2026 San Diego County Fair: 10 best foods we ate this year

Past years have given us the Hot Cheetos chicken sandwich, deep-fried Kool-Aid, maple bacon-topped cinnamon roll and deep-fried butter on a stick (yes, that was a thing in 2010).

This year is no different.

On Friday, we ate and judged 18 of the best foods at this year’s fair, culled by another set of judges from a larger pool of 45. For nearly 80 minutes, we joined our fellow judges — foodies, reporters, chefs and media personalities — to taste one dish after another, savory and sweet and everything in between.

This year, in our opinion, the savory foods seemed to outshine the sweet stuff, checking off all the boxes in the annual Fair-tastic Food Competition. But after the votes were tallied Friday afternoon, the top prize went to West Coast Weenies’ Churro Dog, taking home the Best of Show honors. The other major prize — People’s Choice, aka the fan-favorite honors — went to Candy Me Up’s Pistachio Dream Ice Cream Bar.

Here, in no particular order, are the 10 best things we ate at the 2026 San Diego County Fair.

Pozole Egg Rolls

Flaco’s 

Jayne: There is nothing more comforting than a bowl of pozole, and this treat features the Mexican soup’s ingredients, all wrapped in an egg roll. It’s stuffed with chicken instead of traditional pork, chile flavor, onions, cabbage and hominy. You even get a side of delicious consommé for dipping. This crispy flavor bomb is an absolute must-try this year. Good luck sharing this.

Michael: I know we’re not ranking our picks, but this was, by far, the best of the bunch. When the plate landed in front of us, first of all, the plate looked beautiful — almost too elevated for something that came out of a concession stand at the fair. Better than the way it looked, though, was the taste. Who knew you could pack that much flavor in something fried? And it wasn’t greasy. Many fried foods at the fair taste like it was fried in day-old oil. This was almost too light to have been fried, and it was crisped to perfection. Let’s just address the elephant in the room: Technically, it’s not pozole, but it has the flavors of pozole. The consommé alone was so satisfying, I wanted to ask: “Do you sell this by the gallon?”

Umami Tsunami

Farmer in the Del

Jayne: This bowl is bursting with dumplings, Korean BBQ and noodles. From the tender Korean BBQ short rib to the crispy tempura shrimp — this is your chance to taste a wave of Asian flavor. Sitting in between the proteins are juicy chicken shumai and potstickers topped with a chili crunch.

Michael: This is like fusion dim-sum in a bowl. Sure, the name is catchy and could have been a gimmick. But there’s nothing gimmicky at all with this dish. The chicken shumai, topped with a not-too-spicy chili crunch sauce, was a one-bite heaven — so good that I wanted more. There’s a bed of caramelized sweet soy udon noodles at the bottom, but to be honest, I was too busy munching on everything else, I almost forgot the noodles were there. Again, it feels a bit elevated — dare I say, sacrilegious — to have something so good at a county fair.

Bacon Pizza Wand

Gino’s Pizza

Jayne: This handheld fair concoction has all of the crunchy and gooey textures that make up a perfect pizza. It is a cheesy pepperoni pizza on a stick, wrapped in crispy bacon and drizzled with a sweet hot honey glaze. If you’re looking for something new to try on a stick, this is worth tasting.

Michael: Pizza on a stick? It’s almost a cliché when it comes to fair food, so I was ready to dismiss this from the get-go. Boy, how wrong would that have been. The pizza and bacon were cooked to perfection — just the right kind of crispiness and hardly greasy at all. The saltiness of the pepperoni played well with the honey glaze. Each bite was baffling, really. How is this even possible? It’s pizza on a stick, yet it’s so, so delicious.

Lobster Nachos

Stizzy’s Oyster House

Jayne: This plate is a celebration of seafood and San Diego. A generous serving of flavorful chunks of lobster drizzled in a garlic butter sauce, sriracha aioli and green onions sits on top of a bed of tortilla chips. It’s tasty and one of the more surprising and elevated dishes offered this year.

Michael: Let me say this again: Elevated food has arrived at the San Diego County Fair. As a nacho aficionado, I will admit that I didn’t really know what to expect. But the folks at Stizzy’s Oyster House have come up with something so delectable, it should be illegal. The garlic parmesan sauce, made fresh every day, takes the nacho to an entirely new culinary level. If you like lobster, this one’s a must-try.

Crispy Chicken Shawarma Wrap

Chicken Charlie’s

Jayne: The world-famous Chicken Charlie’s, known for its deep-fried creations, is offering up something different this year: A version of the viral crispy shawarma that you’ve seen on your social media feed. This dish, which is also a nod to his Syrian heritage, has tender chicken, pickled vegetables, bold sauces and that extra crispy wrap.

Michael: Charlie Boghosian, aka Chicken Charlie, has been shocking us with all things deep-fried for years. And honestly, some of them, like the deep-fried Oreo, seemed like a gimmicky stunt merely created for shock value. But I have to give it to Boghosian: His latest offering, with flavorful chicken tucked inside a crispy wrap, is pretty darn good.

Churro Dog

West Coast Weenies

Jayne: If you’re looking for a good cheese-pull, look no further. This take on a traditional Korean corndog features a crispy cinnamon-sugar-covered batter, but when you bite into it, you’ll get an eruption of hot cheese. It’s also available with an all-beef dog, but I would go with the hot, melted cheese version.

