I am a lifelong Minnesota State Fair enthusiast from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’ve attended over 30 years of the Great Minnesota Get-Together, trying nearly every food on offer and wearing down numerous pairs of shoes. I draw on my years of Fair experience to guide you through the hits and misses of my favorite event of the year.
Crepe is better warm, basic in flavor and presentation, cream cheese is generous, pickles were crisp with good snap, ham was basic deli fare
We always love when an existing vendor not known for adding to their menu devises a new food item for the first time in years. This year, French Crêperie has not one but two new varieties of their toppings-filled crepes, an Oreos and cream as well as a pickle roll-up in true Midwestern fashion, to add to their established menu that has been present for decades.
For their Pickle Roll Crepe, their thin but stretchy crepe is slathered with cream cheese and wrapped around a slice of deli ham and two large pickle spears. The pickles were mild and not overly briny, with a pleasant crisp snap with each bite. The ham was pedestrian fare, sliced thin and adding little, present but forgettable. The cream cheese was generous although not visible adhering to the underside of the ham, becoming the predominant flavor and an enjoyable interplay with the doughy crepe.
This could have benefitted by being served warm, as long as the consistency would have held up with the cream cheese and pickle. Priced at $13 like all their other menu items, we’d veer back to our tried and true favorites, like their exemplary bacon and swiss. We love that French Crêperie has expanded their menu, but this is their weakest offering we’ve tried, and we tired of it halfway through.
The Minnesota Farmers Union has been reliably offering up new baked goods alongside their new entree options for the past few years, and this year they have a two-fer with a pair of baseball-sized pastries from Patisserie 46 comprised of apples and bananas. We opted for the Banana S’more option, a crumb cake infused with soft banana sections and rich chocolate chunks.
The banana was scattered throughout in soft, gooey pockets, although absent from many bites leading to some helpings consisting of only cake. The chocolate was thankfully more plentiful, helping to prevent bites from being completely devoid of ingredients. Absent from our palate was any signs of the promised marshmallow or graham cracker streusel, making this more akin to banana bread than a s’more. Another s’more element missing is heat, as the room-temperature dish would have been improved with a little warmth.
Overall, this cake was reminiscent of Minnesota Farmers Union’s prior offerings, which lands it as enjoyable but forgettable, lacking the execution and complexity that they’ve been known for. At a $9 price point, it’s a large treat that satisfies but doesn’t impress.
Ratings (0-5):
Taste: 3
Appearance: 3
Novelty: 1
Value: 2
Overall Score: 9 out of 20 (Better Luck Next Year)
Why do we celebrate what’s new at a Fairgrounds that’s full of so many old standbys and classic favorites? Because even stalwarts like Sweet Martha’s Cookies, cheese curds, and even the venerable Pronto Pup once made their debuts at the Minnesota State Fair and began their ascent to legendary status. While it’s true that many of the new offerings at the Fair are flashes in the pan, to come and go on a whim, they all have to start somewhere.
In life, there’s so many reasons to celebrate new beginnings: being hired to a new career, starting a new relationship, having a new baby, all reasons to foster excitement toward the unknown and unpredictable. Fair food isn’t nearly that heavy, yet each year we never know if we’re about to stumble upon a new favorite that becomes a cornerstone of our annual Fair diets, and all it takes is that ethereal first bite.
This year’s new food and beverage offerings at the Minnesota State Fair is comprised of 156 items debuting. In this preview, we’re categorizing some of the most interesting items into one of three ranks: Must-Trys, the foods and beverages that we’ll be anxiously awaiting to get our hands on; Questionables, the items that we’re intrigued by but we’re not quite sold on yet; and Uffdas, the ones we’ll give a fair shake to but have some serious doubts about. These rankings are not meant to supersede each item’s coming review once the Fair begins; a high ranking here does not mean we’ll automatically love it once we try it, just that it tentatively seems like it will be great, based on descriptions and other factors like the vendor’s prior history. Similarly, foods that have been panned in this preview in past years have turned out to be some of the best of the field (the Deep-Fried Ranch Dressing went from an Uffda to one of last year’s standouts). As always, these reviews are subjective and your experience may vary — use this site as a guideline but not an ultimatum on what you should or should not try!
Be sure to familiarize yourself with our scoring system for reviews. We utilize a system where items are scored out of a possible 20 points, using four categories: Taste, Appearance, Novelty, and Value. Descriptions of how we assess each category are listed in the link above. You can also check out our Review Library, an overview of everything we’ve tried and rated over the last seven years since this website began in 2018.
