It’s that glorious time of year again when the smell of funnel cake, smoked turkey legs, and fried-everything-you-can-think-of fills the Raleigh air — and we’re here for every single bite. 🎡 From deep-fried innovation to tried-and-true classics, the North Carolina State Fair is the ultimate taste test of our state’s creativity, chaos, and cholesterol. Whether you’re hunting for the year’s viral food on a stick or just want to find the booths locals swear by, these are our Top Picks for NC State Fair Food — the ones worth standing in line, sweating through your flannel, and using all your ride tickets for. Grab a Cheerwine slushie and let’s eat our way through the midway. 🍗🍩
Before you call it a night and wobble back to your car full of sugar, salt, and state pride, make sure you’ve checked every one of these must-try fair foods off your list. The NC State Fair only comes once a year, but the memories (and the photos) last long after the lights go out on the midway. From new deep-fried experiments to legendary vendors that have been serving generations of North Carolinians, these are the bites that define fall in our state. 🌽🎡
If you’re planning your visit, bookmark this list and share it with your crew — because nothing says “I love North Carolina” quite like standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the fair, powdered sugar on your shirt, debating which fried food reigns supreme. For more on North Carolina travel, small towns, and can’t-miss food finds, follow The State You’re In — where every bite tells a Tar Heel story. 🍴✨
Granny’s Sticky B • Magdalena’s Chimney Cakes
The kind of sweet that makes your knees wobble. Granny’s Sticky B takes Magdalena’s already-famous chimney cakes — warm, sugar-dusted, hollow spirals of pastry — and drizzles them with honey-butter glaze that ought to come with a warning label. It’s nostalgic and new at the same time, like something your Granny might’ve dreamed up after one too many church bake sales.
Deep Fried Lamb Chop • Lawrence & Perry BBQ
Lawrence & Perry didn’t just show up to the fair — they showed out. These lamb chops are seasoned like a sermon and fried to golden perfection, dripping with flavor that hits somewhere between backyard smoke and downtown indulgence. It’s a bold play from a BBQ legend, and it’s got just enough crunch to silence every skeptic who said fine dining couldn’t walk on a stick.
Cinna Mozza • GoldenKDog
Sometimes you find a food that’s so ridiculous it circles right back to genius. GoldenKDog takes the humble mozzarella stick, dunks it in a golden batter, and hands you something halfway between a fair treat and a fever dream. Then comes Cinna Mozza — a sweet-savory miracle where melted cheese and cinnamon sugar team up like the most unlikely power couple in North Carolina. It’s crunchy, gooey, and proof that fair food still has new tricks up its fried sleeve.
Swordfish Pop • Oak City Fish & Chips
Oak City Fish & Chips has been doing seafood right since before folks believed you could fry swordfish on a stick and get away with it. Each pop is eight chunks of seasoned, perfectly cooked swordfish skewered and lemon-topped — premium eats with fairground swagger. It’s seafood gone street food, Raleigh-style, and if there’s ever been a fancier excuse to walk around with tartar sauce on your chin, we haven’t found it.
Carolina Hoe Down • Ezzelle’s Something Good
If you ever wanted a meal that tastes like the soundtrack to a North Carolina summer, the Carolina Hoe Down is it. Ezzelle’s Something Good brings together smoky meat, creamy slaw, and it all taste like they came straight from Sunday supper. It’s hearty, it’s Southern, and it’s the kind of plate that reminds you comfort food didn’t come from a cookbook — it came from somebody’s grandma.
Cookie Dough Eggroll Sundae • Kora’s Cookie Dough
There’s cookie dough, and then there’s Kora’s cookie dough. She wraps it in an eggroll, deep fries it till golden, and drops it in a sundae with ice cream, chocolate drizzle, and no sense of restraint. It’s dessert chaos in the best possible way — a final boss level of sweet indulgence that’ll have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about fair food.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned wandering the fairgrounds with a fork in one hand and a lemonade in the other, it’s that North Carolina still knows how to fry up a good time. From swordfish on a stick to lamb chops with a crunch, this year’s Certified Slaps prove that creativity and comfort can share the same plate — and probably the same deep fryer.
These aren’t just snacks; they’re stories. They’re the kind of bites that’ll have you texting your cousins, plotting a second lap, and wondering why you ever waited in line for anything less. So grab your Fairmatic Card, loosen your belt, and go earn those stars — because at the North Carolina State Fair, flavor isn’t just found. It’s fried, powdered, and proudly served with a grin.
There’s no time like Fair Time.
North Carolina State Fair Address
4285 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607
