The quirky, zany and bacon-ified new foods coming to OC Fair 2026

It’s true: Three-star Michelin joints and county fairs have far more in common than some people would like to believe. For starters, the food they serve is always adventurous, eyebrow-raising, and at least once during a visit, something bonkers will land on your plate. Both want to turn something familiar into an experience. One does it with precision, restraint and stratospheric prices; the other does it with batter, sugar and reckless abandon.

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Let’s hear it for the latter.

And with that, the OC Fair returns to Costa Mesa from July 17 through Aug. 16 with a fresh crop of dishes designed to be eaten first and questioned later.

Chicken Charlie’s

Deep-frying tiramisu feels like a natural fair-ified progression for the Italian dessert, making it a fit for Chicken Charlie’s. The OC Fair-exclusive dessert joins the Fried Mangonada (fresh mango battered and fried, then finished with chamoy, Tajín and lime) plus the Crispy Chicken Shawarma Fry Cone, also available as a wrap (my favorite fair eat this year, next to the bacon bombs at Bacon Nation) and a Parmesan Garlic Fry Cone.

“Basically, we’re taking a healthy, beautiful, delicious tiramisu, and I’m going to dip it in batter and fry it,” said founder Charlie Boghosian. He has a simple rule for fair food: “It needs to be weird, obviously, but it can’t be so weird to where it doesn’t make sense.”

Note that Chicken Charlie’s also has a $30 meal deal marking its 30th anniversary; the deal includes chicken kabob fries, fried Oreos, and a regular drink.

Mom’s Bakeshoppe

Mom’s Bakeshoppe is giving the croissant the waffle-iron treatment with its Chocolate Chip Croffle, a South Korean-inspired dessert making its OC Fair debut. Croissant dough is pressed in a Belgian waffle maker, its deep grooves filled with melting chocolate chips, then topped with Breyers vanilla ice cream, caramel and chocolate drizzle and a crumble. Owner Gigi Horowitz calls those little waffle pockets “baskets of love.” Adorable.

Also of note: Mom’s Bakeshoppe is a queer-friendly space. Be sure to show Horowitz, herself an Orange County denizen, your rainbow or queer flair when you see her at the fair.

Sugar Puff Candy

Sugar Puff Candy’s Magic Unicorn soda is both a drink and a science experiment using the sour-sweet section of the candy aisle. Owner Vincent Guerrera rims the cup with crushed Jolly Ranchers, adds sugar candy, freeze-dried candy and syrups, then pours in a citrus-and-tea mixture that turns the drink from blue to purple in glorious contemporary fashion. Airheads Extremes, freeze-dried Jolly Ranchers and Sour Patch Watermelons finish the job.

“We just wanted to do something really unique for the fair,” said Guerrera. The stand will also offer a Jolly Rancher slushy crowned with freeze-dried candy and sour gummy worms.

This kaleidoscopic spot also has its own theme music, which is worth a visit in and of itself.

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Biggy’s

Biggy’s is going savory with Dutch Fries, inspired by a trip to Amsterdam but reworked for the fairgrounds. The potatoes are double-fried in beef tallow, tossed with butter and Parmesan, then hit with black-truffle mayo, parsley and still more Parmesan.

“This year, some of the things we just focused on were flavor and big flavors,” said Dominic Palmieri III, also known as the Midway Gourmet. Another new addition is the $16 Mini-Me Turkey Leg, a smaller, more manageable version Palmieri says is “a little more tender and a little juicier.”

Swirl Ice Cream

Swirl Ice Cream will bring two new Dot Cake trends to Costa Mesa, according to operator Kelly Villarreal (part of Palmieri’s roster of fair spots). One combines strawberries with marshmallow topping and enough nonpareils — or “hundreds and thousands,” according to Villarreal — to qualify as structural support. The other layers sprinkles, cake, vanilla ice cream and still more sprinkles.

After seeing people line up for the trend in New York, Villarreal’s response was entrepreneurial logic: “Why aren’t we going to do it? Why not?” she asked.

Bacon Nation

As its name suggests, Bacon Nation is all about ye olde American salt-cured pork fried to crispy perfection. Its newest offerings coming to the OC Fair include Bacon Wrapped Churros and, the highlight of my visit to the fair, Pizza Bacon Bomb, a meaty, fried concoction that tastes just as its name suggests: handheld pops of pizza covered with bacon. Delightful.

Corn Star & Hot Potato Club

Jeanette Vieira’s family has been selling corn at fairs for generations. Her contribution to the dynasty is the spud. “I’m going to lean into the potato,” she said. The Street Corn Baked Potato combines butter, fresh corn cut from the cob, chipotle mayo, bacon, jalapeños, fried corn ribs, cotija and Bob’s special seasoning blend, while Tot-Zilla piles white-cheddar mac and cheese, Hot Cheetos, bacon and jalapeños over tater tots.

For a relative palate cleanser, the vegetarian Broc-Star Potato comes with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, sour cream, broccoli and onion-chili crisp. Lose the sour cream and it goes vegan. The stand is also adding a Chili Mac ’n’ Cheese Baked Potato and Street Corn Fries to its lineup.

Other notable food dishes coming to the OC Fair this year, which will be exclusive, are as follows:

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• French Onion Ten Pound, made with whipped butter, ground garlic, mozzarella and cheddar cheese and, of course, caramelized onions, found at Ten Pound Bun
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Bacon Cheeseburger at Philly Cheese Steak
• Gooey Maple Butter Popcorn served warm in a cone (with optional chopped nuts) at Planet Popcorn