The best and worst new foods at the 2026 Florida State Fair
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Clockwise from top left: The cookie butter frozen cheesecake, the birria street taco pizza, the hot honey apple fries and the Dubai chocolate funnel cake. Photos: Yacob Reyes/Axios
Axios Tampa Bay set out to try all of the strange, new food and drink choices at the Florida State Fair.
State of play: Kathryn had to sit this one out, so she left my wife, Maya, and me to brave the fair food alone.
- Our stomachs haven't forgiven her.
Yes, but: We managed to best last year's record, making it through 14 of the 32 items highlighted in this year's visitor's guide.
- Here's the rundown:
🍪 Cookie butter frozen cheesecake
You can't go wrong with Biscoff cookie butter cheesecake, but the cookie butter only lives in the thin outer layer. And once that's gone, you're just eating plain ol' cheesecake and wondering where the magic went.
The verdict: 🎡🎡🎡/5.
- Find it at Polar Bear Concessions.
🥜 PB&J funnel cake sandwich
This isn't a sandwich, and attempting to eat it like one will cost you a shirt. The peanut butter and jelly pooled in the middle leaves the top funnel cake naked, and the bottom one soggy.
- Should've just been a drizzle.
The verdict: 🎡🎡/5
- Find it at Ryals Concessions Sweet Shop.
🍩 Salty caramel Bavarian donut
If I'm on death row, send Peachey's. This donut, with its Bavarian cream and its scratch-made caramel and its pinch of sea salt, topped last year's. Every other donut I eat for the rest of my life will be a disappointment.
The verdict: 🎡🎡🎡🎡🎡/5.
- Find it at Peachey's Baking Co.
🧀 CinnaMozza Korean Corn Dog
The cheese saves this from being too sweet, and the cinnamon sugar saves it from being too boring. A bit awkward to eat, but good overall.
The verdict: 🎡🎡🎡/5.
- Find it at Goldenkdog.
🥒 Dill Devil
Everything about this works. The crunch, the creamy filling, the chili flake heat. It's light and refreshing, but it'll haunt your breath for hours.
The verdict: 🎡🎡🎡🎡/5
- Find it at The Pickle Jar.
🌶️ Nashville Hot Chicken Tots
More like Nashville Mild. The tots pull their weight, and the pickles and scallions are a nice touch. But if you came for heat, you came to the wrong booth.
The verdict: 🎡🎡🎡/5
- Find it at Tot & Mac.
🍕 Birria Street Taco Pizza
It tastes like a birria quesadilla, which is a compliment. The consommé was the only weak link here.
The verdict: 🎡🎡🎡🎡/5
- Find it at Pizza Emporium.
🍊 Dreamy Orangeade
The description says fresh-squeezed. But I doubt it. This tasted like watered-down, artificial orange juice. Easily, this year's biggest letdown.
The verdict: 0/5
- Find it at DeAnna's Fried Banana Pudding.
🎂 Birthday cake iced tea
Your insulin will spike just looking at this, and it doesn't taste like birthday cake at all.
The verdict: 🎡/5
- Find it at Tiki Tea.
🔥 Flamin' Hot Elote Fries
The fries are fresh-cut, the toppings are generous, and the Flamin' Hot Cheetos on top make everything underneath better.
The verdict: 🎡🎡🎡🎡/5.
- Find it at Shockley's Food Service.
🍓 Red, White & Berry Smoothie
Best drink on the list, tart and just the right amount of sweet.
The verdict: 🎡🎡🎡🎡🎡/5.
- Find it at Cinnamon Saloon.
🍫 Dubai Chocolate Funnel Cake
Our stomachs were in full revolt by the time we made it to this booth, but the Dubai chocolate funnel cake was worth every regret that came before it.
The verdict: 🎡🎡🎡🎡🎡/5.
- Find it at Wade Shows Funnel Cake.
🌽 Birria Street Corn
I'll be honest, yellow corn instead of white had me worried. But the meat was tender, the avocado cilantro lime salsa was great, and my skepticism didn't survive the first bite.
The verdict: 🎡🎡🎡🎡/5.
- Find it at Wade Shows Turkey Leg.
🍏 Hot Honey Apple Fries
These almost taste like apple pie, but they're too sour, and the hot honey doesn't add anything meaningful to their flavor.
The verdict: 🎡🎡/5.
- Find it at Apple Fries.