Top State Fair Food Substitutes: Jason’s Picks

Make your next takeout or dine-in experience a slice of the Minnesota State Fair that never was (plus, so many cheese curd options)
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The egg roll on-a-stick by Que Viet Concessions
The egg roll on-a-stick by Que Viet Concessions is a State Fair classic—and you can still get it (just not on a stick) at Que Viet

Photo by Darin Kamnetz

Support a local restaurant while getting your Minnesota State Fair fix, to spite this year’s cancellation of the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

Also, about the cheese curds: Since we’re a land of cheese-curd choices, you’ll find a lineup of the Twin Cities’ best below.

For a comprehensive look at the State Fair’s cancellation and the ways fair organizers are making up for it this year, read about the tradition’s great 2020 pivot here.

State Fair Food Replacements

  1. Fresh French Fries: The Nook/Shamrocks, St. Paul
  2. Fried Pickles: Hazel’s Northeast, Minneapolis
  3. Big Fat Bacon: Q Fanatic BBQ & Grill, Minneapolis & Champlin
  4. Corn Dog: Chicago’s Taste Authority, Minneapolis
  5. Dole Whip: Something Sweet by Maddie Lu, Coon Rapids; Cup and Cone, White Bear Lake
  6. Cider Freeze: Pine Tree Apple Orchard, White Bear Lake
  7. Egg Rolls: Que Viet, Minneapolis & Brooklyn Center
  8. Milkshakes: Hastings Dairy Store, Hastings
The cheese curds at Revival
The cheese curds at Revival

Photo by Michelle Haddad of Knack

Top Twin Cities Cheese Curds

  1.  Iron Tap, Waconia
  2. Revival, Minneapolis & St. Paul
  3. Northbound Smokehouse, Minneapolis
  4. Bread & Pickle, Minneapolis
  5. Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis
  6. Stanley’s Northeast Bar Room, Minneapolis
  7. Brunson’s Pub, St. Paul
  8. Bull’s Horn, Minneapolis
  9. The Unofficial, St. Anthony
  10. Bourbon Butcher, Farmington
  11. Iron Exchange, Maple Plain
  12. The Roadside, Blaine
  13. Peppers & Fries, Minneapolis
  14. The Suburban, Excelsior
  15. The Mill Northeast, Minneapolis
  16. Red Cow, Minneapolis & St. Paul
  17. 5-8 Grill & Bar, Champlin, Minneapolis, Maplewood, & West St. Paul
  18. The Sunshine Factory, Plymouth
  19. The Nook/Shamrocks, St. Paul

Read more: The Minnesota State Fair is canceled, but there’s still a lot happening

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