The time has come.
For the next 10 days, the Wisconsin State Fair will tempt the hungry, curious and brave with a bevy of things on sticks, loaded with cheese, drenched with dairy and deep-fried for better or worse.
Aside from the standbys we can always count on (cream puffs, cheese curds, butter-dipped roasted corn…), each year, the fair unleashes dozens of new culinary curiosities to keep fairgoers satiated during its long run.
But of course, kings of them all are the Sporkies: the new fair food deemed to be the best of the bunch. There are eight finalists this year, and earlier this week, a panel of local celebrity judges rated and ranked their top three.
Not one to miss out on the fun, I challenged myself to do the same. So, on the first day of the fair, starting at 11 a.m., I hit the pavement and lingered in lines to try all eight Sporkies finalists, evaluating them through a professional dining critic’s lens. While eating, I considered creativity, presentation, texture and flavor, but also how well they fit into the State Fair vibe.
Aside from sharing my quick reviews of each, I’m taking it a step further: rating each Sporkie finalist on a scale of 1 to 5 sporks, then ranking the whole lot from 1st to 8th place.
Read on to find out which fair fare fared best.
Want to attempt the same feat? All eight Sporkies finalists and four Drinkies finalists are available throughout the run of the Wisconsin State Fair, Aug. 6 to 16. Just look for the 13-foot-tall golden spork or straw outside each finalist’s vendor booth.
Al Pastor Pizza
Sporkies contest placement: 3rd place
Location: Charlie’s Pizza; the corner of Second Street and Sue Wetley Court, near the Giant Slide
Price: $11
Description: “Loaded with tender, marinated al pastor pork, melty mozzarella cheese, and juicy pineapple for the perfect balance of savory and sweet. It’s finished with fresh cilantro, white onion, lime and a signature special sauce, bringing a bright, zesty kick to every bite.”
Rachel’s take: Charlie’s certainly isn’t afraid to skimp on its pizza toppings (see last year’s corn-loaded Sporkie finalist slice), and its entrant this year is no different. It’s definitely the prettiest of this year’s Sporkies, but the torrent of toppings and somewhat doughy crust make for a floppy slice. The pork on top was a touch dry, but seasoned well with a smoky, gentle heat that played nicely with the sweet tang of the pineapple tidbits on top. A drizzle of creamy verde salsa kicked things up with a lively spiciness, and the fresh squeeze of lime over top brought a little zesty life into each bite.
Spork rating: 3.5/5 sporks
Bayou Crunch Cup
Sporkies contest placement: Finalist
Location: Exotic Meat Grill; South Grandstand Avenue, near the WSFP Foundation Milk House and Main Stage track entrance
Price: $20
Description: “A towering cup of southern comfort, stacked with crispy sidewinder fries, Cajun slaw and tender alligator nuggets. Breaded crawfish bites and a rich comeback sauce add a bold, zesty kick in every layer. Finish this dish off with pickled okra and a whole crawfish on top for big bayou flavor and a true Fair wow factor.”
Rachel’s take: There’s no getting around that when you first glance at the Bayou Crunch cup, a whole crawfish — yes eyes, head, antennae and all — is glancing back at you. If that’s not your jam, you can ask for the cup sans crawfish. There’s still plenty going on underneath. Almost too much going on. Fried gator bites and fried crawfish tails are nearly indistinguishable from one another visually as you’re digging through the cup, so biting into shellfish when I was expecting gator — and vice-versa — was an unpleasant guessing game for my tastebuds. The fresh coleslaw and pickled okra (my favorite part of the cup) lent a cool crunch, and the light hand of tangy sauce helped tie every bite together. But there, on the bottom, was an unnecessary layer of dry sidewinder fries — nearly impossible to get to without spilling the contents of the cup, and adding little substance to the experience. At $20, it’s by far the most expensive of the Sporkies this year; the novelty is fun, but your money could be better spent elsewhere.
