Great news for State Fair of Texas food fans! A wide variety of yummy new foods and beverages are on the menu when the Fair opens Sept. 26. Along with the ten finalists and three winners recently named at the Big Tex Choice Awards, you’ll find four new food vendors, three new seating areas, and three new food stands on the Fair’s lineup. Semi-finalists for the 2025 Big Tex Choice Awards are marked with an asterick.
Two FDN staffers sampled some exciting new food entries at a recent State Fair preview reception showcasing new foods and vendors, including merchandise. Our must-have-again food finds from the tasting are listed after the New State Fair Foods list.
New State Fair Foods
Aguasol Tequila® Corazon Verde (Bryce Hamilton of OVG Hospitality). Located at the Old Mill Inn on Grand Ave. Melon and elderflower liqueur with lavender bitters and Aguasol Tequila®, garnished with pineapple fronds, a fresh pineapple wedge, and a juicy cantaloupe wedge.
Baja Fish Tacos-(Tony & Terry Bednar of Tony’s Taco Shop LLC). Located at Mamacita’s on the Old Mill Inn patio on Grand Ave. Three crispy fish and vibrant toppings, all complemented by a creamy, zesty sauce.
Birria Ramen Bowl (Omar Alsaedeldein of Mr. Ramen Fusion). Located at Mr. Ramen Fusion at Midway. A bed of ramen tossed with corn, cilantro, and crispy onion. Piled with tender Birria meat, topped with melted Monterey Jack cheese and served with consommé.
Cajun Stuffed Seashells (Clint & Gretchen Probst of Concession Staffing Services LLC). Located at Gulf Coast Grill on First Ave. Three jumbo pasta shells cooked al dente, stuffed with shrimp, andouille sausage, secret sauce, rice, cheese, and cornbread stuffing, served with Cajun Alfredo sauce for dipping.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dippin’ Dots® (Brandon Coston of EMC New Beginnings, LLC). Located at Dippin’ Dots® Ice Cream throughout the fairgrounds. Why have one cookie when you can have a dozen in a cup? Creamy vanilla dots and real cookie dough pieces in every bite.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
(Kelley Bishop of ARH Treats).Located at Chocolate Strawberry Cup in Nimitz Terrace. Fresh, juicy strawberries covered in velvety-smooth Belgian-style chocolate from their chocolate taps. An IG-worthy fountain flows with rich, melted European chocolate.
Churro Cheesecake Jalapeño Popper* (Steve Velasquez of Velasquez Catering & Concessions Inc.). Located at Velasquez Catering & Concessions Inc. on Funway and MLK Blvd. Pairs the gentle heat of fresh jalapeño peppers with a rich cheesecake filling. Covered in churro batter and fried, with a dusting of cinnamon sugar and a side of dulce de leche sauce.
Colada Lemonada* (Lacy Phillips of Cooking with Lacy). Located at Mac Loaded on Nimitz Ave. A frozen twist on piña colada and tangy lemonade blended with creamy coconut, fresh pineapple juice, and zesty lemonade. Topped with sweet cherry syrup, a cherry, and a mini umbrella.
Cornbread Doughnut (Milton & Grace Whitley of Homestyle Products, LLC). Located at Milton’s Donuts at Grand Area. Blended with a southern cornbread mix and classic cake batter, topped with Amish-inspired richness. Served with your choice of cheesecake glaze or warm honey butter glaze.
Decadent Dubai Chocolate Dream*
(Tino Sosa of BBT Concessions Inc.) Located at Dickel’s Smokehouse at Cotton Bowl Plaza and First Ave. A pistachio butter kataifi rim lines a 16-oz cup, drizzled with rich chocolate, with fresh strawberries between two scoops of vanilla ice cream, topped with whipped cream, freeze-dried strawberries, pistachio floss, and brown butter with Dubai chocolate chip cookie.
Deep Fried Carbonara (Massimiliano Tosi of EATALY DALLAS LLC). Located at EATALY in Cotton Bowl Plaza. Four cheesy spaghetti carbonara, breaded and deep fried with Guanciale, Pecorino Romano DOP, egg yolks, and Pasta di Gragnano IGP for a piping hot bite.
More New State Fair foods
Dole Soft Serve Mango (Brandon Coston of EMC New Beginnings, LLC). Located at Dippin’ Dots® Ice Cream throughout the fairgrounds. Light and airy dairy-free treat served in a cup, cone, swirl, or as a sundae with Tajín® and chamoy.
