From over-the-top creations and Texas-sized faves to global flavors and fresh takes on classic Fair food, the 2026 State Fair of Texas now has even more reasons for Fairgoers to come hungry beyond its Fletchers corn dogs and Belgian waffles. This year’s new food lineup showcases creative and culinary talent of State Fair concessionaires, with new dishes, drinks, concepts and vendors joining the Fair’s iconic food offerings.
Among this year’s new offerings are the finalists and semi-finalists of the 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards, the annual competition that challenges State Fair concessionaires to dream some inventive (and maybe crazy) creations.
In addition to the Big Tex Choice Awards creations, State Fair concessionaires are serving up even more culinary creativity in 2026, thanks in part to Scooter’s Coffee, sponsor of this year’s new foods. The State Fair is introducing four brand-new food vendors and four new concepts from existing concessionaires, alongside dozens of new dishes debuting across the Fairgrounds.
The Fair hosted a media preview and tasting event on Wednesday inside the Tower Building that we just had to attend. Natch.
Some personal favorites were the Cubano Flatbread by Isaac Rousso of Taste of Cuba allowed for more emphasis on flavor than the bread of a typical Cubano sandwich.
The massive Chicken Fried Steak Biscuit also by Rousso, was a messy two-hander but flavorful with its slight drizzle of syrup over the steak and gravy for a chef’s kiss result.
I am still thinking about Fried Green Tomato Lobster Bruschetta by Clint and Gretchen Probst. Being not-fan of fried green tomatoes, the complex profile of this was apparent from the lush lobster salad atop a fried vessel of well-seasoned tomato, but it was the hint of citrus at the end that made this a memorable bite.
On the sweet end, Michelle Le and John Tcheng of Eat CrispiesDeep creation of Fried Bourbon Banana Bread made a huge first impression with its heavy crunch from the first bite into a soft, pillowy banana bread that was baked with subtle flavor that wasn’t overempowering with sweetness. That was covered by the (as requested) light stream of bourbon brown sugar caramel sauce atop the confection.
Here are all the new Fair foods debuting at the 2026 State Fair of Texas. Learn more about each at BigTex.com/NewFoods.
3D Fruit Ice Cream by Yumi Ice Cream Co. Creamy mango or peach ice cream is dipped in a thin chocolate shell shaped like a peach or mango.
All Shook Up* by Michelle Edwards of J3M2 Services. A blend of creamy banana pudding ice cream and rich peanut butter sauce spun into a milkshake. Topped with a peanut butter cookie, bacon, caramel drizzle, whipped cream and a cherry on top.
Buffalo Breaded Cheese Curds by Stefan T. Nedwetzky of Texapolitan Pizza. These cheese curds are tossed in buffalo sauce and served fresh.
Butter-Dipped Toffee Crunch Nutty Bar* by Josey and Tami Jo Nevins Mayes of Nevins Concessions. The Nutty Bar gets a makeover by being drenched in creamy salted butter and rolled in a mixture of toffee pieces and peanuts and then coated with a drizzle of caramel and topped with crushed Ritz crackers.
Candy Watermelon by Kelly Villarreal of ARH Treats. A giant ice-cold watermelon slice is wrapped in six feet of Fruit by the Foot, drenched in sour Chamoy, and topped with Tajín.
Chan’s Signature Pho Burger by Andy Chan of Chan’s Concessions. A handcrafted beef burger is infused with authentic Vietnamese pho spices and topped with fresh herbs with hoisin and Sriracha.
Chicken Fried Steak Biscuit by Isaac Rousso of Taste of Cuba. Served on a buttery biscuit topped with homemade bacon gravy.
Cotton Candy Cooler by Lacy Phillips of Cooking with Lacy. This twist on a classic frozen lemonade is made with cotton candy syrup, then topped with cotton candy sprinkles.
Cubano Flatbread by Isaac Rousso of Taste of Cuba. This stone-fired flatbread is brushed with mojito butter glaze, topped with slow-roasted Cuban pork, shredded ham, diced pickles, and melted Swiss cheese. Finished with a drizzle of mojito sauce.
