State fairs are known for wacky foods. Arizona’s doesn’t disappoint.
Tirion Boan
October is here, and along with pumpkins and pretending it’s cold enough to wear a sweater, it’s time for the Arizona State Fair. The kaleidoscope of colors, sounds, lights and tastes kicked off on Thursday, and will run every weekend for the rest of the month. Fair days begin at noon and run until the lights on the giant Ferris wheel go dark.
Along with high-flying rides, rodeos, concerts and prize-winning animals, food is a central attraction at the fair. And every year, vendors compete to create the wackiest, silliest, most eye-catching and supposedly delicious items, pushing fair-goers to fork over their cash and dig in.
Eager to try this year’s experimental eats, we braved the heat of opening day to taste our way around the sprawling fairgrounds. Some items were legitimately tasty, and probably worth that $20 price tag. Others were most certainly not.
So, before you head to the fair and get spun around on the Tilt-A-Whirl, let us point you in the right direction. Here are all of the foods we tasted at the fair, ranked from worst to best.
Sign up now for free updates on openings, closings and all the food news that matters.
THANK YOU!
You’re all set.
CLOSE
Do yourself a favor, skip the bacon-wrapped churros at the fair.
6. Worst: Bacon-Wrapped Churros ($17)
Many stands at the fair serve bacon-wrapped things. There are bacon-wrapped fried pickles, pizza bites, jalapeno poppers and hot dogs. Of all of this sizzling, thick-cut goodness, we opted for the bacon-wrapped churros at Bacon Nation. These guys ought to know what they’re doing, right? Well, the bacon was OK. The churros, however, were not. For $17, the small carton was filled with four small churros, about three inches long, plus a pile of greasy whipped cream and a cup of sauce that was supposed to be dulce de leche — except it was white and the texture of milk. After deciding to skip the questionable sauce, we bit into the churros. The act of wrapping bacon around a churro ruined the best part of the cinnamon treat: the crisp. So you end up with slightly floppy bacon wrapped around a soggy churro. Hard pass on these sweet-and-salty duds.
The Spam wonton tacos tasted mostly of salt.
5. Spam Wonton Tacos ($18)
The Spam wonton tacos at Boba King were advertised as a new item for this year’s fair. Intrigued, we decided to give them a go. We implore you, don’t fall into the same trap. Boba King’s food menu is mostly made up of Spam in different varieties, from fries to musubi. The taco plate comes with three folded and fried wontons loaded with small cubes of grilled Spam, topped with coleslaw. They’re almost impossible to eat, as one bite causes the crunchy shell to shatter, sending little cubes of ham sailing across the table and sauce all over your hands. We’d like to say that despite the mess, at least they were tasty. Alas, dear reader, that was not the case. The overwhelming flavor was salt. Spend your $18 elsewhere.
For something fun, relatively affordable and easy to share, try the fried Hawaiian rolls.
4. Fried Hawaiian Rolls ($10)
Multiple different vendors at the fair are selling deep-fried King’s Hawaiian Rolls this year. We got ours from Noodle Noodle. After getting a bath in the fryer, three rolls come loaded on a stick and sprinkled with sugar. One bite made us realize, oh duh, hot oil plus sweet bun equals doughnut. So, if you’re a fan of classic sugared doughnuts, you’ll probably like these. We do recommend eating them quickly. The longer these sat, the more residual oil seeped out, turning the dough to mush. But, for $10, these were a fun sweet treat. We’d order them again and share with a friend.
If you like pickles, you’ll probably like this slice.
3. Hot Cheeto Pickle Pizza ($9.17)
There’s a substantial crossover between classic stoner munchies and the food you’ll find at a state fair. And this slice from Enzo’s Pizzeria was an excellent example. A sturdy slice, that leaned into the realm of garlic bread, was topped with sliced pickles, Hot Cheeto dust and chips, and then drizzled with ranch. The cheese and ranch tamped down the spice, leaving us wishing for a little more heat. But this wacky slice hit every contrast note on the head. It was salty, vinegary, spicy and creamy in all the best ways. And it was a good price, as far as fair food goes. This massive slice and a regular lemonade set us back just over $15.
Wielding the power of the giant mozzarella stick.
2. Giant Mozzarella Stick ($12)
As we walked past Hog Daddy’s Roadhouse, a sign advertizing giant mozzarella sticks caught our eye. The conversation went something like, “How giant do you think a giant mozzarella stick really is?” Curious, we placed an order. A few minutes later, the vendor passed over a treat that caused instant laughter and delight. “Now this is state fair food,” we thought. So, how big? Truly enormous. And bonus points, it came on a stick. Well, more of a dowel really. The giant log of molten cheese made its accompanying cup of marinara sauce look miniature. Grabbing the stick, we needed some muscle power to lift the beast. A nibble of the end resulted in a hilariously long cheese pull that seemed to never end. The flavor? It tasted like a standard mozzarella stick. But this treat takes our No. 2 spot for the pure joy it caused.
This $20 plate stood out in the crowd.
Best: Pozole Egg Rolls ($20)
The best thing we ate, by a fairly long shot, was Pozole Egg Rolls from Flaco’s. For $20, a tray was filled with three hefty egg rolls and a cup of pozole. The piping hot, crispy egg rolls were stuffed with ingredients typically found in the rich soup, including pieces of pork and plump hominy kernels. And the pozole itself was a tad greasy, but an otherwise flavorful rendition of the traditional Mexican soup. The deep red broth was filled with pork, hominy, diced onions and lots of fresh cilantro. It was perfect for dunking or scooping between bites of egg roll. This was a sturdy meal that would also be great to share. $20 well spent.
Dining and Cooking