Best Washington State Fair Food For 2024

The Washington State Fair’s reputation for deep-fried everything is getting a delicious upgrade! This year’s Washington State Fair food highlights the state’s bounty, showcasing its proud agriculture, regional foodways, and talented local vendors.

Fairgoers can tantalize their taste buds with diverse options: sip a refreshing California wine slushie in the wine garden, savor a hearty Nebraska beef Reuben burger from the Chuck Wagon, or indulge in a sweet treat with Vermont maple syrup soft serve at the sugar house. Of course, classic fried fair foods are still available, but even these get a local twist. Funnel cakes, burgers, and candy are all reimagined with regional ingredients, making them worthy of a blue ribbon.

Washington: Scones

For a sweet taste of Washington state fair food, look no further than the Washington State Fair, commonly known as the Puyallup Fair after its namesake town. It is one of the largest state fairs in the country. But more importantly for food-minded attendees, it also has scones on lock. Fisher scones have been a fair staple for more than 100 years, with more than a million sold annually during the 20-day festival. Served hot from the oven, each scone comes slathered with whipped sweet honey butter spread and raspberry jam.

In Nevada, the Basque Fry in Gardnerville, an annual festival honoring Nevada’s Basque heritage, is centered in the northern part of the state. For a classic taste of the Basque Country, visit Washington State Fair Food and Wine Exchange’s booth for a serving of Basque fries, also known as lamb’s testicles.

The meat is thinly sliced and tenderized with a mallet, marinated in milk overnight, battered and dredged with light breadcrumbs, then fried until golden. No ordinary ketchup will do for this deliciousness. Instead, each order is accompanied by a Basque ketchup made with smoked paprika and piment d’espellet. This classic dish not only nods to Basque heritage but also reflects the whole animal philosophy of Liberty Foods chef and owner Mark Esty.

Food has become a major attraction at the Washington state fair food, drawing over a million attendees to West Allis every August. With more than 200 food and beverage vendors to choose from, focus on dairy-inspired dishes such as deep-fried cheese curds, grilled cheese sandwiches, and buttery corn to get a taste of Wisconsin’s best-known agricultural export. An absolute must, though, is the original cream puff. Created in 1924 by the Wisconsin Bakers Association to highlight the state’s wheat and dairy industries, this treat remains the longest continuously offered food item at the fair.

Ryan Hagy, owner of DeAnna’s Food, was inspired to create his food truck’s signature dish so he could enjoy two of his favorite offerings on the go. He loads a sundae cup with French fries and grilled sirloin steak, giving birth to a fair favorite. Hagy has applied this treatment to other classic dishes, even taking on the iconic Southern staple: shrimp and grits.

Find his Shrimp ‘n’ Grits Sundae at both the South Carolina State Fair and the Coastal Carolina Fair. Hagy starts with local stone-ground grits, soaking them before cooking for a creamy texture. He tops them with crumbled bacon, cheddar, gouda, and cream cheese, then layers them in a sundae cup with marinated white shrimp. For the shrimp, Hagy bakes them with Cajun spices until the marinade forms a sauce.