Pork Schnitzel Sandwich

4 star review

Farmers Union Coffee Shop • Dan Patch Av. between Cooper and Cosgrove Sts. • $14

A perfect marriage of flavor and texture featuring thinly pounded Minnesota pork, this sandwich would make an ace lunch any day. We only wish we weren't limited to fair season to get one.

Al's Breakfast Pancakes

4 star review

Hamline Church Dining Hall • Dan Patch Av. between Underwood and Cooper Sts. • $9.25-$10.25

With Al's owner Alison Kirwin flipping the pancakes, a Minneapolis icon finally gets its due at the State Fair. Tangy, crêpe-like and studded with bursts of blueberries, these flapjacks are just as good as the Dinkytown original.

"Meat" balls and Marinara

4 star review

French Meadow • Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts. • $12

The best of the ample new ersatz meat offerings we tried, these garlicky meatball-mimics' vegan-ness was almost undetectable. The marinara was enough of a draw to keep us coming back for another bite.

Nana's Caramel Sundae Cake

4 star review

French Meadow • Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts. • $7

This treat is billed as a gluten-free, dairy-free apple spice cake with a vegan caramel sauce, but that doesn't begin to describe it. Ooey-gooey, caramelly and almost fudge-like, it's as comforting as a sweater and a porch swing on a crisp fall day.

Soulsicle

4 star review

Soul Bowl • Food Building • $9

With so much fried chicken (and fried "chicken") at the fair, Soul Bowl's new addition rises to the top. Coated with candied yam sauce, hot sauce and cornbread crumbles, it brings a tasty new dimension to stick food.

Nordic Spiced Tea

4 star review

Nordic Waffles • West End Market • $6

A drink we'd gladly stand in Nordic Waffles' extra-long line for, it's a new spin on tea we didn't know we were missing. Kind of chai-like, but with more of a star anise edge, it's different and delightful.

Steak Dinner

4 star review

Pickle Barrel Sirloin Tips • Judson Av. and Nelson St. • $14-$16

This is ideal date-night dining. Charred hunks of rich beef are served with massive mushrooms and rustic mashed potatoes; the filling dish is perfect for those who don't like to graze.

Tot Dog

4 star review

LuLu's Public House • West End Market • $7

The Tater tot coating over a juicy hot dog is the kind of genius that makes us wonder why no one ever tried this before.

Southern Chicken Biscuit Sandwich

4 star review

LuLu's Public House • West End Market • $8

The other new entry from LuLu's rocked with a tender biscuit-based sandwich (courtesy of Betty & Earl's) with crispy spiced fried chicken and zesty pimento cheese.

Flight of Floats

4 star review

West End Creamery • West End • $14.75

A flight of floats is a whimsical good time with a range of flavors. We went the creamsicle route (vanilla/Fanta), and the chocolate-fueled goodness comes from the Black Cow.

Mov + Nqaij

4 star review

Union Hmong Kitchen • International Bazaar • $12-$15

Every bite garnered effusive praise from our team. Golden lemongrass tofu, heavenly Hilltribe Chicken thighs and intensely juicy Hmong sausage are packed with flavor before getting a crisp-up on the grill. Served with purple sticky rice, try the skewers with the spicy chili crisp sauce or the tangy-bright lemongrass sauce. If only these were served at every backyard cookout.

Dej Qab Zib

4 star review

Union Hmong Kitchen • International Bazaar • $7.50

Another vegan offering, and the prettiest drink on the fairgrounds. Called sweet refreshment, it's a coconut-lychee colada made with a blend of coconut milk, lychee syrup, lime and mint and is as refreshing as it is beautiful.

Tirokroketes

4 star review

Dino's Gyro's • Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts. • $7

Dino's understood the assignment: fair food should be crusty, flavorful, decadent and easy to eat on the go. These luscious bites are gooey-licious and fun to eat.

Cinnamon Twist

3.5 star review

French Meadow • Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts. • $6

This pastry (at left) is a cardamom pastry done right. Crisp on the outside, chewy in the middle, and sprinkled all over with warming spices, this croissant-in-a-knot is a sure bet first thing in the morning.

Minty Magic Tart

3.5 star review

Sara's Tipsy Pies • Food Building • $8

Crème de cacao and crème de menthe cream is topped with marshmallow cream and crushed Andes mints. It's cool, it's creamy, it's adorable. If only it were easier to fork into.