El Cono Loco* (Brad and Shirley Weiss of Weiss Enterprises, LLC). Located at Cone’d in Cotton Bowl Plaza. Creamy Tex-Mex chicken spaghetti packed with Hatch green chiles, queso, and shredded Monterey Jack, served in a fresh-baked garlic parmesan bread cone, topped with fresh Pico, sour cream, and avocado slice.
Fried Pickle Bombs (Rick and Tammy Stiffler of Stiffler Concessions LLC). Located at Front Gate, Midway, Funway, and Grand Area. Fried pickles on a bed of Crispy Dillies® and drizzled with spicy ranch. Crispy on the outside and bursting with flavor.
Frozen Pickleback (Dwania Morris of Enjoy Foods). Located at Spicy Hut on Lonestar Blvd. A salty, sweet, savory, and sour frozen drink with a dill pickle kick, served with a crunchy dill pickle & Tajín® rim. Also available with alcoholic shot of choice.
Guac-a-Rrons
(Tony & Terry Bednar of Tony’s Taco Shop LLC). Located at Tony’s Taco Shop in the Tower Building and on Lonestar Blvd. Deep-fried pork belly chicharrons paired with a guacamole, topped with pickled red bell peppers, red onions, and cilantro.
Iced Coffee with Ube Milk Foam (Leslie Chan of Chan’s Eatery) Located at Korean Corn Dog on Gateway. A twist on classic iced coffee with in-house-made ube (purple yam) milk foam with a mildly sweet taste and hints of a nutty vanilla flavor.
Lobster Three Ways (Clint & Gretchen Probst of Concession Staffing Services LLC. Located in Big Tex Circle). Lobster roll slider, popcorn fried lobster, and Lobster Mac & Cheese trio! A delicious lobster and seafood blend also in the Lobster Lounge mix.
Matcha Cream Float (Keith Tran of Perfect Timing Concepts LLC dba Sandoitchi). Located at Sandoitchi in the Tower Building. A playful twist on Italian affogato, matcha ice cream topped with shot of ceremonial-grade matcha served with a Japanese sugar cookie with Big Tex® logo.
Meat Lovers Crunchwrap® Calzone* (Christi Erpillo and Johnna McKee of Winter Family Concessions LLC). Located at The Dock in the Embarcadero Building. Flour tortilla loaded with shredded mozzarella, diced pepperoni, salami, seasoned ground beef, topped with zesty Italian herb red sauce, folded and fried. Served with ranch and marinara sauces.
Nevins Pop-Elotes*
(Tami Nevins Mayes & Josey Mayes of Nevins Concessions LLC). Located at Nevins Hot Buttered Corn in Cotton Bowl Plaza. A mix of spicy mayo, crushed Flamin’ Hot Cheetos®, Cotija cheese, and cilantro combines elotes with buttery carnival popcorn. Top with a juicy lime wedge.
OG Handmade Cinnamon Rolls (Taelor Martinez of Shug’s Cinnamon Rolls). Located at Shug’s Cinnamon Rolls in the Tower Building). Flavors like original, cream cheese iced, iced with pecans, strawberries and cream, apple crumble, cookies and cream, birthday sprinkles, pecan praline, chocolate glazed, and the Texas Squealer (with bacon).
Ox’cellent Cornbread Sliders (Kerston Crawford-Thorns of Pearlie’s Southern Kitchen, Inc.). Located at Pearlie’s Southern Kitchen in Nimitz Terrace. Beef oxtails simmered for hours, piled onto Southern Charm Cornbread, layered with smoky collard green slaw, melted smoked gouda, and spicy mayo.
Pop Rocks® Margarita* (Cody and Lauren Hays of Texas Holy Catering and Concessions LLC). Located at Texas Holy Fried Ribs and Fusion BBQ in the Tower Building and Texas Holy Sopapilla Factory in Cotton Bowl Plaza. Combining the classic frozen margarita with fizzy Pop Rocks® and a firework-style garnish.
Rodeo Roper Pretzel (Rick and Tammy Stiffler of Stiffler Concessions LLC). Located at Stiffler’s Rodeo Lounge in Bull Alley. Twisted and drizzled in barbeque sauce, for a rodeo-inspired bite.
Rousso’s Bacon Jam Cannoli*
(Isaac Rousso of Taste of Cuba LLC). Located at Rousso’s Fat Bacon on First Ave. Homemade bacon jam cooked with brown sugar, maple syrup and spices, mixed into creamy ricotta with bits of milk chocolate, then piped into crispy cannoli shells. Topped with more bacon jam, and drizzled in Belgian chocolate.