Spork rating: 2/5 sporks
Birria Flamin’ Bombs
Sporkies contest placement: 1st place
Location: Fiesta Grill & Cantina; the intersection of Central Avenue and Center Street
Price: $12
Description: “Filled with slow-cooked beef birria, cilantro, onion, and melted mozzarella cheese, then coated in a savory seasoned breadcrumb blend and served with a birria consommé for dipping with a side of creamy chipotle aioli.”
Rachel’s take: My first thought: where’s the flamin’? A chili pepper and flame icon are displayed next to this dish on the sign outside of Fiesta Grill and Cantina, but there was no heat to speak of on this tray — except, I guess, if you count the side of chipotle aioli. Then why is the coating bright red? Who knows. It doesn’t get better once you crack open each bomb: the meat (choose beef or chicken — I chose beef) was juicy and the cheese gooey, but they’re pretty devoid of flavor. Don’t expect the side of consommé to help, either. It’s overall flavorless, as well. I’m a little baffled by how this scored the top spot at the Sporkies. Hopefully Day One was an off outing for this winning stand.
Spork rating: 1.5/5 sporks.
Cream City Cone
Sporkies contest placement: 2nd place
Location: WurstBar; the corner of Central Avenue and Second Street
Price: $13
Description: “This warm, buttery pretzel cone is dipped in Milwaukee Pretzel Company Dill Pickle Mustard, packed with a savory mix of bratwurst, sautéed onions, sautéed mushrooms, and melted cheddar, and then topped with a breaded white cheddar cheese curd and more mustard.”
Rachel’s take: It’s an adorable little thing, and that cute packaging might earn the Cream City Cone an extra half-tine in my spork rating. But don’t expect to eat it like an ice cream cone – unless you want a face full of mustard. You’ll definitely want a fork for this one, and I think it would benefit from a side plate, as well. The first few bites, all I tasted was mustard and dill. Inside the (fairly dry) cone, nicely spiced ground brat was the top layer, then sauteéd mushrooms. I wish they were blended more — mushrooms added much-needed moisture and umami, but I had to dig to get to them.
Spork rating: 3/5 sporks
Deep-Fried Horchata Balls
Sporkies contest placement: Finalist
Location: Badger Bites; the corner of Central Avenue and Second Street, across from the New Berlin Lions Club Corn Roast
Price: $11
Description: “These bites are dusted in cinnamon sugar, drizzled with rich dulce de leche sauce, chocolate sauce, then topped with mini chocolate chips, toasted coconut and sweet fried plantain chips for the ultimate dessert!”
Rachel’s take: I’ll preface this by saying I don’t have the biggest sweet tooth. And, oh, you must love sweets to appreciate this deep-fried, chocolate-topped, caramel-drizzled, cinnamon-sugar-sprinkled concoction. It’s a mess of sweet ingredients before you even get to the deep-fried horchata balls, stuffed with a thick, frosting-like filling. My take? These would’ve been much more palatable with just the cinnamon-sugar coating, a dusting of powdered sugar and maybe a side cup of chocolate sauce for dipping. I was so turned off by the slap-in-your-face sweetness that the starchy, slightly salty crunch of the plantain chips was my favorite part.
Spork rating: 1.5/5 sporks
Porky Puff
Sporkies contest placement: Finalist
Location: Bud Pavilion; the corner of Central Avenue and Benno’s Micro Alley, across from The Micro
Price: $13
Description: “A golden, flaky puff pastry filled with tender pulled pork, house-made zesty peach filling, layered with creamy garlic and herb cheese for a rich, savory bite. Baked until light and crispy, finished with a drizzle of hot honey, and a sprinkle of mustard seeds.”
Rachel’s take: If thisdish were a third of the size, I think it’d be a lot more palatable. I enjoyed my first taste: flaky crust, a hint of sweet heat from the honey, and hunks of juicy pork with a dab of whole mustard made for a balanced first couple of bites. But as I worked my way toward the middle, everything fizzled. The pastry was unpleasantly gummy, barely any of the peach flavor came through, and the garlic-herb cheese sauce made everything soggy and hogged the spotlight over the other flavors. The components were all there, but the execution was off.