Here’s our preliminary thoughts on 2025’s class of new foods and beverages!
Must-Trys: We Can’t Wait To Get Our Hands On These!
Sweet Squeakers from The Blue Barn: When you know what you do well, why deviate from the formula? The Blue Barn has been consistent in offering that perfect combo dancing the line between breakfast and dessert that makes you feel guilty for abandoning your diet but makes your taste buds so glad you did. Cheese curds made with funnel cake batter is so quintessentially State Fair that it’s astonishing that it hasn’t been tried before, but we’re certain that Blue Barn is up to the task to nail the execution.
Croffle Cloud from Spinning Wylde: We have a confession to make: as much as we try to hit every new food each year, our time, budget, and appetite is limited. As a result there’s some omissions that get made, and sadly we haven’t tried anything from Spinning Wylde since their debut as a new vendor a couple years ago. We have plans to change that with the addition of the wonderfully inventive Croffle Cloud, a croissant pressed in a waffle iron before being topped with cotton candy, sweet cream, and a fruit puree. This seems like it will be pure fun and a big hit, reminiscent of the now-departed Rainbow Cloud Roll as a way to elevate cotton candy into something more significant.
Pot of Gold Potato Dumplings from O’Gara’s at the Fair: O’Gara’s has had a rollercoaster ride of new foods over the years, reliably adding to their menu annually — sometimes with a hit, often with a flop. Their reputation has improved over the last few years however, with last year’s Walking Shepherd’s Pie being our best reviewed item they’ve provided. An upward trend aside, these dumplings are produced by the exemplary Saturday Dumpling Co. who have exploded onto the Minnesota culinary scene, which is reason enough to be excited for them. We’re hoping the inclusion of Top The Tater dip will be the perfect accoutrement!
Questionables: Will These Be Good? Will They Flop? Time Will Tell!
Shrimp & Pork Toast On-A-Stick from Union Hmong Kitchen: It’s not that we doubt that Union Hmong Kitchen is capable of producing spectacular Fair food from their International Bazaar stand, but their lofty heights have been matched with some perplexing lows in their first few years on the Fairgrounds. Seafood at the Fair is always an area of concern, and at a vendor that has been in the upper reaches of price points we suspect this will an expensive item that needs to transcend to be worthwhile.
Timber Twists from Giggles’ Campfire Grill: It’s been an uncharacteristically quiet few years from Giggles’, once one of the Fairgrounds’ most reliable contributors to the annual new foods list. Perhaps their chefs had run out of ideas at long last, after decades of bringing in more and more exotic proteins and creative ways to present them. We’re excited to see them back at it with a new creation, but perplexed by the change of direction in presenting bacon-wrapped stuffed shells slathered in sauces, more akin to an Italian restaurant than their North Woods-themed outpost, regardless of the tree-themed title they’ve given this dish. Were the years away because they were waiting for something truly great to serve up, or is this merely presented out of a sense of obligation?
Tater Kegs from Greater Tater: We’ve been very open to new vendors making their Fair debut, welcoming in new proprietors with open arms and ready to try everything on their menus. Surely, coming into the well-oiled machine that is the Minnesota State Fair and trying to catch up to speed right away is a daunting task! We’re excited about the wide variety of stuffed tater tots that Greater Tater is bringing on board, especially the intriguing Breakfast Skillet and Reuben options. With that said, we can think of several places on the Fairgrounds that already offer a similar product, and we just can’t get that excited about tater tots, the most basic of appetizer. Whereas the Fair has done well to invite in new vendors that expand the horizons of what’s available, we’re uncertain why Greater Tater made the cut; we hope that a truly greater tater sets this vendor apart.
Uffdas: What Were They Thinking? Is There Any Chance These Turn Out Good?
Uncrustaburger from Coaster’s: This monstrosity of a burger seems aimed at pure shock value and novelty rather than aims of being a worthwhile food product. Remember those viral Epic Meal Time videos? That’s what this feels like, an ethos somehow finding its way to the Fair at least a decade too late for relevancy. Even the picture looks unappealing, the lettuce feels unnerving by proxy, and we think this will be a sloppy mess. Of course we’re going to try it, we have to for science, and if we didn’t stop at lutefisk a couple years ago we won’t let this greasebomb of a burger hold us back now.
