It’s here: Reviews of all the new foods at the 2024 Minnesota State Fair

Each year, the thrill of first day of the State Fair starts as the gates open; the mist evaporating off the still-green grass, the promise of deep fryers firing up. Then it comes: The onslaught of orders, the bites and debates, the discovery of newfound favorites and the revelry of eating ridiculous foodstuffs surrounded by throngs of people converging on the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

As the day emerges, there are trends (floats!), new challenges (credit card fees), and a whole lot of screens tilted our way with tipping options. This year we were greeted with sun, soaked by rain and gifted the opportunity to eat deep-fried ranch dressing, cinnamon-sugar cheese curds, dill-coated Tater Tots and bacon pancakes loaded with whipped cream.

We tasted more than 60 official and unofficial new fair foods and compiled them all here for you, with our most Minnesotan ranking yet in honor of our place in the state we love. Here are the best, worst and most ... interesting new foods at this year’s Minnesota State Fair.

Yes, please. (We’d go back for that.)

Solid choice.

It’s fine ... for some.

Not our favorite.

LuLu’s Public House, West End, $12

“I’m picking up distinct tasting notes of ... ranch.” An apt assessment for a bar-food classic born before our eyes, these oozy triangles live up to the hype, delivering everything promised with a crunchy ranch breadcrumb coating around a tangy ranch interior. It’s all made even better by a generous dip or drizzle of Cry Baby Craig’s-spiked hot honey. Not only would we go back, we already went back for seconds. It was even better.

Hamline Church Dining Hall, Dan Patch Av., between Underwood and Cooper Sts., $7.50

Gunning for top billing as our new favorite State Fair coffee drink, this refresher is a mix of espresso, oat milk, cinnamon and a little honey. Known as a cafe miel in coffee shops, we’re calling this one a tasty treat served on ice, with enough of a caffeinated punch to get us up to Machinery Hill and back without the benefit of the Skyride.

Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop, Dan Patch Av. between Cooper and Cosgrove Sts., $8

“I heard rhubarb. Where did you get rhubarb?” said one passerby as we chatted about this Patisserie 46-made cake. This is how we make friends at the State Fair. Fittingly, this dish is exactly the sort of item that we’d serve with a cup of coffee when inviting friends to come in and sit for a spell. A peak fika snack, this crumbly, sweet/tart bite is also an ideal size for sharing, or devouring with greedy glee.

Quench’d, Dan Patch Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts., $8

The exact intermezzo we needed on this grand smorgasbord day, a scoop of bright lemonade sorbet bobs in even more thirst-quenching lemonade. It was noted that last year one of our colleagues didn’t get enough of Quench’d’s lemonade sorbet to share with everyone. She was fired from retrieving them this year; thankfully, we all can learn from our mistakes. Number one: Don’t skimp on whatever this stand has to offer.

Sausage Sister & Me, Food Building, $12

The pinnacle of fair foods: impaled, decadently flavor-packed and a serving large enough to be shared. But we’re totally not sharing next time. Gobs of juicy, cheesy sausage are wrapped in thin, crispy bacon slices and adorned with jalapeños before being grilled. Just beware the vigorous cheese ooze when taking that first bite.

Herbivorous Butcher, Food Building, $14

It’s almost a shame to eat this at the fair, because it’d probably taste even better at home in comfy clothes in a dark kitchen by the light of the oven clock. Craggy, crispy crust wrapped around vegan cheese, Italian “sausage” and tangy marinara sauce, it’s a vegan pizza pocket and — as long as you’re cool with dairy-free cheese — it’s undeniably fun.

Sara’s Tipsy Pies, Food Building, $12

A rare offering from the boozy pie-maker that is totally alcohol-free, these new hand pies are made with customers in recovery in mind. One filled with corn and the other a beef picadillo, we would devour these straight out of our home air fryer if we could.

