What to Know
- The OC Fair runs from July 15 through Aug. 14 (select dates)
- Costa Mesa
- The long-running event has become synonymous with surreal snacks, from fried foods to offbeat beverages
Foods with plenty of panache, foods with chromatic character, foods with unusual textures, and the sorts of eats that seem to have one flavor when you first bite down, then a totally different flavor a few seconds later? Like cool-to-hot or sweet-to-tangy?
You can likely find examples of each of these stand-out goodies in your pantry, refrigerator, or on the menu at your favorite local hangout.
But the whimsical wizards who show up at the OC Fair's fanciful stands each summer take a lot of these foods and blithely remix them, like a song, or add fresh elements to the eating experience, putting crunchy with hot alongside sweet on top of something sippable.
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This has given the Costa Mesa extravaganza a cuisine-cool reputation, making it a must-stop place for fans of fried things on sticks, drinks that include full-scale desserts as gooey garnishes, and so many other delicacies from the offbeat side of the fair food aisle.
Those sometimes daffy and utterly delightful delicacies will be officially try-able by adventurous eaters when the month-long festival opens on Friday, July 15.
For the fair team just revealed a few of its newest offbeat eats, like a Hot Cheetos Float.
In fact, as in years gone by, the zesty, crunch-strong cheese snacks will colorfully cameo in more than one dish; look also for the plate of potstickers boasting a batter made of, you guessed it, Hot Cheetos.
You can find these piquant potstickers at Chicken Charlie's Pineapple Express, while the Hot Cheetos Float? Snag your spicy sip at Biggy's or the Candy Factory.
Other goodies include Chicken Charlie's Kool-Aid Chicken Sandwich, which was one of the stars of the LA County Fair in May, and the sizable OC Deluxe Avocado Toast at Ten Pound Buns.
As for the Cap'n Crunch Chicken Sandwich? Biggy's is the booth for that hearty and hue-bright fare.
But what's beyond the outlandish bites? Classic nosh-around favorites like pizza, roasted corn, and funnel cakes will also be sold during the upcoming fair.
And if you're visiting on a Thursday afternoon?
Keep in mind that each booth will offer an item for $4 (it'll be a dish the eatery's team pre-selects, do note).
You can read more about this money-saving special, which will last the run of the fair, now.
Pictured: Kool-Aid Chicken Sandwich and Hot Cheetos Float (top); OC Deluxe Avocado Toast (bottom)