Smashadilla from Gass Station Grill: What’s worse than being a grease trap of a burger concept, destined to make eaters rethink their choices and need to lay down for a while? Being only the second-most interesting grease trap of a burger concept new this year, because some madmen put a burger between Uncrustables. Now your burger just seems like a Taco Bell product line reject!
Dill Pickle Iced Tea from Loon Lake Iced Tea: We don’t review beverages here because although there’s an ever-expanding list of beers, ciders and seltzers that we love to sample, we lack the expertise to reliably discuss alcoholic drinks; @mnstatefairbeers on Instagram does a way better job covering that beat than we could ever hope to do. For non-alcoholic drinks, not enough of them are interesting enough to merit writing about, but if we did review beverages then Loon Lake Iced Tea would’ve received high marks as our favorite new vendor last year. Return trips for new items at the Fair are a rarity, yet we stopped by their diminutive stand multiple times throughout the Fair for a delicious refresher, and the edible glitter in the iced tea made their drinks something to show off to friends and passersby. With all that praise aside, if we thought the pickle trend had jumped the shark last year, we’ve gone so far beyond the pale now that there’s no turning back. Do yourself a favor and grab any of Loon Lake’s other offerings, you won’t regret it!
That’s just a few of our thoughts on some of the many, many new foods and beverages coming to the 2025 Minnesota State Fair! Of course, this preview only scrapes the surface of all the new offerings at the Fair. Check out our full spreadsheet guide to everything new available from Fair vendors including details about where to find each item and pricing updated once the Fair begins. Stay tuned beginning with Opening Day on Thursday, August 21st, as we eat, drink, and review our way through the Fair and discover if these first impressions were correct and what surprises are in store!
THIS IS IT! The final day of the 2024 Minnesota State Fair! It’s now or never, so if there’s a food item you want to try, an exhibit you want to check out, a product you want to buy, or an animal you want to pet, today is your last chance until next year. It’s always sad to see the Fair go, but if it were permanent it wouldn’t be as special as it is. Let’s hope for a beautiful final day, get out there and enjoy it!
Below is a selection of what we think is most worthy of checking out on Day Twelve; for a full daily schedule, visit the Minnesota State Fair official site at mnstatefair.org:
9:00am: Minnesota State Fair Horse Show Speed Event Finals (Warner Coliseum) — Dazzling horses and riders will amaze the crowds at the Coliseum while competing in several agility events like barrel racing and pole weaving.
9:00am: Cornbread Harris (AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion) — Harris is a Twin Cities music legend, with a history of playing his blues music in various venues all over town, and a tradition of playing the Labor Pavilion as a special treat on Labor Day. Listen: “Put The World Back Together”
10:30am and 11:45am: Monroe Crossing (Leinie Lodge Bandshell) — “Performing with a contagious enthusiasm, bluegrass quintet Monroe Crossing dazzles audiences around the world with an electrifying blend of classic bluegrass, bluegrass gospel and heartfelt originals” (Minnesota State Fair). Listen: “Green Mossy Ground”
10:45am, 12:00pm, and 1:15pm: World Jazz Collegium (International Bazaar) — “Founded in the spirit of collective creativity and experimentation, World Jazz Collegium is an assembly of local and international musicians … [whose] repertoire includes works by Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, Jeff Beck and other legends of the jazz-rock-fusion era” (Minnesota State Fair). Listen: Performance at Twin Cities Jazz Fest 2023
11:00am and 1:00pm: Davina and the Vagabonds (MPR Booth) — “A jazz blues band based in the Twin Cities” (artist YouTube bio). Listen: “Bone Collection”
11:00am, 2:00pm, and 4:30pm: All-Star Stunt Dogs Splash (The North Woods Stage) — Watch all the fun tricks and athletic feats these various breeds of trained dogs can achieve in this showcase of canines!
12:30pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm: Faith Boblett (Schilling Amphitheater) — “Faith’s music falls somewhere in the realm of pop, Americana, rock, and alt country. She pulls inspiration from songwriters like Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile, and Tom Petty” (artist Spotify bio). Listen: “Didn’t Want You”
1:00pm and 2:30pm: Screaming Orphans (Leinie Lodge Bandshell) — “Rooted in traditional Irish music, Celtic pop-rock band Screaming Orphans draws from a diverse set of influences to focus on melody-driven songs with pop and rock strains and to explore new and exciting songwriting and performance concepts. These four sisters are known for a powerful, award-winning sound that combines their own original melodic old-school pop songs with a unique and modern take on traditional Irish music and song.” (Minnesota State Fair). Listen: “Stop Stop”
2:00pm: Minnesota State Fair Parade — The daily parade, with a route that runs from the Dairy Building north past the Leinie Lodge Bandshell and Baldwin Stage to the Eco Experience and then back south, features marching bands from across the state and vibrant floats.