Michael: We tasted the cheese version of this concoction, and if you dissect and examine all the ingredients, it’s probably a head-scratcher. But hear me out: There’s something oddly satisfying when you bite into what basically is deep-fried cheese covered in cinnamon-sugar batter. The folks at West Coast Weenies described it something “light and airy.” That it is not, for sure. But if you like something salty with something sweet, this one’s for you. Be prepared to share it with a friend, though. It’s very rich.

Pistachio Dream Ice Cream Bar

Candy Me Up

Jayne: This ice cream bar takes the viral Dubai chocolate bar trend and kicks it up 10 notches. It’s a hand-dipped vanilla ice cream bar topped with crispy kataifi, pistachio cream and pistachios. My favorite part about this frozen treat is the combination of different crunchy and creamy textures.

Michael: It’s almost like biting into a cold baklava, with shredded phyllo dough enveloping the entire surface of this chocolate bar. I expected it to be ultra sweet, but surprisingly, it was just the right amount of sweet and salty, with the latter coming from the crushed pistachios. I tend to shy away from cold things I have to bite into — they hurt my teeth — but for this sweet bar, I’ll happily suffer through that for another bite.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Garden Pizza

Pat’s Pizza

Jayne: It’s colorful, flavorful and an elevated take on fair pizza. The pie features buffalo mozzarella cheese and a delicious pesto with some roasted zucchini and tomatoes. One of the highlights is the crispy cheese melted onto the crust. This pizza offers up big flavors and something you could consider a bit “lighter.”

Michael: There’s not much to say about this pizza other than if you love pesto like me, it definitely should be added to your must-try list this year. Buon appetito!

Humpty Dumpty Ramen Deviled Eggs

Farmer in the Del

Jayne: This fair food is a head-scratcher, but a tasty one worth trying this year. These perfectly jammy, soy-marinated eggs are topped with the essence of ramen – crispy ramen noodles, scallions, togarashi and ginger. These deviled eggs are probably the perfect one-bite treat offered at the fair.

Michael: I’m a bit of a unicorn when it comes to ramen: I’ve somehow avoided having real ramen until a few months ago, and to be honest, I wasn’t that impressed. I had high hopes for my first ramen outing, but the broth left me wondering, “Why is it so boring?” There’s nothing boring about this ramen-inspired deviled eggs. And yes, it seems like it doesn’t belong in a county fair, but leave it to the folks at Farmer in the Del to come up with something we just cannot resist.

K-Pop Dream Cloud Ice Cream

Dragon Street Eats

Jayne: This ice cream dessert, inspired by a popular Korean street food, has ice cream stuffed between two wafers that’s enrobed in marshmallow. The marshmallow is toasted, giving the perfect combination of s’mores and ice cream. It’s sweet, indulgent and a must-try when picking out a cold treat at the fair.

Michael: I had my doubts, but after one bite, I became a true believer. K-Pop Dream Cloud Ice Cream is unlike any other ice cream I’ve had at the fair. It’s definitely a bit more complicated and, dare I say, elevated than other sweet offerings at the fair. Just the right amount of sweet and crisp. So good you’ll be on cloud nine with every bite.

2026 Fair-tastic Food Competition Finalists

So San Diego: How the fair describes this category: San Diego cuisine is inspired by the unique culture of America’s Finest County. Think ingredients sourced from the local land and sea — Fallbrook avocados, Carlsbad strawberries and fresh seafood. San Diegans love traditional south-of-the-border and Cali-Mex flavor combos. Hello, California Burrito! How can we fit S.D. flare into Fair fare?

So San Diego — Savory

• Lobster Nachos — Stizzy’s Oyster House
• Crispy Chicken Shawarma Wrap — Chicken Charlie’s
• Pineapple Guava Spam Bao Bun — Boba King

So San Diego — Sweet

• A Date in Del Mar — Snax Shack Candyland
• Churro Dog — West Coast Weenies (Best of Show)
• Fabuloso Flan Funnel Cake — Fried Food Factory

WOW: How the fair describes this category: In the words of Bonnie Raitt, “Let’s give them something to talk about!” We’ve all drooled over some awe-inspiring menu item we’ve seen on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook, amiright? These foods are often colorful, creative, ethnically inspired, or over-the top in some crazy way.

WOW — Savory

• Pozole Egg Rolls — Flaco’s
• Umami Tsunami — Farmer in the Del
• Ricky’s Blueberry Brie Smash Dog — Ricky’s California Corn Dog

WOW — Sweet

• Croffel Black & Tan Sundae — Mom’s Bakeshoppe
• Pistachio Dream Ice Cream Bar — Candy Me Up (People’s Choice)
• Tiramisu Temptation — Old West Cinnamon Rolls

Theme: How the fair describes this category: This year’s theme, “Once Upon a Fair,” is a celebration of stories, books and authors — and the magic found between the lines! The challenge here is to create cuisine inspired by, or featured in, a favorite book. After all, doesn’t “Green Eggs and Ham” sounds delicious?!

Theme — Savory

• Bacon Wrapped Pizza Wand — Gino’s Pizza
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar Garden Pizza — Pat’s Pizza
• Humpty Dumpty Ramen Deviled Eggs — Farmer in the Del

Theme — Sweet

• Once Upon a Rose Sundae — TJ’s Ice Cream
• K-Pop Dream Cloud Ice Cream — Dragon Street Eats
• The Good Witch Waffle Wand — Snax Shack Candyland