Birthday Cake Paleta

3 star review

Hamline Church Dining Hall • Dan Patch Av. between Underwood and Cooper Sts. • $6

Funfetti fans take note: colorful paletas from La Michoacana Rose are a fun addition to the fair, especially this birthday cake and sprinkle-flecked offering that was pure nostalgia on a stick. Happy birthday, Hamline.

Celebration Cake On-A-Stick

3 star review

Mancini's Al Fresco • Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts. • $6

Almond cake with tooth-achingly sweet frosting tastes more like a wedding dessert than birthday cake. But kudos to the staffer who personalizes every treat on-a-stick with a message of the buyer's choice. Cute idea. Be prepared to wait for it.

Smoothie Bowls

3 star review

Nautical Bowls • Food Building • $12

Superfood bowls at the fair is an offbeat idea, but for the health-minded set, this new vendor presents four plant-based and gluten-free options. Nut butters tasted fresh, the granola was crisp and the colors were vibrant.

New Mexico Chile Dog Sliders

3 star review

Blue Moon Dine-In Theater • Carnes Av. and Chambers St. • $10

Mini chile dogs are totally crushable with their handy little size and scratch-made red or green chile. The green chile was especially tangy, spicy and alluring, and the mini prickly pear slushie refreshing.

Reuben Rolls

3 star review

O'Gara's At the Fair • Dan Patch Av. and Cosgrove St. • $9

It's easy to imagine sitting at the bar ordering these crispy egg roll-wrapped Reuben bites at the old O'Gara's Bar. They're Swiss cheesy and corned beefy and served with a twang of housemade Thousand Island dressing.

Ferndale Turkey BLT Croissant

3 star review

French Meadow • Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts. • $14

We'd give this yummy, hearty sandwich four stars if not for the mess it makes when trying to eat it. A two-fisted situation is not exactly fair-friendly. But the ingredients, including golden heirloom tomatoes, are top-notch.

Gray Duck Sundae

3 star review

Bridgeman's • Judson Av. and Liggett St. • $9

A clever Minnesota nod to the proper way to play Duck, Duck, Gray Duck, this dreamy Bridgeman's ice cream is threaded with a gentle anise flavor and topped with crunchy mini marshmallows, whipped cream and a bright red cherry. Even black licorice foes were impressed.

Caramel Latte Ice Cream Sandwich, 10 Year Anniversary Sandwich

3 star review

Thelma's Handmade Ice Cream Sandwiches • Judson Av. and Underwood St. • $5

Soft and chewy cookies hold a creamy, kicky coffee ice cream in the middle. It's a big bite, but so fun to try and get through before the ice cream melts.

Minneblueberry Pie and Apple Lemonade

3 star review

Minneapple Pie • Judson Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts. • $19 (for both)

This cutie is as tasty as it is adorable, with shatter-crisp crust stuffed with tart blueberries. Served with cinnamon or vanilla ice cream, it was all the pleasures of fresh-from-the-oven eating without heating up the house. Get the lemonade, too, which tasted like drinking apple pie — in a good way.

Lift Bridge Root Beer and Black Cherry Soda

3 star review

Bridge n' Barrel Root Beer • two locations • $3

This beloved local root beer brings its frosty flavor to the fair for the first time. The herbaceous notes mellow in with the syrupy richness, and each sip is buoyed by tiny bubbles of ample effervescence. The black cherry soda tastes like a melty cherry Popsicle in the best possible way, not skimping on the sweet or the robust fruit flavor.

Sundae Sammie

3 star review

Jammy Sammies by Brim • North End • $10

Another jammy sammie from Brim with crispy grilled bread filled with strawberry jam with big berry hunks. It's all topped with sprinkle-adorned whipped topping, salt and sprinkles for good measure. Bonus: It's all gluten-free.

All Quacked Up

3 star review

The Hideaway Speakeasy • Grandstand upper level • $12

We'd order this breakfast sandwich with a giant duck egg, crispy ham, slice of cheddar, tomato and fresh spinach at any restaurant around town. However, the open-faced style makes it impossible to eat while roaming the fair.

Vegetarian Fiesta Taco Cone

2.5 star review

San Felipe Tacos • Dan Patch Av. and Underwood St. • $9

A welcome, hearty vegetarian snack piled inside a thick fried tortilla cone stuffed with shredded lettuce, black olives, cheese and guacamole.

Cheese Curd Tacos

2.5 star review

Richie's Cheese Curd Tacos • Judson Av. between Liggett and Clough Sts. • $12 for two

Flour tortillas are wrapped around cheese curds and then the whole thing is deep fried. It's a solid entry to the caloric pantheon of decadent fair eats, but we might save stomach room for something else.

