If you haven’t given much thought to state fairs since the days where you could slam down multiple chili cheese dogs and funnel cakes with zero remorse, we get it. But with the Great New York State Fair (August 20-September 1), it’s as good a time as any for a gentle reminder of what you’ve been missing since then. After you’ve hit up all of your favorites, eat your way through this list of not-to-be-missed indulgences at this year’s fair. Photo Credit: @wandercuse on Instagram.

Originally Published: 08/15/2018 | Updated: 08/06/2025

Peachey’s Baking Company

Photo Credit: @wandercuse on Instagram

Believe the hype. The family-owned Peachey’s Baking Company is a fair favorite for a reason. Fried to golden perfection and then dunked in a glaze bath, their donuts hit the spot every time. Stop by their new location on Tonawanda Street to taste this year’s specialty doughnut, which in 2024 was a glazed donut topped with coconut vanilla pudding, whipped cream, and coconut flakes. Need a little salty to balance out the sweet? Their soft pretzels will do the trick.

Soup House in Indian Village

Photo Credit: Great New York State Fair

Immerse yourself in Indigenous culture and heritage at the Indian Village, where you can experience traditional music, dance, crafts, and customs every day at the fair. While there, enjoy a meal at the Soup House, where you’ll find some of the lowest food prices at the fair. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a menu that changes daily, you can enjoy authentic Haudenosaunee staples like corn soup and fry bread along with fair classics like hamburgers and hot dogs.

Chocolate Taps

Photo Credit: Great New York State Fair

Need a chocolate fix? Stop by Chocolate Taps in The Eatery to indulge in delicious layered cups of whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and decadent Belgian chocolate drizzle poured straight from the tap. Specialty cups feature all your favorite ingredients plus extra treats like red velvet cake, tiramisu, brownies, cheesecake, and more.

Fried Specialties

Fried Specialties honcho Jim Hasbrouck is something of a mad scientist when it comes to the deep fryer, and every summer he unleashes a new deliciously unholy concoction of fried goodness on New York State Fair revelers. Over-the-top deep-fried creations range from the Thanksgiving-inspired Harvester, to the Sudden Death (two burgers stuffed with macaroni and cheese, pork belly, and cheddar cheese wrapped in bacon strips and deep-fried, and served with a side of melted cheddar cheese or spicy habanero sauce), to the half-pound Breakfast Burger topped with sausage, bacon, ham, eggs, and hash browns. You’ll also find your favorite deep-fried classics like Oreos, pickles, cheese curds, Pop Tarts, and bacon-wrapped Snickers bars!

Jazzed-up French Fries

Photo Credit: Michael Okoniewski-NYS Fair

French fries are a proven vessel for many other foods like cheese and gravy (and are even mixed with meats and macaroni salad in New York’s famous Garbage Plate), but we bet you’ve never tried the crazy combinations that Wild Bill Curly Fries is offering. Go spicy with Jamaican jerk sauce fries, or go cheesy with fries topped with cheese and your choice of bacon, ranch, chili, or Cajun seasoning.

Chocolate Milk

The New York State Fair loves its cows, from the calf-birthing center to Beef Day, so it’s no surprise that one of the best (and cheapest!) treats you can get is a cold cup of milk. For just a quarter, get a satisfying portion of either chocolate or regular milk to sip as you walk through the dairy building, observing the butter sculpture and sampling cheeses made in NY. A special treat is in store for the last weekend, when the regular milk will be swapped out for strawberry milk. To make the lines shorter, use the machines outside to get four tokens for a dollar, which also make fun souvenirs.

Cookie Bucket from the Bake Lab

Credit: The Sweet Praxis

You know what goes great with milk? Cookies. So after you’ve grabbed your 25-cent cup of ice cold milk, head on over to the Bake Lab in the Dairy Building for your “Take Home Bucket” of four dozen fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies that are perfect for dunking! While you’re there you can also build the edible cookie dough sundae of your dreams with 15 toppings to choose from. Gluten-free and vegan dough options are available.

