Iowa State Fair new food reviews 2025: What you need to know

The High Roller Roll

Fresh Maine lobster tossed in clarified butter, topped with three dollops of crème fraîche and a bit of caviar, and finished with 24-karat edible gold.

• That's all nestled in a split-top bun seared in decadent gold-dusted duck fat.

Jason's thought bubble: I'm not a huge seafood lover, but this buttery, rich sandwich sold me.

🧈 Butter ranking: One stick = meh. Five = don't miss it.

• Aesthetics: 🧈🧈🧈🧈
• Creativity: 🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈
• Overall Taste: 🧈🧈🧈🧈
• Try it: Destination Grill, west of Jacobson Exhibition Center.

Pickle State Fair Lemonade

This drink includes a splash of pickle juice and two pickle slices.

• It cost $9 for the souvenir cup.

🤢 Jason's thought bubble: It starts weirdly intriguing, then mutates into sour swamp water spiked with vinegar overload.

• I doubt that even vodka could save it.

🧈 Butter ranking: One stick = meh. Five = don't miss it.

Aesthetics: 🧈

Creativity: 🧈🧈

Overall taste: 🧈

Where to find it: Campbell's Corn Dogs & Lemonade, southwest corner of the conservation building.

Golden Fried Corn On The Cob Strips

Linh here. I can't order Wingstop without getting cajun-fried corn, so when I saw The Veggie Table's fried corn strips, I knew I had to try them.

What it is: Fried, battered and seasoned corn on the cob strips ($10).

Linh's thought bubble: I'm not sure if you're supposed to put the whole strip in your mouth, but don't — frying the corn made the cob chewable, but not great.

• The corn kernels were tasty dipped in ranch, but pricewise, you could find other corn items that are more worth your time.

🧈 Butter ranking: One stick = meh. Five = don't miss it.

• Aesthetics: 🧈🧈🧈
• Creativity: 🧈🧈🧈
• Overall taste: 🧈🧈🧈

Thelma's Lemon Blueberry Sandwich

🫐 Thelma's Lemon Blueberry Ice Cream Sandwich ($5) has two chewy lemon cookies with a thick layer of rich purple blueberry ice cream in between.

Catch up quick: Thelma's is a locally owned business inspired by snickerdoodle cookies made by CEO Dereck Lewis's grandmother.

• He and his mom started selling their sandwiches at DSM-area farmers markets in 2012 and are now in more than 6,000 retail locations.
• Thelma Lewis was 108 when she died in 2013.

Jason's thought bubble: It's a refreshing blend of sweet, tart and creamy.

• It's not excessively large or costly like some other fair foods we've seen this year.

The intrigue: The sandwich is packaged as a "limited edition," and an employee at Thelma's stand told me it probably won't be available after this year's fair ends — so don't wait!

🧈 Butter ranking: One stick = meh. Five = don't miss it.

Aesthetics: 🧈🧈🧈🧈

Creativity: 🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈

Overall Taste: 🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈

Try it: Along Rock Island Avenue, East of the Administration Building.

Saigon Lobster Bomb

The fair has gone luxe and lobster is still the reigning conversation topic, so I decided to try the Saigon Lobster Bomb from Saigonais.

What it is: A battered and fried French baguette with lobster. Served with house hoisin sauce, pickled veggies and cilantro ($18).

Linh's thought bubble: Mine was mostly fried dough.

• Stick with their pork belly bao buns, which are delicious and pillowy delights.

🧈 Butter ranking: One stick = meh. Five = don't miss it.

• Aesthetics: 🧈🧈
• Creativity: 🧈🧈🧈🧈
• Overall taste: 🧈🧈🧈

Josephine's Glazed Doughnuts

Like many others, Peachey's doughnuts became an obsessive, must-have fair food for me.

• So when I learned they weren't returning, but the fair procured Josephine's, a similar Amish-style doughnut vendor, I knew I had to try it.

What it is: A glazed doughnut ($5 for one, $12 for three).

Linh's thought bubble: I was skeptical, but I really enjoyed my doughnut and I'm thinking about my next one.

• It was warm, melted in my mouth and had just the right amount of sweetness. And I didn't have to wait 30 minutes to get it.

🧈 Butter ranking: One stick = meh. Five = don't miss it.

• Aesthetics: 🧈🧈🧈🧈
• Creativity: 🧈🧈
• Overall taste: 🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