May 31, 2016
The 2016 San Diego County Fair takes place this June 3 through July 4. Celebrating another year of wild, whacky and whimsical epicurean selections and downright mad taste sensations, this year's incarnation will offer an array of new foods. Get ready to enjoy some sweet, spicy and savory flavor concoctions, something sticky and ooey-gooey, and so many other options along the Avenue and Concourse and dotted everywhere in between.
Plenty of healthy options can be found at the Fair, but just like an old friend you visit every summer, there’s the “tried-and-true” favorites, such as Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls, Tasti-Chips, Australian Battered Potatoes, Gingerbread House and Rose’s Mexican Food, to name just a few of the more than 100 food locations across the entire Fairgrounds!
It’s the year of the fryer! Deep-fried-this and deep-fried-that will grace menu boards across the Fairgrounds. There’s Bacon-A-Fair’s French Toast Bacon Bombs (cream cheese-stuffed dough, wrapped in bacon, deep-fried and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and served with syrup), and Linda’s Pizza, offering deep-fried pizza slices. Chicken Charlie’s can’t be outdone because they have a trifecta of fried creations that are sure to tantalize the taste buds. You can choose from Deep-fried Chicken & Waffles on-a-Stick, Deep-fried Shrimp and Rice on-a-Stick and Kool-Aid Glazed Hot Wings. Chuckwagon will be serving up Deep-fried Cinnamon Apple Rings and Texas Tater Twisters will offer Deep-fried Nachos. How about a Deep-fried California-style Chicago Dog (Chicago dog with fries wrapped in a tortilla and deep-fried) from Chicago Style All Beef Hot Dogs? The Mexican Funnel Cake folks have a sweet delight ready for Fairgoers; Deep-fried Cookie Butter, and Pacific Coast will have Deep-fried Lemonade. Yes, deep-fried lemonade!
Savory and bacony and meaty options include Bacon-A-Fair and their gigantic Swiss cheese stuffed and bacon encased and smoked BBQ Potato, and Grinder’s Tre Porker (sweet pork sandwich, plus ham and bacon, garlic mayo, cheese, coleslaw and BBQ sauce). Pignotti’s Italian is serving up a 3-in-1 Sausage Sandwich that includes chicken, pork and beef all in one sausage. Tasti Burger also has their classic Ruben Burger (burger patty, pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing) good for the meat-lovers in the crowd.
Spicy is also the go-to at this year’s Fair. Tasti- Burger’s Hatter’s Mad Mashup Burger bring the sriracha spice to the forefront, along with a sampling of bourbon sauce to this year’s signature burger (burger patty, smoked bratwurst, caramelized bacon with pecans, chili sriracha mayo, bourbon sauce, lettuce, tomato, cheese and topped with chips or fries on a pretzel bun). Grinder’s and their Angry Chicken Sandwich (spicy chicken sandwich, pastrami, chipotle mayo, cheese, jalapeño, pepperoncini and spicy mustard) are sure to make for a few watery eyes.
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| Deep fried pizza |
Classics with a twist include Deep-fried Fish Tacos and Fish Fries from Reno’s Fish & Chips and Pignotti’s Italian’s will serve comfort-food-at-its-best in their savory Lasagna Sandwich. Grilled Cheese A-Fair has a few new menu items, including a Grilled Sloppy Joe Frito Crunch Grilled Cheese, Waffle Sunrise Grilled Cheese and Chicken & Waffle Grilled Cheese. There’s also a spicy-sweet take on a Fair food favorite. Cayenne Cotton Candy from the Candy Factory. Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cake is serving Chocolate-covered Mini Cinnamon Rolls and Red Velvet Funnel Cake, and let’s not forget about the world’s decades-long love of Dole Pineapple Soft Serve, now at Crutchee’s Cream.
Signature cocktails also get into the mix this year for those 21 and older. Have a “Completely Bonkers Tea Time” Happy Hour, featuring tea-based craft cocktails, on weekdays from 4-6pm at Sprigs and Spirits in the Flower and Garden Show. The Drink Me Bar in the “Mad About The Fair” Exhibit will serve up a “Topsy Turvy” cocktail in a wildy whacky glowing glass. The Wine Garden Bar, also in the Flower and Garden Show, and 17 Hands Restaurant & Cantina in the Paddock, will serve up the best of the award winners from the 2016 The Toast of the Coast Wine Competition.
Regardless of the type of food you choose -- between the more than 1,000 items on the food vendors’ collective menus – eating your way through this year’s Fair is your summertime rite of passage! Refer to the Food, Beverage and Picnic areas map, available at Info Booths, or visit
sdfair.com/food for more on this year’s food offering.