Apricot and Ginger Scone

2.5 star review

French Meadow • Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts. • $9

Neither apricot nor ginger are assertive enough in this sweet treat (at right), but we can't be too mad about a well-executed, moist and buttery biscuit.

Spiced lattes

2.5 star review

French Meadow • Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts. • $8

Spicing up a latte with Turkish flavors does wonders to give the morning drink a warming kick. But another option, with a salty, sour, spicy chili sprinkling on top is a hard pass.

Vegan Earth Sliders

2.5 star review

French Meadow • Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts. • $14

In this decent, easily shareable vegan option, two sliders come with an admirable facsimile of crispy chicken tenders, which are, sadly, overwhelmed by a sauce that's slightly too tangy.

Blood Orange Lemonade

2.5 star review

Farmers Union Coffee Shop • Dan Patch Av. between Cooper and Cosgrove Sts. • $6-$7.50

We couldn't totally taste the blood orange flavor, but the bones of a refreshing lemonade — made with actual lemons — was enough to quench our thirst.

Buzz'n Hot Honey Chicken Sausage Kebob

2.5 star review

Sausage Sister & Me • Food Building • $11

Hot? We beg to differ. We might have been more into this hefty portion of juicy chicken sausage, skewered between chunks of cornmeal biscuit, if it were a little jazzier.

Jumbo Breakfast Tots

2.5 star review

Sonny's • Food Building • $10

Stuff eggs, cheese and sausage into a hash brown? Sure! These mega tots are the kind of hokey fun that fair food can and should be. We'd have preferred a better dip than tubed sour cream, however.

Chipotle Glazed Pork Belly Tacos al Pastor

2.5 star review

Tejas Express • The Garden • $10

Juicy little nubs of pork make a nice bite — if you can find the sweet bits of pineapple that make the whole thing pop.

Tacos Birria

2.5 star review

Tejas Express • The Garden • $10

The meat is tender, the consommé on the side is tasty and hot. But the tacos could use more cheese — lots more.

Chick N Swiss Sausage

2.5 star review

Gass Station Grill • Cooper St. between Dan Patch and Judson Avs. • $9

A snappy dog that's abundantly juicy is stuffed with nubs of creamy Swiss cheese and green pepper bits all on a squishy bun. We recommend adding a little sauerkraut.

Vegan Corn Dog

2.5 star review

Daryl's Dog House • Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts. • $7

The golden corny exterior gets four stars, but the near-meat texture is still just a bit off and brings it down. A good stop for vegans/vegetarians, but traditionalists will want to stick to their favorite stands.

Sweet Potato Poutine

2.5 star review

Blue Barn • West End Market • $13.75

One of the fair's prettier dishes, sweet potato waffle fries popped under yellow turmeric gravy and scrumptious Beyond chorizo sausage crumbles. But the Ellsworth cheese curds languished as a flavor void in this vegetarian dish.

Vanilla Dream Nordic Waffle

2.5 star review

Nordic Waffles • West End Market • $10

Dessert for breakfast is served like a reverse waffle with cinnamon sugar coating on the outside and a vanilla frosting folded within. Drippy, but good.

Cotton Candy Float

2.5 star review

German Root Beer & Popcorn • Chambers St. by the Grandstand • $6-$8

In a Willy Wonka way, the soda actually tastes like carbonated cotton candy and it's not as overwhelmingly sweet as one might expect.

Poultrygeist, Steak-xorcist, Monster Mash

2 star review

The Herbivorous Butcher • Food Building • $13, $14, $24

It's a crowded field this year for plant-based meat replacements, and Herbivorous Butcher's impressive housemade proteins didn't stand out, though we liked the "buttery" Texas toast. The "chicken" is definitely the way to go here.

Sweet Cheese Blintz

2 star review

iPierogi • Food Building • $5

Grandma loved blintzes, and she'd be perfectly content with this classic, no-frills addition to the menu here. Not everything needs reinvention.

Waffle Sticks

2 star review

Waffle Chix • Randall Av. and Cosgrove St. • $8

This new booth aims for sweet and savory with each stick. Unfortunately, none captured our hearts. The breakfast sausage is a serviceable breakfast, the brownie was exactly as promised and quickly forgotten, but the fried chicken was the least successful — impossible to tell where the fried chicken batter ended and the waffle began. Syrup is optional.

Kulfi

2 star review

Hot Indian • Food Building • $5

Floral, sweet and cooling, this Indian-style condensed milk ice cream is nice, especially the mango and sprinkle version — but it loses points because two of the three flavors come prepackaged.