Spork rating: 2.5/5 sporks
Sweet Lemon Berry Cheese Curds
Sporkies contest placement: Finalist
Location: Saz’s BBQ; the corner of Dager Avenue and Second Street
Price: $12.50
Description: “Ellsworth Creamery white cheddar cheese curds fried to crispy, cheesy perfection then tossed in a cinnamon-sugar mix. Add a sweet raspberry sauce over the cheese curds and finish the dish with a side of homemade sweet lemon zest cream whip.”
Rachel’s take: These curds didn’t stand much of a chance as my final dish of the day, especially after a chaotic line at the typically smooth-running Saz’s. Maybe it’s because my expectations were so low, but I was surprised by these sweet-savory curds. Gimme classic curds any day, but I thought the cinnamon-sugar coating and white cheddar cheese suited each other on the sweet-salty scale. The raspberry sauce drizzle was tart and not too sweet — just the right touch. In fact, I liked these curds much better without a dip in the side of lemony cream sauce, which drowned out every other flavor in the dish.
Spork rating: 3.5/5
Tinga Tango Chicharrónes
Sporkies contest placement: Finalist
Location: Blue Moon Tavern at the Park; Grandstand Avenue, across from the Main Stage Grandstand entrance
Price: $14
Description: “A savory stack of house-made crispy honey-habanero pork rinds topped with smoky chicken tinga, tangy pickled red onions, creamy queso fresco, cotija cheese, sweet and spicy candied jalapeños, and fresh cilantro. Finished with a drizzle of silky cilantro-lime crema and served with vibrant salsa verde.”
Rachel’s take: The chicharrónes may be the weakest link of this dish, but that doesn’t mean you should discount it altogether. That’s simply to say they could stand a little more seasoning, and they soften quickly under the cilantro-lime crema and queso fresca (eat them quickly!). Thank goodness for the gentle heat of the tender chicken tinga hiding underneath, bringing a wallop of flavor I couldn’t resist. The vinegar-y prickle of pickled onions and candied jalapeños cut through all the richness, so much so that I barely used the side of salsa verde. Fresh, vibrant and, surprisingly, the lightest and brightest tasting of all eight Sporkies.
Spork rating: 4/5 sporks
Bonus: Tilt-a-Spritz
Drinkies contest placement: Winner
Location: Old Fashioned Sipper Club; the corner of Central Avenue and First Street, across from the Dairy Building
Price: $12 nonalcoholic, $15 with alcohol
Description: “Bright ruby grapefruit and key lime juices deliver a vibrant citrus flavor with ginger beer effervescence for a crisp finish. Sealed in a smoke box with hickory and torched rosemary.”
Rachel’s take: Seeking a refresher between gorging on food, I decided to try this year’s winning Drinkie, a tart and bubbly refresher that helped give me life as I stared down the second half of my to-eat list. It was plenty tart, but the ginger beer tamped things down and bubbled things up just like it does in a Moscow Mule. The smoked version lent campfire spirit, and though I love a little smoke, I don’t know that it made this drink any more delicious. I ordered the nonalcoholic version, but there’s an option to add your spirit of choice for $3. A fellow fairgoer I know gave me a sip of his splashed with tequila, and that was mighty tasty, too.
Straw rating: 4/5 straws
Rachel’s 2026 Wisconsin State Fair Sporkies rankings
Rachel Bernhard joined the Journal Sentinel as dining critic in June 2023. She’s been busy exploring the Milwaukee area food scene to share her favorite finds with readers along the way. Like all Journal Sentinel reporters, she buys all meals, accepts no gifts and is independent of all establishments she covers.
What should she cover next? Contact her at rseis@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Instagram at @rach.eats.mke, on X at @rachelbernhard and on BlueSky at @rachelbernhard.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Our dining critic reviews every 2026 Sporkies finalist
Reporting by Rachel Bernhard, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Rachel Bernhard, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
