Iowa State Fair Ranked One of the Best in the U.S. for Food

Congratulations to the Iowa State Fair for having some of the very best fair food in the entire COUNTRY! It made Yelp's list of the 'Top 10 State Fairs for Festival Foods' in 2026!

New Foods at the 2026 Iowa State Fair

If you've ever been to the Iowa State Fair, then you know that one of the main attractions is the FOOD. Every year, vendors come up with new, delicious creations that you can't find anywhere else, and then compete for the prestigious title of 'Best New Fair Food.' This year, the Iowa State Fair announced more than 80 new foods, and those were narrowed down to the top 11 (because there are 11 days of the fair). Then, at a special event in July, members of the media from all over Iowa (including us!) were invited to try the top 11 Best New Fair Foods and vote on our top three. After the votes were tallied, the three dishes that came out on top were:

Porky Parm Gnocchi
All-American Scrambled Egg Roll
Ultimate Minneapple Pie

Anyone that attends the Iowa State Fair between August 13th and 19th will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite of the three foods listed above, and the official winner will be announced on Friday, August 21st. The 2026 Iowa State Fair is set for August 13th through 23rd. You can read more and see photos of the top 11 new Iowa State Fair foods HERE.

The Top State Fairs for Festival Foods

This month, Yelp put together a list of the 'Top 10 State Fairs for Festival Foods' here in the U.S. Here's how they determined their list:

"We identified businesses in the festivals, stadiums and arenas, venues, local flavor, and amusement parks categories with a large concentration of reviews mentioning the fair food, then ranked those spots using a number of factors including the total volume and ratings of reviews mentioning food."

According to Yelp, the Midwest is tough to beat! The Iowa State Fair was #3 on the list, coming in right behind the Wisconsin State Fair at #2 and the Minnesota State Fair at #1. Rounding out the top five are New York at #4 and Indiana at #5. You can check out the full list HERE.

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Where to Get a Delicious Hot Dog in Eastern Iowa

While most restaurants feature some sort of burger on their menu, not everyone offers hot dogs. Using the power of social media, we went on a hunt to find some of the Eastern Iowa restaurants, food trucks, and stands that have delicious dogs! Here are some of the places recommended by Eastern Iowans:

Gallery Credit: Courtlin

The Best Fries in the Corridor & Cedar Valley

Using several foodie Facebook groups in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and the Cedar Valley, we put together a list of restaurants that Eastern Iowans say have amazing fries. Here are some of the recommendations:

Gallery Credit: Courtlin

Source: The Iowa State Fair is One of the Top Three State Fairs for Festival Foods