Donut burgers and boba tea in a light bulb among new eats and drinks at WA State Fair

May everyone in your party find something they want to eat (or drink!) at the Washington State Fair, which kicked off Friday, Sept. 1 in Puyallup.

If you missed Krusty Pups and Fisher Scones, you’ll find those mainstays among the dozens of food vendors scheduled to feed the crowds over the three-week run. New options this year include Southern bites, antojitos, mini doughnuts, Hawaiian poke and glow tea.

It’s the first full-fledged fall edition since 2019. In 2020, the Fair set up a drive-thru for food on-the-go, and though it returned to in-person last year, it was all a bit smaller than usual.

“We’re so excited to be back this year, with more great food than ever,” said Fair spokesperson Stacy Van Horne.

Following Labor Day weekend, the event takes a break, returning on Thursday, Sept. 9. It is always closed on Tuesdays.

All told, there are four weekends to visit, though weekday admission will save you a few bucks. Here’s how to save money and avoid lines at the Washington State Fair.

Below is a guide to new food vendors and a breakdown of food vendor highlights based on their location inside the Fairgrounds.

NEW WA FAIR FOOD VENDORS

▪ Glow Tea: Have you always wanted to drink liquid out of a light bulb? Let the beam of boba lure you to Glow Tea at Arena Ave. There you can order bubble tea served in a plastic vessel shaped like an old-school light bulb, compliments of a Seattle brand that began at the farmers market. Located at Arena Ave.

▪ Raspados del Sur: This is not another taco stand. Visitors to The Taste Northwest in July might recognize Raspados del Sur, making its official Fair debut. Refreshers on offer here focus on fruit, from the fresas con crema (a fruit sundae of sorts), mango en vago (sliced mango sprinkled with Tajin and chamoy), and Clamato preparado (a spicy tomato juice situation packed with goodies). Ok, there are tacos — walking tacos, Doritos bag as vehicle. Located at Centennial Plaza.

▪ Big Island Poke: If you’ve visited other festivals this summer, you might already be familiar with Big Island Poke. Dig into a deep-fried musubi (rice and SPAM delightfully wrapped in seaweed) and of course the namesake poke bowls, sauced with sriracha, sesame seeds and scallions. Located at Showplace Way.

▪ Extreme Carnival Eats: At this new booth, get your heart un-pumped for everything from a waffle sandwich with Nashville hot-style fried chicken, Korean corn dogs coated with a ramen-noodle crunch, a cotton candy ice cream sandwich doused with Pop Rocks, a donut burger (!!) and whatever the heck a fried mac and cheese ball is doing inside a waffle cone. Located at the Coca-Cola Plaza.

▪ Hattie Mae’s Southern Food: Impact Concessions, one of the most prolific Fair food vendors, has a new concept this year in Hattie Mae’s Southern Food. The menu includes fried catfish and po’boys. Located at the Showplex.

▪ What The Fries: Also from Impact, this fry-crazy stand will offer fries in myriad ways. Located at Showplace Way.

▪ Joe Roaster: Cool off with an iced coffee from new vendor Joe Roaster, which will also have mini doughnuts for a bite-sized treat option. Located at Showplace Way.

▪ Lumberjack Popcorn: Also seen at the Waterfront Market in Ruston, Lumberjack Popcorn slings bags of kettlecorn in two cheddar flavors and just in time for the fall Fair, in salted caramel, which local food truck Boss Mama’s Kitchen described as “stupid good.” Located at Showplace Way.

▪ North Pole Snow Cones: With a truck bouncing around Pierce County, North Pole Snow Cones makes its Fair debut in 2022. Located at Centennial Plaza.

WASHINGTON STATE FAIR FOOD BY LOCATION

Throughout the Fairgrounds, you’ll of course cross paths with the numerous locations of Fair favorites — Duris Elephant Ears, Fisher Scones and Krusty Pup among them — as well as stands for cotton candy and caramel apples.

As an obligatory note on a certain current internet sensation, IT’S CORN can be found at both Showplace Way and Midway Boulevard.

For adult beverages, head to the Village Rooftop Bar near Grand Ave. and Midway Blvd., the Sip Shop at the Pavilion, and Brew Park on the east side of the Showplex.

Keep an eye out for the Dreamsicle, a new cocktail (a portion of sales will go to the Washington State Fair Foundation), and on tap the Raspberry Scone Ale made by Tacoma’s own Narrows Brewing Company.

Below we’ve broken down the Fairgrounds by area, highlighting a few options that generally only have a single stand.

*new vendors

ARENA AVE

▪ Glow Tea*

▪ Dole Whip by Duris Elephant Ears

▪ Frog Hopper Coffee

▪ Bernie’s Burgers

BLUE RIBBON AVE & MIDWAY BLVD

▪ Murph’s Barbecue

▪ Roasted Corn

▪ BBQ Pete’s

OUTPOST 47

▪ Tacoma Wiener Company

SHOWPLEX

▪ Carlson’s European Deli

▪ Curry Cousin

▪ Hattie Mae’s Southern Delights*

SHOWPLACE WAY

▪ Roasted Corn

▪ Big Island Poke*

▪ Aurora’s Autentica Comida Mexican

▪ Brank’s BBQ

SHOWPLACE WAY & GRAND AVE

▪ Earthquake’s Biggest Burgers

▪ What The Fries!*

▪ Manic Meatballs

▪ Totally Shucked

▪ Yakisoba

▪ Ziegler’s Bratwurst House

▪ Kaleenka Piroshky

CENTENNIAL PLAZA

▪ Raspasados Del Sur*

ORANGE GATE

▪ Squishy Pop Bubble Tea

▪ Kama’ainia Grill

▪ Original House of Donuts

This story was originally published September 2, 2022 at 5:00 AM.