Minnesota Honey Producers Association, Agriculture Horticulture Building, north side, $11

Surprises that come with ice cream really are the best kind. Zipping up to the Ag/Hort Building, we screeched to a stop in front of the busy bees doling out these sweet new floats. A scoop of classic honey ice cream fizzes over the edge of the cup thanks to a deeply nutty peanut butter-and-honey cream soda from St. Paul’s Urban Growler.

Dairy Goodness, Dairy Building, $9

This year’s new sundae and malt flavor at the Dairy Building sent us right back to Saturday morning cartoons and footie PJs. Fruity Pebbles cereal lent a just-right sweet crunch over soft serve layered with a jammy strawberry sauce. We couldn’t stop smiling, and going back for more.

Sabino’s Pizza Pies, Warner Coliseum, $6-$8

If you didn’t think Uncrustables could get any better, think again. These dredged and fried-to-order hot pouches of Biscoff cookie butter, banana and local Bolton Bees solar farm honey are an after-school sandwich with agricultural bona fides — and a fair-worthy delight. The sandwich takes a little time, but it comes out hot and gooey, and gets even better with a $2 scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Richie’s Cheese Curd Tacos, Judson Av. between Liggett and Clough Sts., $14

The outrageous ingenuity of battering cheese curds and frying them inside the tortilla just makes us giddy. Buffalo chicken was a natural next frontier for cheese curd tacos, and even though a few of us thought it was rather heavy, it’s right at home at the State Fair.

Bridgeman’s Ice Cream, corner of Judson Av. and Liggett St., $10.50

So delicate, so subtle, this trifle could almost pass for a Minnesota “salad.” Real strawberries and toasted ladyfingers were the sweet treasures we discovered within the layers of lemon marshmallow cream and strawberry ice cream. (One observer: “I’ve always wanted a sundae with croutons in it.”) This would be a darling teatime dessert.

Miller’s Flavored Cheese Curds, Nelson St. between Dan Patch and Carnes Avs., $9

The perfect marriage of two State Fair staples: the mini-donut and the cheese curd. It’s almost shocking that this hadn’t been done before. A sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar unexpectedly elevates already-perfect cheese curds to cheese-plate quality. Think: warm Brie and honey. Who knew battered-fried squeaky cheese had so much to give?

Tot Boss, Underwood St. between Wright and Dan Patch Avs., small $8, medium $12, large $17

Tater Tots, fried to craggy perfection, sprinkled with dill pickle seasoning: If it tasted any other way, it would be wrong. This is exactly as advertised, and we didn’t want to stop eating them. The tanginess helped reset our palates after a streak of super-sweet treats. (What does it say about our State Fair eating expedition that we considered pickle-flavored Tater Tots a palate cleanser?) Our only request for next time is a creamy dipping sauce instead of ketchup.

Baba’s, Underwood St. between Lee and Randall Avs., $14

Once again, Baba’s presents a perfectly balanced bowl of hummus and accompaniments. This one was loaded with Tater Tots, sour cream, onion jam and beef bacon (that could have been smokier). Get it all in one bite on one of their hot pita puffs. It’s all about the composition.

Jammy Sammies by BRIM, North End, $14

We didn’t know we needed jam with our tomatoes, but here comes BRIM once again wowing us with unexpected uses for the condiment (see last year’s jam-infused lemonade). This combination of rhubarb jam with bursting, beautiful thyme-marinated cherry tomatoes and whipped farmers cheese yielded one of the freshest bites on a day that didn’t offer very many produce-driven dishes. The gluten-free flatbread was, however, spectacularly devoid of flavor; it served solely as a delivery vehicle.

Paella Depot, Judson Av. between Clough and Nelson Sts., paella $14-$19, aguas frescas $7

A rocking debut from this local farmers market favorite gives gluten-free eaters — and everyone else — an exceptional meal at the fair. Loaded with veggies, these rice bowls (with copious crispy bits scraped from the bottom of the gargantuan pans) would hit right on a date night. Hey, it’s just down around the corner from Minnesota Wine Country and Ye Olde Mill. We preferred the $5 shrimp upgrade. The refreshing aguas frescas come in a bunch of fruity and not-too-sweet flavors.