Rousso’s Bacon Jam Wagyu Sliders (Isaac Rousso of Taste of Cuba LLC). Located at Rousso’s Fat Bacon on First Ave. Wagyu beef, topped with sweet and smoky bacon jam, stacked on a golden bun.
Russell’s Key Lime Pie Bombs* (Palmer Fortune of Palmer’s Hot Chicken). Located at Palmer’s Hot Chicken on Midway. Key lime pie mixed with graham cracker crust and crushed Nilla Wafers®, rolled into bite-sized pieces, dipped in pancake batter, fried golden, and topped with Chantilly cream, powdered sugar, and sugar-coated lime jelly candy.
Sub-Lime-ly Berrylicious Cooler
(Christi Erpillo and Johnna McKee of Winter Family Concessions LLC). Located at The Dock in the Embarcadero Building and Fernie’s Funnel Cake Factory at Grand Area. Sweet strawberry flavors mixed with tart limeade and coconut water and garnished with a strawberry hearts skewer, lime twists, and a sprig of fresh mint.
Swirly Pearls (Angel Young of Sakhuu Enterprises LLC). Located at Stuffed Wings in the Tower Building. Soft serve ice cream atop creamy milk tea, topped with sweetened, caramelized, soft chewy boba pearls, and drizzled with luscious brown sugar.
Texa-misu* (Massimiliano Tosi of EATALY DALLAS LLC). Located at EATALY in Cotton Bowl Plaza. Layers of rich Quadratini® wafer cookies topped with frozen “cremespresso,” with fluffy whipped cream and more Quadratini® wafer cookies on top.
Texas Water* (Abel Gonzales of AG Foods LLC). Located at Vandalay Industries on Funway. Add natural flavors to transform spring water, sparkling water, or pale ale into a pineapple or lime refresher. Try it with a Topo Chico® or a craft pale ale.
The Texan Crepe* (Jean-Brice Noutoua of Crepes and Co. LLC). Located at Crepes & Co. In the Tower Building. Smoked brisket wrapped in a cone-shaped crepe, loaded with onions, tomatoes, arugula, and melted cheese. Served with sriracha mayo and chimichurri sauce on the side.
Ube Rice-Cream Crunch* (James Barrera of Barrera’s). Located at Barrera’s on Funway. Sweet ube (purple yam) gets a crispy topping of puffed rice made using the traditional South Asian muri method, finished with Cool Whip® and a cherry on top.
Vegan Crunchwrap Supreme® (Jovan and Josh Cole of Vegan Vibrationz). Located at Vegan Vibrationz on Nimitz Ave. One of the first vegan vendors at the Fair-grilled flour tortilla filled with seasoned plant-based meat crumble, nacho cheese, chipotle aioli, lettuce, and tomatoes.
What on Earth is This?*
(Christopher Easter & Nicole Sternes of SouthSide The Realest) Located at Texas Cheesesteaks SouthSide Steaks and Cakes in Cotton Bowl Plaza. A UFO-shaped smash burger with beef, chicken and steak with veggies atop crispy ranch onion rings topped with mustard, provolone, and chipotle mayo and seasoned with green chile and mystery sauce on buttery bun.
Wild Black Cherry Bliss (Jerry Shirer of Beyond Ice LLC). Located at Rita’s Italian Ice at Grand Area. Wild Black Cherry Italian ice meets Black Cherry Cheesecake frozen custard with black cherry pieces in five fruit flavored layers.
Wild Corn Wheels (Kyle Wall of Eatertaining Events, Inc). Located at Pizza and Nachos in Cotton Bowl Plaza. Cut corn on the cob wheels with butter, salt, pepper, and two sauces. Choose from BBQ, Cajun, Tajín®, Garlic-Parmesan, Lemon-Pepper, Hot Honey, Buffalo, and Mango-Habanero.
Yabba Dabba Doo® Dirty Sprite®* (Christopher Easter & Nicole Sternes of SouthSide The Realest). Located at Texas Cheesesteaks SouthSide Steaks and Cakes in Cotton Bowl Plaza. Add crunchy ice pebbles, strawberry and green apple syrups, fresh mango and strawberries, splash of coconut crème, Skittles® and Lemonheads®, pineapple slice, whipped cream, chewy ropes, and Fruity Pebbles®.
My Top Three Fair Food Picks
These are the foods I’m advising all my Fair-loving foodie friends to try this year.
1. Kelly’s Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Sweet, ripe strawberries drizzled with Dubai chocolate with crushed pistachios on top. Three fab ingredients plus it’s such fun to watch the chocolate fountain in action. These fancy fruits aren’t just delicious but healthy, right? Kelly Villareal is from my hometown, San Antonio, and has worked in carnivals and fairs aLongside her family since she was young.