BLT Mini Hand Pie

2 star review

Farmers Union Coffee Shop • Dan Patch Av. between Cooper and Cosgrove Sts. • $7

Vikings & Goddesses' ultra-flaky pastry dough works great in croissant form. But wrapped around a thin slice of bacony filling (and not enough of it), it made each bite a crumbly mess.

Breakfast Gnocchi

2 star review

Blue Barn • West End Market • $11.75

Doughy fried gnocchi bites lacked character and balsamic glaze had no place here, but pesto cream and eggs rescued this slightly off-kilter breakfast dish.

Queen B Lemonade

2 star review

Soul Bowl • Food Building • $10

Blueberry and lavender weren't apparent in this flavored lemonade, and it was a bit too sweet. But bonus points for clever packaging in a pouch with a spout, like a grown-up Capri Sun.

Tandoor-Fired Jerk Chicken Mini'zza and Turmeric Ginger Lemon Surprise

2 star review

West Indies Soul Food • International Bazaar • $7 and $6

A perennial favorite stand missed on the new foods this year. The overcooked and hard-to-chew naan base is topped with a zippy sauce, but the one mealy tomato and congealed cheese top didn't work. And the Caribbean lemonade was overpowered with turmeric, drowning out all the other flavors.

Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

2 star review

Green Mill • Cooper St. between Randall and Wright Avs. • $7 for two

Green Mill pizza fans will be thrilled to tote these cups of pepperoni, sauce and cheese around, but we found the dough a bit too dull, dense and thick.

Pickle Pizza

2 star review

Rick's Pizza • Cosgrove St. between Wright and Dan Patch Avs. • $9

The pickle pizza craze has landed at the fair with this giant triangular slice. A creamy base and New York-style crust are the backdrop for the dilly, sandwich pickle topping that sticks with you long after you've eaten it.

Oreo Classic Cookie Dough On-A-Stick

2 star review

Kora's Cookie Dough • Dan Patch Av. between Cooper and Cosgrove Sts. • $8

Basically impaled brownie batter with a fudgy payoff in each bite. The likelihood of running into your dentist are slim to none, right?

Quesabirria

2 star review

Andy's Garage • International Bazaar • $10

The inescapable dish of the year includes roasted beef shreds mingling with melted cheese in an unremarkable tortilla and served with a cilantro- and onion-studded red-orange broth.

Mangonada

2 star review

Andy's Garage • International Bazaar • $6

This shake was aggressively seasoned with Tajin, but it still can be an icy, fruity refreshment as the August sun beat down on fairgoers.

Peach Shortcake Sundae

2 star review

R&R Ice Cream • Randall Av. and Underwood St. • $9

Despite repeated dissections with multiple spoons there was no shortcake to be found inside this cup. But good ice cream mixed with canned peaches is a nice snack on a hot day.

Hummus Bowls

2 star review

Baba's • Underwood St. between Lee and Randall Avs. • $12-$13

The Beauty and the Buffalo hummus bowl proves ranch goes with and in pretty much everything. The ranch hummus, topped with fried chicken pieces, Buffalo sauce and crumbles of blue cheese, was a new twist on familiar flavors. The Coco-Nuts was divisive, but garnered more side-eye than outright spite. The chocolate hummus retains a salty, almost savory edge, confusing the brain, but not in an entirely bad way.

Lobster Roll

1.5 star review

New Scenic Cafe • Underwood St. between Lee and Randall Avs. • $20

Watching the sandwich shoot down the metal slide never gets old, but the thrill of the lobster wears off pretty quickly with flavorless (or worse, fishy) meat.

Chilaquiles Breakfast

1.5 star review

Tejas Express • The Garden • $10

A nice spice and fluffy eggs are overcome by the salty sadness of movie theater-calibre tortilla chips. We expected better from a usually strong vendor, especially at breakfast.

Aronia Meringue Mini Pie

1.5 star review

Farmers Union Coffee Shop • Dan Patch Av. between Cooper and Cosgrove Sts. • $7

This collab with Vikings & Goddesses yielded a too-sweet meringue topping over a Jell-O-like filling in an over-browned pastry. This entry from a solid fair food vendor missed the mark for us.

Belly Full Nordic Waffle

1.5 star review

Nordic Waffles • West End Market • $12

A new breakfast sandwich entry ready any time of day starts with a Nordic waffles base, salty-sweet pork belly standing in for bacon. The result here is a greasy handheld, but we wouldn't kick it off a deserted island.