Salem Lutheran Church Dining Hall • North side of Randall Av., $8

After running out on day one, major supplies of store-bought vanilla ice cream were brought in to meet the unexpected demand for the new sundae from this 75-year-old dining hall. Scooped into a bowl, topped with sweet-tart lingonberry jam and crumbles of zingy, crisp ginger cookies: it’s good. While there’s probably more gourmet ice cream to be found at the fair, it doesn’t come with Swedish embellishment or the sweet church-lady vibes.

Nikkolette’s Macarons, West End Market, $10 for four

Four State Fair-inspired macarons go all in on smile-inducing, nostalgic flavor. Our favorites: The cotton candy macaron could have been cloying but was simply delightful, while the sweet corn was bombastically buttery.

LuLu’s Public House, West End, $8

There’s a dearth of great biscuits in this town, but Betty & Earl’s consistently delivers the buttery, layered goods. This one harbors a peanut butter and jelly heart. The infusion of strawberry jam and peanut butter chips made it a little too sweet for some, but others loved every moist bite.

RC’s BBQ, West Dan Patch Av. between Liggett and Chambers Sts., $13

Chef Charlie Torgerson has another strong showing with Asian-inspired barbecue pork belly chunks tossed in a shellacking of red hoisin-y sauce and punchy chili crunch. We suppose we could do without the white rice, but when eaten together, there’s enough here to make it a main course.

Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop, Dan Patch Av. between Cooper and Cosgrove Sts., $8

One of the best things about eavesdropping on a Minnesotan is counting the number of o’s pronounced when discovering something new. This sweet-savory hot honey cake was a journey of at least a half-dozen sing-songy “oh’s” as we discovered the sleeper hit of real-deal spice. But, ya, it’s a little spicy.

El Burrito Mercado, International Bazaar, taquitos $16, esquites $8, agua de sandia loca $8

Birria became an international obsession for a reason. That rich, slow-stewed beef is good just about anywhere, but especially stuffed inside an El Burrito Mercado taquito. Topped with a vibrant, creamy green sauce, this is fun snacking. But the esquites side dish doesn’t compare to getting a fresh cup straight off the roaster in the parking lot of this iconic St. Paul grocer. Still, it’s a cup of corn on a sunny summer day. The watermelon drink with chunks of mango is a perfectly refreshing finisher. All in all, an outstanding fair debut from a beloved business.

Thelma’s, corner of Judson Av. and Underwood St., $5

We were tickled by Thelma’s (the great maker of ice cream cookie sandwiches) and their new mystery flavor. The only hint: It contained tree nuts. The sandwich came in a wrapper with only a QR code that leads to a form where you could help suggest a name for their latest creation. (Spoiler alert: It may or may not be butter pecan. But also maybe butterscotch?)

Momo Dosa, Midtown Global Market, International Bazaar, east wall, $14

Did the momos need a wooden implement running through them? Probably not, but it’s the State Fair accessory du jour for a dish that’s beloved from this stand. Crispy fried and stuffed with cozy spiced chicken and served with curried sauce, they’re fun to eat no matter how they’re served.

Kosharina Egyptian Cuisine, under the grandstand ramp, koshari $13-$15, iced tea $6

This new vendor offers a hearty meal in-a-bowl, the Egyptian koshari. It’s carbs on carbs in the best way: Rice and macaroni are the bases. They’re topped with loads of protein, too: chickpeas, lentils and, if you choose, chicken or juicy ground beef. Don’t skimp on the sauces available. Grab a lid if you have leftovers.

Jammy Sammies by BRIM, North End, $9

We liked how cold and refreshing this drink was right when we needed one the most. We didn’t pick up on any blueberry, but the subtle matcha flavor — and our choice of milk, oat — was nice together.

The Hangar, Murphy Av. between Underwood and Cooper Sts., $16

A solid barbecue wing for when nothing but a barbecue wing will do. The vaguely Japanese-inspired glaze gets its sweetness from honey and tanginess from wild Swedish lingonberries. The chicken itself was moist and flavorful.