Deep Fried Bourbon Banana Bread by Michelle Le and John Tcheng of Eat Crispies. Warm, homemade-style banana bread is hand-cut, rolled in a ball, battered, and deep-fried until golden and crispy. Finished with a rich bourbon brown sugar caramel sauce and dusted with powdered sugar.
Deep Fried Ranch by Tracy Scudday of Tracy’s Concessions Inc. Creamy ranch sauce that’s deep-fried.
Deep Fried Thai Tea Tres Leches Cake* by Cody and Lauren Hays of Texas Holy Catering and Concessions. A piece of sponge cake that’s been pierced and submerged in a homemade Thai tea tres leches blend is soaked in French toast batter, lightly coated in crisp tempura and fried. Served with homemade vanilla bean whipped cream.
Dirty Dr Pepper Do-Si-Do Float* by Brandon Coston of Coston Concessions. This treat starts with a drizzle of creamy coconut and an ice-cold Dr Pepper, then topped with real Dr Pepper Dippin’ Dots, fresh lime, whipped cream, festive red sprinkles, and a Dr Pepper jellybean and served with a straw and spoon.
Ferris Wheel Fizz by Royce West Jr. Of 2-5 Concessions. This drink combines Sprite, lemonade and blue raspberry syrup rimmed with a strawberry glaze, topped with Nerds Gummy Clusters ice cubes and garnished with additional gummies.
Fettuccine Nutella Crepe by Brice Noutoua of Crepes and Co. Sliced ribbons of crepes are drizzled with Nutella and tops them with fresh seasonal fruits and whipped cream.
Focaccia alla Porchetta e Salsa Verde by Massimiliano Tosi of Eataly. House-made focaccia layered with slow-roasted porchetta and finished with a salsa verde delivers a savory, flavor-packed bite with every mouthful. A perfect balance of richness, tenderness, and authentic Italian flavor found in this one dish. This item is not found at Eataly and exclusive to the Fair.
Foot-long Fries by Tracy Scudday of Tracy’s Concessions. A foot-long, deep-fried, mashed-potato-style fry is seasoned or drizzled with your choice of sauce and seasoning.
Fried Broccoli by Shavonne Gay of Thee Kitchen Beast. This Big Tex Business Masterclass graduate and new Fair vendors deep fries this tempura-battered broccoli that is then drizzled with honey garlic sauce.
Fried Butter Chicken by Lindsey and Justin Guest of Be R Guest LLC. Chicken potstickers are fried and tossed in tomato gravy (butter chicken sauce) and served over aromatic basmati rice.
Fried Gobbler Roll* by Glen and Sherri Kusak of Yoakum Packing Co. This State Fair-inspired egg roll is loaded with smoky chopped turkey leg meat, fire-roasted corn, sweet peppers, rich cream cheese and savory seasonings. Hand-rolled and deep-fried until crispy and golden brown, this savory bite comes with a choice of sweet-and-spicy honey hot sauce or a cool, creamy cilantro sauce.
Fried Green Tomato Lobster Bruschetta by Clint and Gretchen Probst of Concession Staffing Services LLC. Fried green tomatoes topped with lobster salad, chopped tomato and balsamic glaze.
Frozen Ranch Water 250 by Craig Spivey of FairGuys, LLC. This refreshment is a swirl of original, blueberry, and strawberry frozen ranch waters for a celebratory red, white and blue.
Limonata Fresca Float* by Justin Martinez of Fiesta Enterprises Inc. Sparkling Limonata, crafted from authentic sun-ripened Italian lemons, meets house-made fresh watermelon purée and crowned with a scoop of Italian lemon sorbet, served in a lemon sugar-rimmed cup with fresh mint garnish.
Loaded Lone Star Rings* by Christi Erpillo and Johnna McKee of Winter Family Concessions LLC. These combine crispy onion rings, spicy jalapeño popper filling and smoky beef fajitas and served with local Texas spicy pickles and a side of Fernie’s secret sauce.
