The five State Fair foods our writers can’t miss

The Minnesota State Fair is paradise for this team of food writers. Not only do we gleefully anticipate opening day, when we sample and review all the new foods, but we all return outside of work, too. Sometimes it’s for a grandstand show, sometimes it’s with family in tow — and oftentimes both — but it always comes back to food. Here are the new foods we can’t wait to try, and the favorites we return to time and again.

Can’t wait: Swedish Ice Cream Sundae, Salem Lutheran Church Dining Hall

My stomach was rumbling perusing this year’s list of new foods. There are so many I can’t wait to try, but first I’ll head to Salem Lutheran’s stand for the Swedish Ice Cream Sundae: ice cream topped in lingonberries and ginger cookie hearts. The historic stand is also a must-visit for a cup of egg coffee, which is just a solid cup of coffee. Plus, the stand is always a pleasant stop with kind humans on even the most crowded fair days.

Can’t miss: Egg rolls, Que Viet

The first stop on my off-the-clock days at the fair is always the Que Viet stand for its massive egg rolls and a Vietnamese coffee. Strong coffee laced with sweetened condensed milk fuels the fun, from the floral displays in the Agriculture Horticulture Building down to the fabulous chickens in the animal barns. And those egg rolls? The blistered, crispy fried exterior and meaty interior should be a whole meal in and of itself. But, this is the fair, so it only counts as a snack.

Can’t wait: Grilled Purple Sticky Rice, Union Hmong Kitchen

Yia Vang’s Union Hmong Kitchen came charging out of the gate in 2022 when it launched a stand in the International Bazaar with long lines and the most craveable fair food in ages. So naturally, I’m all in on this year’s new entry. It took a feat of stick-food engineering to figure out how to make the bricks of rice just so. “It looks like a Popsicle,” Vang said. “Crunchy on the outside, soft and sticky on the inside. It’s a real simple street snack from Southeast Asia. Nibble on it.” I will!

Can’t miss: Al’s Breakfast blueberry pancakes, Hamline Church Dining Hall

The oldest food concession still operating at the fair, the 127-year-old Hamline Church Dining Hall, isn’t afraid to shake things up by appealing to a younger generation. In this case, the younger generation is, oh, about 74. Al’s Breakfast, the Dinkytown institution founded in 1950, has been in residence at the dining hall the past couple of years. With Al’s owner Alison Kirwin doing double duty as the Hamline chef, you get the same tasty blueberry pancakes as the original — only with way more seating.

Can’t wait: Crab Boil Wings, Soul Bowl

I might be the last person State Fair connoisseurs think of as having a nose for fair food, but I’ve frequented the fair each year since moving here three years ago. “Lobster roll?” a baffled friend asked me when I suggested we pay a visit to New Scenic Cafe’s stand. Blame my weakness for seafood. This year, I’ll temper my friends’ expectations by going for wings. The ones that Soul Bowl promises sound like a winner: marinated in hot sauce, grilled, then fried with corn, chicken-apple sausage and potatoes. But the kicker is that it’s all tossed in a “crab boil” seasoning and butter, which feels (at least to me) real and sounds delicious.

Can’t miss: Peaches and cream, Produce Exchange

I have fond memories of the North Berkeley Farmers Market outside the farm-to-table shrine Chez Panisse, where every Thursday afternoon I’d scavenge for blemish-free, radiant apricots, pluots and peaches. I’ve yet to savor anything that comes close to those stone fruits here, but the ones at the Produce Exchange elicit equal joy. The honey atop the grilled, gently caramelized peaches is generous (and not too sweet), and the dollop of cream — or goat cheese, depending on preference — has a payoff that convinces me I don’t need to fulfill my State Fair sweets quota. These peaches will do just fine.

Can’t wait: Walking Shepherd’s Pie, O’Gara’s at the Fair

I’m a sucker for comfort food in all shapes and forms. At the fair, it’s a good bet that such food will come deep-fried, on a stick, in hand-held concoctions or all of the above. This year, O’Gara’s at the Fair is taking it to a whole new level by filling handmade pastries with all the key ingredients of shepherd’s pie, the U.K. pub staple — ground beef, potatoes, carrots, peas, mashed potatoes swirled in gravy. Cheers to that.

Can’t miss: Tater Tot hot dish on a stick, Ole and Lena’s

Did I mention I’m a fan of comfort food? It doesn’t get more Minnesota comfort, or State Fair for that matter, than our state’s quintessential casserole on a stick. Meatballs and Tater Tots are alternated on a skewer before they’re hand-dipped in corn dog batter and deep-fried. Just when you think it can’t get any better, it comes with a creamy mushroom hamburger sauce for dipping.

Can’t wait: Ham and pickle roll-up on a potato skin, Route 66 Roadhouse Chicken

Who knew that combining three ingredients — ham, pickles and cream cheese — could make you the most popular person at a gathering? We did. The flavors of Minnesota sushi get a new life topping baked potato skins, with a dollop of sour cream for baked potato purists and crumbled potato chips for crunch. As a person who embraces these flavors and has turned them into dip and fried wontons, I am firmly on board with this version, too.

Can’t miss: Walleye cakes, Giggles’ Campfire Grill

I grew up eating (and catching) Minnesota lake fish, mostly sunnies and crappies. But my dad would also fish walleye, leaving this impatient junior angler behind, and we’d enjoy the bounty prepared any number of ways. My affinity for the state fish has not waned, which is why Giggles’ is always a must-stop for a pair of walleye cakes. A combo of walleye, smoked salmon, herbs and wild rice is coated in crispy breadcrumbs and fried, served with a zesty dipping sauce. The bestseller has been on the menu since 2001, making it a reliable favorite.