Donut Holes

1.5 star review

Fluffy's Hand Cut Donuts • Between Liggett and Chambers Sts. and Dan Patch and Carnes Avs. • $10 for eight

We loved this vendor last year and were bummed that we disliked this year's entry. Dense dough balls were missing that light, airy texture.

Chicken Tandoori Rolls and Pink Guava Slushie

Holy Land • International Bazaar • $12, $6

1.5 star review

Flaky paratha is wrapped around chalky-dry chicken with tandoori color. The super-sweet pink guava drink helped rehydrate the meat.

Molotes

1.5 star review

Andy's Garage, Taste of Midtown Global Market • International Bazaar (available through Aug. 30 only) • $10

Thick masa dough in half-moon shapes are fried crisp and filled with either shredded, highly seasoned chicken or a collection of corn kernels that were devoid of elote seasoning. Both were hefty, hard-shelled bites.

Acapulco Elote Crispy Chicken Taco

1 star review

Shanghai Henri's • International Bazaar • $10.50

If we could take away a star, we might. Skip these dowdy tortillas and the rubbery, salt-lick chicken.

Nitro Cold-Brew

1 star review

French Meadow • Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts. • $7

We were missing the "cold" in this cold brew from People's Organic, which is on tap and comes with a flavorless foamy topping. We wanted it to be so much more refreshing.

Chocolatta Banana Scone

1 star review

French Meadow • Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts. • $6

Dry, and with a flavor profile veering on burnt, neither chocolate or banana comes through prominently in this plant-based scone (at top) that could use a bit of retooling.

Donut Peach Cobbler

1 star review

Soul Bowl • Food Building • $14

We take offense at the canned peaches draped over a too-sweet doughnut, when the Produce Exchange and its winning grilled peaches are just down the street. Hard pass.

Potato Skins

1 star review

Route 66 Roadhouse Chicken • Food Building • $7.50

Potato skins topped with factory-engineered orange cheese and bacon bits, or plain-old sour cream and chives are fine. But what exactly is their point? Other flavors available, too.

Sweet-Corn Elote

1 star review

Blue Barn • West End Market • $12.75

This is one of the many fair foods called "elote" that is definitely not elote. Blue Barn should consider a different name — and recipe? — for this monochromatic dish of too-wet corn dip and plantain chips.

Hot Fudge Banana Shake

1 star review

West End Creamery • West End • $9.75

A hot fudge banana shake has no business being that terrible. Bananas, ice cream and chocolate syrup are a golden combination, but a fake banana flavor destroyed this good time.

Minne Hot Hot

1 star review

RC's BBQ • Dan Patch Av. between Liggett and Chambers Sts. • $12

This is usually one of the fair's finest, but anyone can have an off year. We were walloped by the overly salty Nashville-style coating, and kept running into chewy bits of cartilage. We'll chalk it up to Day-1 kinks.

Espresso Tonic

1 star review

Java Jive • Dan Patch Av. between Liggett and Chambers Sts. • $5.75

Espresso, ice and Fever Tree tonic with a spritz of lime is somehow worse than the sum of its parts.

Lemon Cookie Tortilla Chips

1 star review

Blue Moon Dine-In Theater • Carnes Av. and Chambers St. • $9

One has to wonder what the lemon sandwich cookie ever did to prompt the folks at Blue Moon to entirely remake it and remove all traces of cookie-ness. Skip these weird fried tortilla strips with the sweet-on-sweet dip.

Concha Bacon Burger

1 star review

Aldo's • Warner Coliseum • $12

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. The concha is fine, a bready dough with a crispy-sweet top. The burger is fine, too. But throw in the sweet aioli, pepper jack cheese, jarred jalapeños and thin bacon and suddenly it's all too much.

Deep-Fried Ice Cream

1 star review

Snack House • Warner Coliseum • $8

Our dreams of ChiChis nostalgia are dashed. This is more chicken cutlet breading on cheap yellow vanilla ice cream than … good. But at least there were sprinkles.

Shrimp Poke Bowl

1 star review

Shrimp Shack • Underwood St. between Carnes and Judson Avs. • $12

Every ingredient in this bowl could be better, from the shrimp to the pickled jalapeños. It's OK if we don't have poke at the State Fair. We're a long way from Hawaii.

Key Lime Crumble Malt or Sundae

1 star review

Dairy Goodness • Dairy Building • $8

The artificialness of the lime flavor wrecked a perfectly good shake.

Correction: A previous version of this story stated that Nana's Caramel Sundae Cake at French Meadow was vegan. It is gluten-free and dairy-free with a vegan caramel sauce.