Love Me Jam Sandwich* by Michelle Edwards of J3M2 Services. This Southern-style sandwich stacked on grilled Texas toast with melted peanut butter, homemade banana jam, thick-cut bacon and a crunchy layer of crushed potato chips.
Mango Strawberry Shortcake* by Jerry Shrier of Beyond Ice LLC. Layered with vanilla custard, mango strawberry ice and Nilla Wafers cookie crumbles, this treat is inspired by the nostalgic flavor of classic strawberry shortcake.
Matcha Parfait* by Keith Tran of Perfect Timing Concepts LLC. This dessert combines matcha layers, sponge cake and fresh seasonal fruit piled high into a colorful parfait.
Midnight Ruby Rush* by Tony and Terry Bednar of Tony’s Taco Shop LLC. This handcrafted refresher made features an hibiscus-infusion layered with fresh strawberries, velvety frosted foam, cool mint and a chamoy-kissed rim.
Mini Smoked Turkey Leg by Glen and Sherri Kusak of Yoakum Packing Co. The Fair staple gets smaller and cured with the same spices as a holiday ham.
Mixed Fruits Tanghulu by Sijie Lu of HGG Tanghulu. This traditional Chinese snack featues strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges and green grapes are placed on a skewer and coated in a thin, crunchy sugar shell.
New Orleans Nachos by Terrence, Lisa, and Trevor Henderson of A Taste of New Orleans. Crawfish etouffee served over crispy kettle-style chips topped with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and jalapeños for a flavor-packed bite.
The Niece* by Terrance Smith of Smith Spot BBQ. A grilled cheese brisket sandwich on French toast comes with bacon and scallions and is dusted with a touch of powdered sugar along with a touch of Bourbon sauce.
Not’cho Average Sundae by Christopher Easter and Nicole Sternes of SouthSide The Realest, LLC. A crispy waffle bowl is filled with Dorito Nacho Cheese chips, steamed rice, grilled chicken cheesesteak and warm Ro*Tel® Famous Queso Dip and drizzled with hot honey and secret sauce and topped with applewood bacon crumbles.
The PBR (Pickles, Bacon, Ranch) by Cheyne Hickey of Lil Red’s.Grilled cheddar and mozzarella cheese are topped with pickles, bacon, ranch, and fresh hand-cut fries and served on toasted sourdough bread.
Rude Boy Yaki Noodles by Stephen Alade of Doc’s Street Grill.Yakisoba noodles stir-fried with shrimp, carrots, scallions, ginger and bell peppers in a fusion sauce.
Soft Serve Smoked Peach Bourbon Smash* by Rick and Tammy Stiffler of Stiffler Concessions LLC. This refresher combines premium smoked whiskey infused with Texas Post Oak, a peach Bellini Prosecco base and vanilla soft serve served in a Fair cup with a chili-lime salt and chamoy rim. Also available as a mocktail.
Spicy Carbonara Ramen Korean Corn Dog by Leslie Chan of Chan’s Eatery. A Korean corn dog is wrapped in crispy Buldak Ramen Carbonara noodles and finished off with a drizzle of Buldak Ramen Carbonara sauce and cheese powder.
Texas Brisket Pierogies by Tanya Rose of Pierogizilla LLC. Fried potato and cheese pierogies are topped with Texas smoked brisket, creamy lime signature sauce, tangy pickled red onions, pickled Fresno peppers, and fresh cilantro.
Triple Chocolate Flautas* by Palmer Fortune of Palmer’s Hot Chicken. Crispy corn tortillas are stuffed with fudgy brownie, molten fudge, and melted chocolate chips, fried and finished with whipped cream, a chocolate drizzle and chocolate sprinkles.
Twinkle Twinkle Brisket Star* by Brent & Juan Reaves of Smokey John’s Inc. Hollowed out Twinkies with a filling of slow-smoked brisket, bacon, fresh jalapeños and cream cheese dipped in special batter, rolled in panko breadcrumbs and deep fried. Then it is finished with a drizzle of raspberry chipotle sauce and topped with bacon crumbles and fresh jalapeño slices.
*2026 Big Tex Choice Awards Semi-Finalists are marked with an asterisk.
–Rich Lopez