Get Your Eat On: America’s Best Fair Food
Is there really anything that feels more “American Summer” than the state fair? If you disagree, I don’t care. The fair is my favorite place to jump on some rides, stand in long lines, people watch, play impossible to win games and you guessed it… eat the most insane foods known to man. My favorite part about visiting the fair is definitely trying all of the over the top, crazy food creations. I’m not talking about your run of the mill candy corn and hot dogs… I’m talking 5 lb funnel cakes, unicorn themed desserts & bacon wrapped, deep fried everything!
To be honest, there really aren’t a lot of restaurants you can visit and find a wide range of wacky food items. When you visit the fair, you can find crazy creations like spaghetti donuts and deep fried butter. Literally… DEEP FRIED BUTTER. It’s got me feeling all kinds of Paula Deen emotions just writing about it! So at this point, I can’t think of many things that you can’t find deep fried at the fair?
If you’ve never been to a state/county fair before, it’s important to review your top options so you don’t waste your money on some basic treat. The fair is a quintessential American tradition, and in true American fashion, they’ve managed to supersize everything and fulfill all of my hungry girl dreams. With close to 100 vendors, the San Diego County Fair is one of the biggest in the country. Making it the prime location for me to investigate the best festival foods money can buy! I’m so excited to head up to Orange County for round two! Lucky for me, they have almost all of the same vendors!
America’s Best Fair Food
Seven Layer S’mores
OMG guys… you have no idea how weak I am when it comes to passing up anything with “s’mores” in the title. There’s a cute pink stand set up at the SD Fair called The Gingerbread Shop that looks like my childhood dream playhouse. One of their most epic creations is a Seven Layer S’more! The base is gooey, chocolate chip cookie dough. Then, it’s topped with graham crackers, chocolate bars, marshmallow cream & some more cookie dough. Then, it’s topped with marshmallows, ice cream, chocolate sauce & whipped cream!
Mexican Funnel Cake
I’ve tried my fair share of funnel cakes in my day. Even a bad funnel cake is ok in my book. Generally, they taste pretty similar, but the Mexican Funnel Cake booth takes it to the next level. Basically, turning the funnel cake into a cinnamon & sugar covered churro. I obviously opted for the $25, 60 foot long Mexican Churro topped with strawberries, whipped cream & chocolate sauce. YOLO! I would also like to point out that because the funnel cake is topped with strawberries and THEN whipped cream, the cream doesn’t melt like a normal funnel cake. That way you don’t end up with a soggy funnel cake mess on your plate.
Australian Battered Potatoes
I was hesitant to try the Australian Battered Potato booth. There are a lot of fried potato options at the fair. But Aussie potatoes are totally worth it. Basically, they use a contraption to make a long scalloped potato. Then, they’re battered & fried. Topped with whichever option you want. I opted for bacon, ranch & cheese version. If you like dipping your fries in ranch, this is definitely the option to go for!
Spaghetti Donuts
You read that right… Pignotti’s is a North County San Diego owned booth and serves a ton of awesome Italian options. This year they debuted a SPAGHETTI DONUT! The donut is basically compressed spaghetti & cheese, fried & then topped with a pasta sauce combination. They offer pesto & marinara, but I opted for the alfredo option that was topped with bacon and peas! If you’re feel REALLY hungry, pick up some of their lasagna nachos too!
Ramen Burrito
Close your eyes and visualize… a soft, warm tortilla, filled with gooey top ramen, Maui chicken & Funyuns!. It sounds gross, but is SOOO good.
Cotton Candy Ice Cream Sandwich
The maker of the Ramen Burrito (Chicken Charlie’s) also makes a Cotton Candy Ice Cream Sandwich! It was almost too pretty to eat! The sandwich consists of two Cotton Candy “cookie”, which are basically just compressed cotton candy. Then, stuffed with Blue Bunny vanilla ice cream & rolled in Fruity Pebbles! If you like sugar… this is your dream dessert.
Deep Fried Pizza on a Stick
Just breathe that one in. Pizza. Conveniently on a stick. Then DEEP FRIED. You would think that deep frying pizza might be going overboard? No, you’re wrong. It was DELICIOUS and totally worth it. The added bonus of it being on a stick is also noted.
Deep Fried Oreos
Oddly enough, these are kind of a class. Deep Fried Oreos are a fair staple. When you deep fry an oreo, it becomes more cake-like. The combo of pancake batter, Oreos & sweet cream can’t be beat.
Deep Fried Mashed Potatoes
Another great “food on a stick”. My all time favorite food, mashed potatoes. It’s basically a no brainer. Of course I’ll eat a deep fried mashed potato bite. The version I ordered were bacon cheddar mashed potatoes, deep fried into a little ball and then dipped in ranch dressing. Nom, nom, nom, nom.
Outfit Details: Top: Chaser Brand // Sunglasses: Tobi // Shorts: Forever 21 // Shoes: T.U.K.
If you live in San Diego and are looking for more restaurant recommendations, be sure to check out my posts on Pokirrito & The Crack Shack!