The Great New York State Fair Cream Puff

Photo Credit: Tadros Pastries

New to the scene in 2025, the Great New York State Fair is rebranding its former Milky Bun stand to bring you its take on a light, fluffy, and legendary New York-style cream puff. Fresh-baked daily, these giant cream puffs are packed with smooth, whipped cream and topped with a delicate dusting of powdered sugar, making for the perfect sweet treat.

The Famous Butter Sculpture

Photo Credit: Michael J. Okoniewski-NYS Fair

The truth is, this item on our list isn’t technically edible, but it’s certainly one of the more unusual food feats at the Fair. Per tradition, head to the dairy building for the unveiling of an elaborate mound of butter artfully carved into well, just about anything. Past themes have highlighted baseball legends, nursery rhymes, and snapshots of everyday American life.

Photo Credit: Michael J. Okoniewski-NYS Fair

Stock up on all your favorite made-in-New-York food products from hundreds of mom-and-pop businesses, wineries, cideries and distilleries, breweries, and artisanal brands from around the state at the Taste NY Marketplace complete with a tasting room and tap room. From homemade cheese and olive oils to organic and gluten-free truffles, you’ll quickly find that tasting New York equals loving New York. You can find Taste NY Market in the Expo Center along with an interactive I LOVE NY Experience.

The Bacon Bomb

Credit: Dave Desimone

This iconic sandwich has been a fan favorite for over a decade and is everything you’d want out of your fair food experience: over-the-top and highly delicious. Made by Hammi’s BBQ, this monster of a sandwich consists of bacon, sweet Italian sausage, barbecue spice rub, barbecue sauce, and cheddar cheese that’s rolled together, smoked for four hours and then sliced and served on a hard roll. Located near the Midway, you can also enjoy pulled pork nachos and Mexican street corn at Hammi’s.

Wine Slushies and Specialty Drinks

Wine slushies have become a fair staple, with award-winning Finger Lakes wineries serving up this refreshing sipper that blends red and white wines together with lemon-lime soda. There will be plenty of breweries, cideries, wineries, and distilleries serving up their classic sips and specialty drinks found only at the fair. 1911 Established is outdoing itself yet again with its 2025 New York State Fair drink: The Berry-Go-Round, a colorful frozen cocktail made with pink lemonade and Loganberry Vodka topped with a cupcake, lollipop, edible glitter, whipper cream, and sprinkles.

Deep-Fried Alligator

You come to a state fair as much to eat the food as you do to say you ate the food. Well, consider this your first stop to adventurous-eater bragging rights. At Stix and Things, snag a Gator on a Stick. You don’t have to tell your friends that it (rather unceremoniously) tastes like chicken. If you’re really feeling bold, order the Kangaroo on a Stick or Shark on a Stick. For more gator delicacies, stop by Chester’s Gators and Taters for the Gator Mac N’ Cheese.

Photo Credit: @tossnfirepizza on Instagram

Looking for a bite to eat while you’re dancing the night away at a Chevy Court concert? Well, you’re in luck because Central New York’s beloved Toss N Fire food truck will be slinging their sweet and savory signature pies just steps from the stage. Dig into the classics like the Bit of a Pickle Pizza and SummerCuse Pizza made with Smashed salt potatoes, or try one of their fair-exclusive pies.

New York Pure Maple Booth

Photo Credit: Michael J. Okoniewski-NYS Fair

With the sugar maple as New York’s official state tree, it’s no surprise that the Great New York State Fair has a booth featuring an abundance of delicious maple products. Stop by the New York Pure Maple Booth to get a taste of everything maple from popcorn, nuts and marshmallows to maple-flavored cotton candy and ice cream, and even maple-glazed doughnuts.

Pictured at top: Sirloin tips with mashed potatoes from Pickle Barrel.

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