Corny Dogs in front of Big Tex. State Fair of Texas | Getty Images
DALLAS - The State Fair of Texas has some of the best food in the country when it comes to state fairs.
Best State Fair Foods
Local perspective:
The travel website Yelp recently released its list of "Top 10 State Fairs for Festival Foods." The State Fair of Texas came in at No. 6.
The fair in Dallas earned praise for being the birthplace of the Fletcher’s Original Corny Dog in 1942 and Fritos in 1936.
The Big Tex Choice Awards also routinely push the boundaries with creative concoctions like fried Coke, deep-fried butter, and fried beer.
The finalists for the 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards are expected to be announced this coming Thursday.
Big picture view:
The Midwest dominated Yelp’s list with four of the top 10 being in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Indiana.
Reviewers also seem to be gravitating toward an "everything on a stick" trend, with Yelp noting that the best state fairs have perfected portable eats.
- Minnesota State Fair – Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Wisconsin State Fair – West Allis, Wisconsin
- Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, Iowa
- New York State Fair – Syracuse, New York
- Indiana Sate Fairgrounds & Event Center – Indianapolis, Indiana
- State Fair of Texas – Dallas, Texas
- The Big E – West Springfield, Massachusetts
- Florida State Fairgrounds – Tampa, Florida
- Alaska State Fair – Palmer, Alaska
- N.C. State Fair – Raleigh, North Carolina
Read More: https://www.yelp.com/article/state-fairs-festival-eats-food
The Source: The information in this story comes from a news release from Yelp on state fair foods.