3:00pm and 6:00pm: Bulls and Barrels Championship (Warner Coliseum) — Bull riding and barrel racing action combined into one big rodeo-style show inside the spacious Warner Coliseum.
3:00pm and 5:00pm: Amanda Grace Trio (MPR Booth) — “Amanda is a Minnesota native singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, releasing music drifting between folk, alt- pop/rock and Americana. With roots as a pianist her writing is thematically varied with an emphasis on melody; with ballads wrapped in warm vocals” (Minnesota State Fair).
3:15pm, 4:30pm, and 5:45pm: Native Pride Dancers (International Bazaar) — “An internationally known high-energy dance troupe, Native Pride Dancers create beautiful and powerful expressions in movement, sharing stories through dance and song that feature an innovative blend of modern and traditional Native American dance styles. The performers’ rich cultural heritage is also reflected in their authentic regalia that honors the elders and legacy of their nations” (Minnesota State Fair).
3:45pm and 4:45pm: Los Texmaniacs (Leine Lodge Bandshell) — “Combining Tex-Mex conjunto, Texas rock, blues and R&B riffs, Los Texmaniacs delight audiences with a sound solidly rooted in tradition while exploding with contemporary vitality” (Minnesota State Fair). Listen: “Mexico Americano”
4:00pm, 5:00pm, and 6:00pm: LAAMAR (Schilling Amphitheater) — “Known for his multilayered looped saxophone performances and catchy podcast ditties, LAAMAR is the latest project led by Minneapolis-based singer, songwriter, saxophonist and composer Geoffrey Lamar Wilson. On the band’s debut EP, Wilson blends his idiomatic inspirations bridging folk, soul, R&B and country with a constant ear toward racial and social justice issues and the shared human experience” (Minnesota State Fair). Listen: “Say My Name”
7:30pm: Grupo Esplendor Norteño (International Bazaar) — “Minnesota band Grupo Esplendor Norteño plays traditional music from the northern part of Mexico using drums, electric bass, 10-string guitar and the accordion, which is the main instrument in this music genre” (Minnesota State Fair). Listen: “El Sancho”
7:30pm: The Brothers Allmanac (Schilling Amphitheater) — “Delivering a premier Midwest-rooted tribute, The Brothers Allmanac play classics and deep cuts spanning the entirety of The Allman Brothers Band career” (Minnesota State Fair). Listen: “Ain’t Wasting Time No More”
7:30pm: Semisonic (Leine Lodge Bandshell) — “Minneapolis rock band Semisonic, featuring GRAMMY-winning and Oscar-nominated lead vocalist Dan Wilson, John Munson and Jacob Slichter, is best known for the GRAMMY-nominated, massive hit single ‘Closing Time’ and platinum album ‘Feeling Strangely Fine.’” (Minnesota State Fair). There’s no more fitting song to wrap up the 2024 Minnesota State Fair than their biggest hit – you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here! Listen: “Closing Time”
Fair food doesn’t get more over-the-top, at it’s junk food best, than the offerings from Deep Fried Candy Bars, a vendor that puts it all right in the title: they specialize in deep-frying all sorts of candy bars, turning them into molten hot, gooey, sticky messes that elevates the contents along with your blood sugar levels. New for 2024, they’ve taken their deep-fried Oreos and given them a red velvet batter rather than the typical golden brown hue, and drizzled them with a cream cheese icing to pair with the typical Oreo creme filling.
Conspiracy theory alert: we suspect this is not true red velvet batter, just their regular candy bar batter dyed red. There was no discernable red velvet taste, just the familiar (and very good) batter we remember from other times we’ve tasted their wares. This is not to say we didn’t enjoy these, just that they’re pushing the definition of “new” Fair food. The Oreos inside soften up from the trip through the deep fryer, making them oh so good while so not good for you. The cream cheese icing is on point, and the powdered sugar takes these over the top as a bona fide sweet treat. Served five to an order for $6, these were well worth the price and perfect to share with friends. The disappointment over not actually receiving red velvet cake batter was soon forgotten with the first few bites.
Fairly Unbalanced 