Soul Bowl, Food Building, $20

Pull up space at the dock for this pontoon-sized paper boat of a meal. Wings are one thing, but this is more like a whole crab boil, albeit minus the crab. There are cobs of corn, spicy sausage, plus Old Bay wings and a coating of highly seasoned butter. Sharing is the name of the game, and the volume explains the entree-level price tag.

Herbivorous Butcher, Food Building, $11

A giant mochi ball with its distinctive chew comes on sweet, yet finishes with savory meatiness from a vegan cheeseburger filling. Herbivorous Butcher delivers on an out-of-the-box concept.

Smokey’s Grill, Murphy Av. between Underwood and Cooper Sts., $12

At its heart, it’s a fairground’s take on a fast-food dynamo: the McGriddle. A sausage (or bacon), egg and cheese sandwich, enhanced with the addition of an ultra hot-and-crispy hash brown, is stacked between two syrupy pancakes. If that’s your thing, you won’t find much to complain about.

Blue Barn, West End, $12.75

The love-it-or-leave-it lines went straight down the middle of Team Crispy Bacon vs. Team Meaty Chew. Those who love a heftier bite enjoyed the salty-sweet, pancake-battered (and floppy) bacon strips, especially with the pile of peanut butter whipped cream and a sprightly little sprinkle of crushed banana chips. Team Crispy would find their thrills elsewhere.

Loon Lake Iced Tea, Underwood St. between Wright and Dan Patch Avs., $7, cash only

Found across the street from the Kidway, this drink comes with a magic trick. Swirl the rock candy swizzle stick and the tea changes from blue to purple, thanks to transformative butterfly pea powder. The underlying cotton candy flavor is surprisingly mellow; we wished it was stronger.

Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop, Dan Patch Av., between Cooper and Cosgrove Sts., $16

While there’s nothing wrong with a turkey sandwich on Texas toast, some of us believe a sprinkling of powdered sugar doesn’t help matters, even in a sandwich that nobly showcases Minnesota farms: Ferndale for the turkey, CannonBelles for the cheese. Some in our group were missing more peak produce from the stand that reliably turns tomatoes and corn into a celebration. (Thankfully, you can find them on the rest of their top-notch menu.)

Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop, Dan Patch Av. between Cooper and Cosgrove Sts., $6

For those in our group who love the herby, floral flavor of lavender, this lemonade was a refreshing delight. For those who don’t, it was like drinking grandma’s eau de toilette.

West End Creamery, West End Market, $12

This one tore our group apart. We all agreed we liked the elements: garlicky-glazed focaccia from the Wrecktangle folks; almost savory potato chip ice cream from Minnesota Dairy Lab. But we disagreed on whether we wanted it all together. For some, it was too much. For others, a sweet-and-salty munchie triumph.

O’Gara’s at the Fair, corner of Dan Patch Av. and Cosgrove St., $10

Right when the rain had us shivering, this hot handheld brought the comfort (of mostly mashed potatoes) wrapped in a flaky-as-anything crust. Some in our group were annoyed by the presence of peas (who knew they were so divisive?). While the filling wasn’t dry, the whole package could have benefited from a side of gravy for dipping — and a cold beer.

Nordic Waffles, West End Market, $12

Nordic Waffles fills their signature thin waffle with a burger inspired by those from the Texas-based chain Whataburger. Pros: It’s a solid waffle stuffed with a cheeseburger, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The cons: The ratio of burger to waffle was too low, and we found ourselves imagining what would happen if Nordic Waffles looked to Minnesota instead of Texas for inspiration: a Jucy Lucy in a waffle would be something to behold.

Holy Land, International Bazaar, $10

Keep it simple: Fried cheese with sauce is the right answer to any snack question. Halloumi is wrapped and fried for a crunchy, creamy, yet maybe a little too mildly flavored appetizer. The sweet-and-sour sauce perks it up a bit, but it’s hard to feel like this hasn’t been done before. And that might be just fine.

