Dara’s Picks: The Best New Foods to Eat at the 2026 Minnesota State Fair

As the Minnesota State Fair gears up for another banner year, the annual flood of new foods has been unveiled, and a beloved local voice is helping fairgoers cut through the choices. Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, the award-winning food critic for Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, has released her personal, curated list of the best debut dishes for the 2026 Great Minnesota Get-Together.

The Minnesota State Fair’s food culture is legendary, with each year’s newly introduced items sparking anticipation and debate long before the gates open in Falcon Heights. While the fair’s official list of new foods often runs dozens of items long, Grumdahl’s picks serve as a distilled, critic’s-eye guide—focused on taste, originality, and that ephemeral fair-season buzz that turns a snack into a must-eat.

Hers is not an official ranking but a subjective selection aimed at helping visitors prioritize their culinary explorations. Readers of the magazine will find practical details woven into each recommendation: which long-standing vendor or inventive newcomer is serving the item, and exactly where to locate the stand on the sprawling fairgrounds. That real-world guidance is expected to be invaluable for the hundreds of thousands who will map out their eating routes between the Pronto Pup stands and the Miracle of Birth Center.

Fair officials have long acknowledged that new foods dominate pre-fair conversation, and Grumdahl’s annual endorsement has become a pivotal part of the chatter. Her 2026 picks lean into both comfort-food creativity and global flavors, though the specifics are best explored directly through her full curated list. The article underscores a central truth of the fair: planning ahead is essential, and a trusted critic can mean the difference between a forgettable skewer and the dish everyone will be talking about until next summer.

The Minnesota State Fair runs from late August through Labor Day 2026, giving food adventurers a limited window to taste the newest additions. With Grumdahl’s picks in hand, even the most indecisive fairgoer can head straight for the highlights.