OC Fair 2023: Are the ridiculous food options worth it?

Part of the fun of attending the annual Orange County Fair is trying out all the outrageous food options different vendors offer. In previous years the fair has featured a Kool-Aid Fried Chicken Sandwich, Hot Cheeto-N-Cheese Pickles and a Cap’n Crunch Funnel Cake for guests to experience. This year we made it our mission to taste as many ridiculous items as our stomachs would allow.

Here’s what we think was worth trying and what we wouldn’t get again:

Turkey Dog Egg Roll

Price: $8

I’m a big fan of egg rolls and I don’t mind turkey dogs, so I thought that – while this combination is certainly strange – I wouldn’t mind it. I did mind it. My mouth didn’t know what to focus on, and neither element took the lead, so it just made for an awkward combination of two underwhelming dishes. It was lacking crisp: Only the end pieces of the rolls resulted in a satisfying crunch. It felt like the turkey dog was taking up space in the otherwise sweet egg roll, with no clear purpose other than just to be there.

I’ll say this: For 8 dollars, you get two rolls. If you’re really into the idea of it, I’d recommend sharing with someone. For 4 dollars, this novelty dish might be worth a taste, even if it’s just to say you’ve tried it. -DE

Fried S’mores on a Stick

Price: $10.95

One of my favorite summer desserts is a s’more. It brings back summer nostalgia of camping trips with my family and patiently sitting by the fire, smoke making my eyes tear, as I patiently waited for my marshmallow to reach golden brown perfection. This typically messy treat is a little bit better contained deep-fried on a stick than smushed between two graham crackers so that the marshmallow spills out on your hands. Taste wise everything was there, although I would’ve enjoyed some more graham cracker flavoring throughout. -CB

Krispy Kreme Triple Decker Cheeseburger

Price: $16.95

I was intimidated by this one, mostly because there is no reason why it should exist. Sitting on the menu, it reads like something out of cartoon, a fictionalized dish poking fun at American food. But I’d be lying if I told you that it was so gross and that I couldn’t stand it. 

I actually thought the combination was pretty decent. Conceptually, I have to applaud the idea: The sweetness of the donut compliments the greasy meat and cheese taste. The quality of the burger took it down a few notches, as it really reminded me of my elementary school cafeteria’s burgers.

It’s an entirely impractical lunch, with the Krispy Kreme making your fingers stickier with every bite and the ungodly amount of meat. I wouldn’t try this at the fair, but if you’re ever curious and have both ingredients at home, knock yourself out. -DE

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Potstickers

Price: $8.95

Yeah, no. It was a pretty decent potsticker, and it felt like it was covered in the Cheetos for no reason. The Cheetos added nothing but a constant need for napkins, and took down the overall quality and flavor of the dish. And this is coming from someone who likes hot Cheetos! It came with some sort of (apple??) sauce that actually managed to make it worse. It felt like someone was blindfolded and took three random things out of their fridge and made a meal out of it. -DE

Unicorn Donut

Price: $12

Typically when you walk by the vendors and you see the giant photos of the food, you assume that they’re making the item look bigger than it actually is. I was not prepared for how comically large the Unicorn Donut would be. While I enjoy each of the individual items that were layered on this donut; nerds candy, sweet glaze and cotton candy, all of them together in one bite was an odd combination. The melt in your mouth donut was a less enjoyable chew when it was combined with biting on the sugar rock nerds. I found that eating it one layer at a time was the way to go, plus it makes you feel as though you’re getting multiple treats for the price of one. It should also go without warning that this is a big sugar intake so best to share with others. -CB

Hot Cheetos Float

Price: $10

Despite chugging water all day, I was parched when it came time to try this. The stand we got this from had a few out there options including a Mighty Ozsome Float, Unicorn Float and Orange Dream Float. With the goal of the day being ridiculous food options, I knew that the only option would be mustering the courage to try hot Cheetos in beverage form. With float in the title, I was expecting there might be some ice cream involved, which wasn’t the case. Instead, it was reminiscent of an Italian soda, with a little kick to it. On top was a layer of whip cream with hot Cheetos sprinkled as decor. I’ve been known to dip a hot Cheeto in cream cheese as a snack to balance out the spice level with some dairy, but this combination of sweet and spicy was not doing it for me. – CB

Final Thoughts

Attending a county fair is an experience in itself. Combine that with hot weather, lots of rides plus fueling yourself with fried foods and you might not be feeling so great at the end of the day. Fair food also isn’t cheap, so it’s probably best to pack some snacks or set a budget. I’d say stick to one “out there” item that you can share with friends and be warned that just because it’s a fun gimmicky item, does not mean it’s going to taste good. – CB

As the resident meat trier, I offer you the following statement: If you’re looking to try fun fair food, stick with the sweet desserts. You’re almost guaranteed to have a better experience. Only one out of the three dishes I tried wasn’t horrible, and even then, it wasn’t good. Plus, the desserts are usually cheaper. Save yourself a few dollars, a stomach ache and a lot of regret and branch out with a fun donut or a fried sweet treat. -DE