep fried, drizzled with honey butter sauce. (GoldenKdog)
o Jerk Pork Belly Bao: Tender slow-cooked jerk pork belly in a fluffy bao with a zesty vegetable mix. (Cool Runnings Jamaican)
o Kale Me Shawarma: Sweet potato fries topped with beef and lamb shawarma, pickled red onion, feta crumbles, kale chips, and house-made beet barbecue sauce. (Neomonde Mediterranean)
o Korean BBQ Kimchi Nachos: Korean BBQ kimchi nacho chips with corn, beans, kimchi, jalapenos, mozzarella cheese, nacho cheese, choice of beef or chicken Korean BBQ. (Bulkogi Korean BBQ)
o Loaded Bologna Fries: Battered bologna fries loaded up with chili cheese sauce. (Granny’s Country Kitchen)
o Mango Boba: Cool and refreshing smoothie with mango boba, mango juice, and a small scoop of mango sorbet. (Just Popping Around)
o Mangonada: A unique and delicious drink with chamoy and fresh mango. (Just Popping Around)
o Mexican Street Corn Potato: Baked potato stuffed with Mexican street corn topped with cilantro and lime. (Spudtastic Potato)
o Mema Mia: Battered and deep-fried spaghetti with meat sauce nestled on top of a garlic parmesan toasted hoagie bun with extra meat sauce and cheese topped with sweet southern slaw. (Ezzell’s Something Good)
o Mexican Street Corn Nachos: Tortilla chips topped with nacho cheese, corn, a drizzle of mayo, parmesan cheese, and tajin. For an extra kick, add Takis or hot Cheetos. (Red Carpet Amusements)
o Milly’s Jerk Barbecue Sauce: Sweet and spicy barbecue sauce that provides a kick to any meal. (Cool Runnings Jamaican)
o Minne Cookie Dough Pie: Deep-fried chocolate chip cookie dough wrapped in our light and flaky crust. Served with your choice of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. (The Original Minneapple Pie)
o Monster Tots: Crispy jumbo tater tots stuffed with massive flavor. Tater tots three times the size of an average tot, stuffed with either buffalo chicken or bacon cheddar and chive fillings. (Hot Chix Hotcakes & Chicken)
o NC Crab and Shrimp Bomb Crusted in Hot Cheetos: A bomb of cheesy N.C. blue crab meat and shrimp rolled in hot Cheetos to form a crunchy outer shell. (Waypoint Oyster Bar)
o Peach Cobbler Pizza Cone: Warm pizza cone with peach filling, cinnamon crumbles, and the icing on the top. (Kono Pizza)
o Philly Chicken Egg Roll: Just like the original Philly Roll, but with chicken instead of steak. (Woody’s Wing Wagon)
o Philly Eggroll: Vegan beef, onions, peppers, and mushrooms wrapped in an eggroll and fried golden. (Fresh AF Vegan)
o Pickle Dr. Pepper: Dr. Pepper infused with pickles. (Red Carpet Amusements)
o Pineapple Bowl: Pineapple bowls with rice or gaucho fries, charcoal chicken, Brazilian steak, island shrimp, black beans, and corn. Extra toppings can be added, such as pico de gallo, chimichurri, cheese, pineapple spicy sauce, and homemade sour cream (grandma’s recipe). (Brazilian Bowls)
o Pumpkin Spice Iced Tea: A perfect blend of vibrant spices and rich pumpkin flavor that helps to welcome fall with a sense of cozy tranquility. (Tiki Tea)
o Red Velvet Glazed Funnel Cake Chicken Sandwich: Nashville-style chicken on a red velvet cake bun with sweet syrup and hot sauce. (Mediterranean Grill)
o Sausage & Peppers Egg Roll: Italian sausage with cherry peppers, diced onion, and cheese, wrapped in an egg roll wrapper and deep fried until golden brown. Comes with a side of marinara sauce. (Woody’s Wing Wagon)
o Simba Dessert: Fried viapati stuffed with sweet apple filling topped with vanilla ice cream drizzled with old-fashioned caramel sauce. (Safari Eatz)
o Sizzling Hot Funnel Cake: Funnel cake with nacho cheese and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. (The Busy Beaver)
o S’more Pizza Cone: Warm pizza cone filled with marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. (Kono Pizza)
o Strawberries & Cream Waffle Stick: Strawberry shortcake cookie dough baked inside a Belgian waffle, covered with whip topping and strawberry sauce. Served on a stick. (Waffle Chix)
o Strawberry Daiquiri Crunch: Moist strawberry cake baked with a white zinfandel wine, topped with a strawberry shortcake crumble and a strawberry daiquiri drizzle. (Boozie Bakes)
o Strawberry Lemonade Donut: A Fluffy donut topped with tang lemon frosting, strawberry lemonade crumbles, garnished with a freeze-dried strawberry slice and gummy candy. For added flavor, a pipette filled with strawberry lemonade is included! (Fluffy’s Hand Cut Donuts)
o Summerween Slush: Orange Creamsicle slush served in a Jack-O-Lantern cup with a whipped cream center, topped with a whole creamsicle popsicle, more whipped cream, and orange cookie crumble. Comes with a Halloween-themed duck. (Moose Joose Slush)
o Swedish Meat Pizza Cone: Warm pizza cone filled with mozzarella, meatballs, cranberry sauce, and gravy sauce. (Kono Pizza)
o Sweet & Spicy Cheese Puff Fried Pickles: Fried pickle chips drizzled in cheese sauce and topped with cheese puffs and a sweet & spicy sauce. (Chester’s Gators & Taters)
o Sweet Cheese Pie: Cheese-stuffed pancake, fried and dipped in a sweet syrup. Served hot with pistachio and chocolate syrup. (Mediterranean Grill)
o Sweet Heat Peanut Clusters: Spicy Peanuts with a hint of citrus wrapped in gourmet dark chocolate, served in clusters. (America’s Best Nut Company)
o Sweet Maple Bacon Iced Tea: Crafted with pure maple syrup and savory maple bacon flavoring, served over ice in a Tiki Tea jar with a strip of crispy bacon. (Tiki Tea)
o Tanghulu: Traditional Chinese snack with a crunchy, sweet exterior and a soft, tart interior, made with a variety of fresh fruits like strawberries, grapes, and mandarin oranges. (The Candi Queen)
o Trompi Al Pastor Stick: Traditional mini trompo on a stick made of slow-roasted pork with marinade, achiote, onion, and cilantro. (Las Gringas)
o Turducken Burger: A mouth-watering blend of turkey, duck, and chicken on a bun. (Chick-N-Que)
o White Chocolate Cranberry Cooke Dough on a Stick: Handcrafted cinnamon swirl cookie dough mixed with creamy white chocolate and tart-dried cranberries. (Kora’s Cookie Dough)