The Oregon State Fair may be winding down, but it's not too late to swing by for exclusive fair food and hard-to-find treats.
In addition to traditional cotton candy, caramel apples, popcorn and elephant ears, here are some unique options to satisfy your cravings (Please note, if you have severe allergies, exercise caution as there are few ingredient disclosures at the stands.)
Meat on meat on meat
Got a hankering for meat? Barbecue stands are spread throughout the fairgrounds, offering options like pork, tri-tip, and the ever-popular giant turkey leg. Can't spot the giant grills? Just follow the smell of roasted meat. Most of these stands have different prices and side options, so if you're also looking for particular side dishes you can probably find another spot that will have it.
If you're looking for other options, Adam's Rib Smoke House has a stand and food truck parked. You can find the Salem-based barbecue with their standard classic fare and range of sauces. Momiji's mobile sushi truck is also parked on the premises, as well as Gepetto's, Flour of Life Waffles and other food trucks.
If you're not feeling classic American barbecue, you can also find gyros, shawarma, plates, wraps and kebabs at various stands. Options vary as they are independently operated, so take a walk to find the one with the most variety.
Em's Recommendation: Walk the entire premises before picking a stand for barbecue because there are so many that have similar options. And definitely try a turkey leg — few places offer it.
Sweet treats at the Oregon State Fair
Want something sweet? If you want classic baked goods, fried delights or something to sip on, almost every stand will have a dessert.
The standouts of this year are definitely the Dole Whip stand, offering four flavors of dole whip: classic pineapple, mango, strawberry and orange. If you're not willing to wait in the line for the specialty soft serve, there are plenty of slushy stands offering giant containers and free refills around the fairgrounds.
You can find dedicated dessert spots like Boones Berry Farm serving up pie around the artisan market area, or walk up to stands with the classic fair sweets. Most stands this year will have funnel cake, fried Twinkies, Oreos, ice cream and Nutella, but you can also find new fried coffee, cheesecake and cookie dough. One stand even offers cotton candy-wrapped bacon on a stick, if you want just a slight savory touch to your sweet treat.
Don Bigotes has their classic Mexican twist on desserts including churros and soft serve concoctions. The Oregon Dairy Women have a few soft serve stands, but only accept cash. There's also a Kona Ice truck, plus other stands offering raspados or other forms of shaved ice.
If you need a caffeine boost, Floso Dirty Sodas is also parked on the premises serving dirty sodas and other drinks. If not, you can find boba, full bars, smoothies and milkshakes.
Em's Recommendation: Start your time off with a drink (you will feel the heat exhaustion quickly) and pick up soft serve from the Oregon Dairy Women. Indulge in some churros from Don Bigotes or something else fried (I personally am fond of elephant ears and funnel cake).
Hand-held snacks to carry around
Easy-to-carry foods are a must to be able to squeeze out all the time you have at the fair.
Izzy's Pizza is parked at the fairgrounds, offering slices and full pies to share. The latest online trend food Korean corndogs are also available, offering a crunchy potato coating, hot Cheetos coating and more.
There are plenty of classic options too: Pronto Pups, corndogs, nachos, burgers, hot dogs and more are available throughout the fairgrounds.
A full line of stands near the back of the fairgrounds is all various Mexican foods and snacks, including walking tacos, elote, esquite and chicharron preparados. If you want to sit down and enjoy tacos, birria, tortas or other dishes, there's plenty of seating around as well. These businesses include Taqueria Los Panditas and Los Dos Compadres, among others.
For Asian-American cuisine, try the Hawaiian food stand or find yakisoba and rice plate options.
Em's Recommendation: If you're of age, I recommend a hard lemonade or michelada since it's hot. Grab a chicharron prepardo to share (or eat solo) and a Pronto pup is a must.
To get your tickets to the fair, head to the website, oregonstatefair.org, or buy them when you enter the premises.
Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@gannett.com and follow her on X @ catchuptoemily.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Cotton candy-wrapped bacon on a stick? Oregon State Fair's top food picks in 2024
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