AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
Like the universe itself, the culinary wonders of the North Carolina State fair are always expanding.
Read more Glenwood South business abruptly closes with customer orders behind locked doors
This year the State Fair unveiled 34 new fair foods, from Nashville Hot mozzarella sticks to cheesecake dipped in dill pickle icing.
Here are the top five can’t-miss bites for 2026, followed by my ranked list of all the new offerings.
I was joined by my taste test teammate Twumasi Duah-Mensah to try this year’s new offerings. (We’ve also tried sweet teas and hushpuppies together.) These were his favorite bites of the day.
Read more Carowinds closes two roller coasters after man falls to death at Six Flags park
Drew’s and my top threes feature the same names in a different order, while I have a couple different desserts rounding out my top five:
Here’s the rest of my take, ordered from best to worst, with some commentary on foods I found notable for good and not-so-good reasons:
Read more UNC freshman forward isn’t shy about unleashing his ‘alter ego’ on the court
This story has been updated.
This story was originally published October 12, 2026 at 2:18 PM.