It’s that time of year!
The 2024 Minnesota State Fair!
It’s no secret that The Fair is one of our favorite Minnesota traditions. So, like any good food bloggers / state fair lovers, we woke up bright and early, battled the traffic, and got ourselves through the pearly gates of the bustling state fair entrance to visit the Great Minnesota Get Together!
This post will cover our first day eating through the 2024 Fair. New foods, old classics, and surprising weather.
Entering the Fair
We tried something different this year and entered through the fair’s North Entrance… would not recommend!
This entrance was a cluster. Hundreds of people and multiple lines converging on a small handful of metal detectors. Not surprisingly, chaos ensured, and things quickly devolved into a sardine-fest.
We’ve had much better experiences on the East Entrance (Snelling Street) and West Entrance (Transit Park and Ride) and will definitely try those for future days.
Food Reviews!
If you know us, you know the fair is all about the food.
Every year, we comb through the new food announcements and circle our favorites. Then, as day 1 goes on, we cross reference our list with the most dedicated fair food eaters we’ve ever seen – shout out to @fairfestsfeasts on Instagram, who literally review every single new food at the fair within a matter of days. (Often times just hours!) In our experience, their reviews are really accurate and trustworthy.
Let’s get eating! We’ll include both Sean and Lily’s comments and ratings, with the rare exceptions when the chaos of the fair had us split up and/or demolish a food before the other got a chance to try!
*New Food* Marco’s Garden at Jammy Sammies
Sean: 7.5/10 This is bright, airy, and a really fresh start to the fair. Sweet ricotta cheese with the most delicious pickled tomato concoction. The pita bread was thin and crunchy, but I personally wish they were softer. (Everyone has their preferences, and I’m always a sucker for soft pitas.)
Lily: 8.5/10 Wow, super fresh and love the tanginess of the tomatoes. In a world of deep fried foods, this is a perfect fresh option.
Vanilla Glaze Donuts at Peachey’s
Sean: 9/10 These Amish donuts were an instant classic when they debuted last year, quickly gaining some of the most ludicrous lines we’ve ever seen. No surprise, this year appears to be no different, with the morning lines immediately reaching the 4-H building.
Are they worth the wait? Probably. The dough was incredibly soft and delicious, but for the first time, I did find myself wishing they had a little more glaze.
Lily: 9/10 Yeah, these are hot and delicious, but I do remember them being better. Last year they were a 10 for me, but this year “only” a 9… I agree the glaze was a little too light.
Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza at Pizza Wagon
Sean: 6.9/10 Wow, what a deal. I came ready to buy a $3 slice, but when they offered a second one for only $1, how can I say no?
This pizza is thin and crispy. Nothing fancy, but definitely solid pizza for the best price of any food at the fair.
Lily: 6.5/10 Value alert! Sometimes you just want a quick slice at a reasonable price, and Pizza Wagon doesn’t disappoint!
Fried Pickles from The Perfect Pickle
Sean: 7/10 Usual quality here. These perfectly fried pickles never disappoint.
Lily: 10/10 Duh! This is obviously one of my favorite foods every year.
French Fries from Fresh French Fries
Sean: 7/10 Classic. Always consistent. Always fresh. I can’t say no to an order of these each year.
Lily: 10/10 Always. Just always.
First Kiss Apple in the Horticulture Building
Sean: 9/10 These are the perfect contrast to the rest of the fried food at the fair, and a sort of bitter-sweet welcoming of Fall.
Lily: 9/10 Couldn’t agree more.
Grilled Peach with Yogurt from The Produce Exchange
Sean: 6/10 Pretty sure we got the wrong dish here. We ordered our old favorite, the grilled peaches with yogurt but I swear this is the goat cheese bowl, or at least had a big chunk mixed in…
Lily: 7.5/10 It’s pretty delicious either way. I just love those piping-hot peaches.
Pickle Pizza from Rick’s
Sean: 10/10 Another instant classic when it debuted in 2022, and I’m so happy to report that the pickle pizza is still perfection. Just as good as last year, and easily the best food today.
Lily: 9/10 Yeah, this weird, salty mix of of alfredo and pickles is absolutely awesome. I do wish the pizza was just a tiiiny bit crispier.
Sean: I disagree! See above – it’s perfection! But admittedly I always prefer a softer, chewier pizza.
Drink: Blueberry Matcha from Jammy Sammies
Sean: Wow, this is really delicious. Not sure how exactly to rate drinks but this is great.
Lily: If you’re in the mood for a sweet, but not overboard, matcha, this is a home run.
*New Food* Korean Corn Dog at Chan’s
Sean: Lily and scarfed this down while I was ordering Baba’s hummus, so no review here. It looked great though, haha.
Lily: 10/10 Maybe the best thing I’ve eaten all day. It’s a crunchy panko exterior with a layer of mozzarella cheese before you hit the juiciest hot dog meat I’ve ever tasted. So great.
Beauty and the Buffalo Hummus Bowl at Baba’s
Sean: 9/10 This is one of my “must-order” foods, and Baba’s fantastic hummus is somehow even creamier than I remember. Buffalo chicken flavor is excellent as always.
Protip: I saw someone order double pita bread, and I’m definitely stealing that move next time. Without it, you end up with a lot of extra hummus at the end.
Lily: 8/10
Drink: Butterfly Pea Tea from Loon Lake Tea
Sean: Really, really sweet, but I do enjoy it in small doses.
Lily: This takes me right back to visiting Thailand. Cool find!
Strawberry Parfait from Strawberry N Creme
Sean: 6/10 Great strawberries that are obviously very fresh, and the whipped cream tasted like homemade, in a good way. This was really tasty and refreshing, but I can’t shake the feeling that I could whip this up (pun intended!) at home, and $8 feels really, really steep for this tiny, two-ingredient dish.
Lily: 7/10 Price aside, I did really like this. It’s so cool and refreshing.
Grilled Sticky Rice with Beef from Union Hmong Kitchen
Sean: 4/10 Unfortunately, their grill was clearly having issues. The rice kept falling apart and starting on fire on the grill. The result was smoke everywhere and, no surprise, the dish tasted burned. Also, the beef topping was so tiny I actually thought they forgot it, and you could barely taste the beef at all. Disappointingly bland overall.
Lily: Agreed. Sadly, this tastes like nothing. Hopefully the drink is better
Drink: Coconut Lychee from Union Hmong Kitchen
Sean: Coconut Lychee saves the day! Right next to the Blueberry Matcha as my favorite drink of the day.
Lily: I loved this last year, and I love it this year, too.
Ice Cream from Dairy Building
Sean: 10/10 I always have to get a vanilla cone, and vanilla cones just don’t come any better than this. Simply put, this is the smoothest, creamiest soft serve in the world.
Lily: 9/10 I got the Raspberry Sundae, and not surprisingly, it was fantastic as always.
Early Exit
At this point, despite the forecasted 0% chance of rain, it started POURING rain for 2+ hours. We tried to shelter down, but ultimately tapped out and agreed revisit another day.
We still have lots of old classics and new concoctions to get through. So, until next time, MN State Fair!
Stay tuned!