Blue Barn, West End, $10

A confounding concoction of the sweet-tart energy drink with boba that had some wondering just how tired they would have to be to pound down $10 worth of Red Bull. Others gave a shrug and a pass.

Oodles of Noodles, Food Building, $12 with chicken, $15 with shrimp

That’s not Minnesota spice, but a legitimately lively heat from noodles drenched in a rosy-colored sauce. While it tastes very similar to red curry paste from the average grocery store, that’s not entirely a bad thing. Familiarity breeds a certain comfort. Kudos to the guys cooking up each dish to order at the counter.

Demetri’s Fine Greek Foods, Nelson St. between Dan Patch and Carnes Avs., $10-$15

Two versions of hot and crispy fries were showered in oregano — one was covered in gyro meat and tzatziki, the other with feta. The tzatziki was a bit bland and runny for some in our crew. But it’s fine food, especially if paired with a cold beer.

Route 66 Roadhouse Chicken, Food Building, $8.75

It’s just a baked potato skin with diced ham and pickles and a dollop of dill-seasoned cream. This could easily be assembled by a quick run through a well-appointed corner store, but it’s still an irresistible flavor combo of potluck-friendly flavors, as inoffensive as said potluck. No feelings were harmed in the eating of this dish.

Chan’s Eatery, Underwood St. between Murphy and Lee Avs., corn dogs $12-$15, mochi doughnuts $5, fruit and milk boba teas $9 and up

This new vendor brings the Korean corn dog craze to the fair, and we’d normally be all for it. But not when sad little hot dogs get overwhelmed by the unnecessarily copious amount of batter that encases them. We appreciate a good mochi doughnut and these do the trick. The large iced teas are customizable with different fruits and flavors of popping boba.

Deep Fried Candy Bars, North side of Dan Patch Av. between Cooper and Cosgrove Sts., $6, cash only

Perhaps it was inevitable that red velvet-flavored batter would be applied to the deep fried cookie, but we’d still prefer that the inevitable came on someone else’s watch. Instead, some of us were treated to medium-rare batter rendered pinkish with food coloring and an Oreo trapped inside wondering what it ever did to deserve such a fate. Others accepted that at its core, it was still an Oreo.

Tasti Whip, Dan Patch Av. and Underwood St., $12

A smack of salt, a hint of tart and a slow-burn build of spice, this variation on Dole Whip would be a welcome treat on a hot day if it wasn’t for that little lingering finish of man-made mango flavor.

Between Liggett and Chambers Sts. and Dan Patch and Carnes Avs., $10

A thick and bready doughnut is frosted and coated in candy and topped with a soda shooter of more candy flavor. It tasted like pure sugar and not much else. With a name like strawberry lemonade, we were missing those fresh pops of peak summer flavor.

Scenic 61, Underwood St. between Lee and Randall Avs., bánh mì $12, lobster $15, pair $25

The trailer from Hwy. 61′s New Scenic Cafe continues to push boundaries about what a fair food can be. We appreciate the idea of these savory éclairs, but weren’t wowed by the fillings. Salt was the predominant flavor in the bánh mì version, and the lobster version lacked even that.

Union Hmong Kitchen, International Bazaar, south wall, $10

What’s wonderful about sticky rice is that singular texture, tacky and perfect for eating with your hands while simultaneously scooping up even more good stuff. When it’s grilled, the texture is rendered solid, almost like something you could build a table from, instead of feasting around one. Topping these slabs with a couple of tasty but tiny pickled mushrooms or shreds of dried beef couldn’t save it. It’s a rare miss for chef Yia Vang. Our advice: Just order the ridiculously good galabao.

Afro Deli, Food Building, $6

Faintly spiced hush puppies, these little fried nuggets couldn’t mask a fryer bath aftertaste with a drizzle of mango icing and flakes of coconut.