2. Guac-A-Rrons from Tony and Terry Bednar of Tony’s Taco Shop. Their deep-fried pork belly chicharrons with house-made, freshly made guac and pickled red bell peppers, red onions, and cilantro for a crunchy, spicy topping was my favorite savory treat. I’ll make a beeline for their booth at the Fair!
3. Massimiliano Tosi of EATALY DALLAS booth grabbed my interest by handing out free tote bags. A pasta lover, I fell in love with the Deep Fried Carbonara they were serving sizzling hot. Four breaded, deep fried spaghetti patties, every crunchy bite better than the last. (They also feature Texa-misu*-combining tiramisu with espresso, for a sweet treat I want to try soon).
Chris Waits Top Three Fair Foods
1. Rousso’s Bacon Jam Wagyu Sliders, Wagyu beef with bacon jam stacked on buns.
2. Shug’s Cinnamon Rolls–a variety of cinnamon rolls, his family’s favorite sweet treat at the Fair.
3. The Guac-A-Rrons with guacamole from Tony’s Taco Shop mentioned above as my #2 pick.
2025 State Fair of Texas Vendors
Chocolate Strawberry Cup, Kelley Bishop of ARH Treats Located at Choclate Strawberry Cup in Nimitz Terrace.
My top food pick, Kelly’s Chocolate Covered Strawberries features a plethora of strawberry treats and a mesmerizing chocolate fountain.
Mr. Ramen Fusion (Omar Alsaedeldein of Mr. Ramen Fusion). Located at Mr. Ramen Fusion at Midway. Waxahachie restaurateur shares bold ramen creations.
Shug’s Cinnamon Rolls (Taelor Martinez of Shug’s Cinnamon Rolls). Located in the Tower Building. Owner Taelor Martinez, inspired by her father, Tom Grace (Pizza by The Giant Slice and a vendor at the Fair for over 30 years), shares a wide variety of cinnamon rolls from her family recipes.
Vegan Vibrationz (Jovan and Josh Cole of Vegan Vibrationz). Located at Vegan Vibrationz on Nimitz Ave. The Fair’s first fully vegan food vendor started as a pop-up at Dallas Farmers Market in 2018, graduated to a food truck, and to brick and mortar location in Legacy Food Hall, Plano.
New State Fair Concepts
Levi’s® Denim Club, located in the Magnolia Beer Garden. Live music experience at the Levi’s Denim Club in the Magnolia Beer Garden is set to take place each night of the State Fair of Texas at 8:00 p.m. Additionally, guests will have the opportunity to buy and customize their new Levi’s merchandise at the activation. Alongside the famous Fair food you know and love, it’s a combination sure to satisfy all your Fair cravings in one go. You can find the complete listing of live music at the Fair at BigTex.com/livemusic.
Rousso’s Fat Bacon (Isaac Rousso of Taste of Cuba LLC). Located on First Ave. Step into Rousso’s Fat Bacon beside the Children’s Aquarium off First Avenue and enjoy FAT bacon-packed eats with plenty of room to gather. Take a break from the midway excitement, catch a game on the big screen, and watch the parade roll by. They also offer a wide variety of craft beers, wine, frozen drinks and food for the whole family.
Stiffler’s Rodeo Lounge (Rick and Tammy Stiffler of Stiffler Concessions LLC). Located in Bull Alley, next door to rodeo arena. Room to gather, relax, and enjoy BBQ and fried favorites along with ice-cold beverages.
New 2025 State Fair of Texas Food Stands
Cheap Eats by Vandalay Ind. (Abel Gonzales of AG Foods LLC). Located on Funway. Everything is under 10 coupons at this new concept on Funway; quality food with everything from hot dogs, churros, and beer, right under that 10-coupon mark.
Little Lone Star Drinkwear (Justin Martinez of Fiesta Enterprises Inc.) Located throughout the fairgrounds. A 16 oz. wearable, refillable character drink pouch that’s perfect for kids.
Lobster Lounge (Clint & Gretchen Probst of Concession Staffing Services LLC). Located in Big Tex Circle. From Fair-favorite Gulf Coast Grill vendor. Lobster roll, served hot or cold, fried popcorn lobster, or Lobster Three Ways at a fair price.
A location map for all 2025 New Foods is available at BigTex.com/NewFoods. The 2025 State Fair of Texas themed “Texas Shines Bright” opens Friday, Sept. 26, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 19. Daily admission tickets are available now at BigTex.com/Tickets.
