The 2024 North Carolina State Fair is a haven for new foods. From fried to super sweet, there is something for everyone.

This year there will be 72 new food options, many with cucumbers.

On Monday, members of the media were given a selection of 32 of these new options – strangely enough, none of them contained pickles! But we had the opportunity to try one of the two bologna products. Here’s a ranked list of some of our favorites:

Our top 10 hearty new fair food options

Alaskan King Crab Pop – Oak City Fish and Chips always brings great seafood on a stick to the fair. This year they decided to deep fry a crab leg and top it with lemon. It’s easy, delicious and worth queuing for.

Honey Butter Mozza Dog – GoldenKDog has done it again with this sweet and savory fried dish. It’s mozzarella cheese fried in panko and drizzled with honey butter sauce. If you love mozzarella sticks, this is a good choice for you.

Fried ribs – These ribs from Lawrence and Perry BBQ are worth getting your hands dirty with. We tried them with barbecue sauce, but you can also get them with lemon pepper, Carolina Gold, or sweet chili jerk sauce.

Jerk pork belly bao – This was the winner of the Media Award for Best New Savory Dish at the show. Cool Runnings Jamaican has a long history of creating fair favorites and this year they’re doing it again with a slow-cooked pork belly in a bao bun.

Korean BBQ Kimchi Nachos – Bulkogi Korean BBQ brings this truly unique twist on traditional nachos to the fair. They’re topped with kimchi, cheese, jalapenos, and your choice of Korean BBQ beef or chicken. We tried the beef and it was amazing!

Mema Mia – Ezzell’s Something Good created this dish that combines many amazing things together. It’s fried spaghetti with meat sauce on a toasted hoagie with coleslaw. Deep-fried spaghetti may not sound like something you need in your life, but the combination, especially with the coleslaw on top, is actually delicious.

Monster Tots – Hot Chix Hotcakes and Chicken is known for its pancakes on a stick, but these trifles are a great savory option. They are available as Buffalo Chicken or Bacon Cheddar. We tried the bacon cheddar and it was like eating a loaded baked potato.

NC Crab and Shrimp Bomb with Spicy Cheeto Crust – Waypoint Oyster Bar decided to capitalize on the hot Cheeto trend and it was a great idea. A great combination with lots of filling in it.

pineapple peel – These are pineapple stuffed with rice or French fries and Brazilian steak, chicken or shrimp as well as toppings. The mix of rice, pineapple and meat (we had it with chicken) is so good! Fresh and fun option from Brazilian Bowls, a great alternative to the fried foods at the fair.

Mexican street corn potato – Spudtastic Potato has combined two popular foods into one easy-to-carry option. This baked potato is stuffed with Mexican street corn, cilantro, and lime. The corn is the star of this dish.

5 sweet treats to try at the fair

Grandma cones – Magdalena’s chimney cakes are sugar and cinnamon cones made from fried dough. Now they fill it in the granny cone with maple bacon ice cream and top it with buttery corn cake and what looked like frosted flakes. This dish was named media favorite for best new dessert at the show.

Chocolate covered strawberry iced tea – Tiki Tea serves this strawberry iced tea with chocolate-dipped strawberries on a stick. Pick up the souvenir glass and bring it back to the fair for refills for $2. We loved the perfectly sweetened iced tea and the strawberries were a fantastic bonus.

Simba dessert – Safari Eatz serves this dish with viapati (similar to a flour tortilla/tortilla) with apple filling, vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

Minne cookie dough cake – The Original Minneapple Pie Stand is ideal for sweet treats. This new model features fried chocolate chip cookie dough covered in a puff pastry crust and served with ice cream.

Summerween Slush – If you love Orange Creamsicles, you must try this option from Moose Joose Slush. It’s served in a Jack-O-Lantern cup with whipped cream and a Halloween duck. Really sweet and delicious.

Other notable new foods

These items didn’t make our top 10, but were still a solid option.

Breaded Bologna Fries: Granny’s Country Kitchen serves these fried bologna fries with Carolina gold dipping sauce.

cowboy bites – Fat Boys BBQ has these bites that have it smoked white cheddar cheese mixed with brisket, rolled in panko and deep fried.

Fried cheese croissant – You really can’t go wrong with La Farm Bakery, but this dish has a fun little kick. It’s a mini pastry that’s deep fried and topped with cheddar cheese and jalapeno slices.

Granddaddy Nat’s Fufu Plate – Ethio-Indi Alkaline Cuisine tries to give you a real meal at the fair. This dish is a burger with sauce, gomen greens and fufu.