Fish & Chips Seafood Shoppe, Food Building, $13.95

Even with a deeply held love of breakfast sandwiches, we couldn’t embrace this little one with a much-too-bland hollandaise, and finely shredded crab meat that tasted like it might have languished a bit on its travels from sea to paper boat.

The Donut Family, Mighty Midway, $15

Sweetness squared, this cup of perfectly good mini-donuts did not need any tweaking; instead it was covered in gloppy cherry goo, icing and whipped cream. We would have been happier with them in their original form.

Mini Donuts & Cheese Curds, Underwood St. between Murphy and Lee Avs., $12

A very good doughnut gets mushy under a cookie butter glaze that’s just sweet above all else. Once again for the people in back: Mini-donuts are already a perfect food; stop messing with the mini-donuts!

Dino’s Gyros, Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts., $8

Texturally puzzling. That was the consensus of our group about these mushy, falling apart falafel-like nuggets. In theory, though, these assertively spicy, vegan and gluten-free chickpea-tomato-red pepper-scallion bites serve a lot of dietary needs. We didn’t mind the roasted red pepper hummus on the side.

Hamline Church Dining Hall, Dan Patch Av. between Underwood and Cooper Sts., $10

The price is right, but the execution not so much for these two little Swedish meatball-inspired sandwiches that could have benefited from some tweaks. The spherical shape of the meatball meant there was a disproportionate bun-to-meat ratio, and the buns and large cheese squares were cold. Good idea, though.

Minnesnowii Shave Ice, Nelson St. between Dan Patch and Carnes Av., $10-$11

Super-smooth shaved ice is mounded and then plumbed to the depths of its core, drizzled with “coffee flavoring” that tasted more like “flavoring” than “coffee.” Get it filled with “snow cream” for an extra dollar. To learn that bonus was actually whipped cream burbled from a can was a disappointment.

Blue Moon Dine-In Theater, Carnes Av. and Chambers St., $11

Scoops of super-smooth Minnesota Dairy Lab ice cream don’t pack the same punch when doused with sugary cola. We love the sweet corn ice cream on its own, but this syrupy drink (with Pop Rocks for garnish!) was too much for our cavities.

Loon Lake Iced Tea, Underwood St. between Wright and Dan Patch Avs., $5-7, cash only.

Besides the official new food of cotton candy iced tea, this new vendor offers a few more flavors: blood orange, blueberry, peach, strawberry and unsweetened. While we appreciated that none were overly sweet, all of them tasted watered down. The blueberry was our favorite of the bunch, but it cost $2 more thanks to a sprinkling of edible glitter.

Pitchfork Sausage, Liggett St. between Carnes and Judson Avs., $18

There is no level of hunger that could make this pile of pantry ingredients seem original: Tostitos, gobs of rubber duckie-colored cheese sauce, possibly forgotten hot honey. Props for the generous addition of tiny little caramelized onion squares. We might have forgiven the rest, if not for the violation of one of the basic tenets of nachos etiquette: One must layer the toppings so we don’t wind up with a pile of naked chips.

French Meadow, Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts., $14

Battered mushrooms are a staple on plenty of restaurant menus. This shouldn’t have been an issue for the State Fair. The problem started somewhere between trying to pass them off as tentacled creatures and over-frying them into a withered, dehydrated something that was once fungi.

Waffle Chix, Judson Av. between Liggett and Clough Sts., $10

After one big bite of dry waffle soaked in saccharine strawberry syrup, one of our tasters said, “I have regrets.” Next!

Candy Factory, corner of Murphy Av. and Cooper St., $19.50

How one of the most expensive items we tried could be built around a soggy funnel cake and a goopy substance that seemed like canned pineapple pie filling is a riddle someone else can ponder.

These items weren’t available on our first day visit. We’ll update them when we go back.

Midtown Global Market’s Indigenous Food Lab (available beginning Aug. 28), International Bazaar

We want to know what you think. Join the Taste Team at The Minnesota Star Tribune Stage on Friday, Aug. 23, at 1 p.m. for a special edition of 5 Best at the Fair.