Top 10 new dishes to try at the 2023 NC State Fair

The North Carolina State Fair kicks off Oct. 12 in Raleigh, and food vendors are serving up new flavors and even putting a spin on some of your favorite traditional fair foods.

On Monday, members of the media and local influencers were invited to sample new foods at the 2023 N.C. State Fair Deep Fried Media Day.

There were plenty of tasty options, but we had to narrow down our favorites. You can download the map of new fair foods here and the full list here.

Here are WRAL's picks for 10 of the best new food options.

10. Moose Joose Slush's Strawberry Cheesecake Slush

One of the most visually appealing options, this is exactly what it sounds like -- a strawberry slush, whipped cream, strawberry sauce, a strawberry and a slice of New York-style cheesecake in a cup.

The slush itself is refreshing, but if you're a cheesecake fan looking for a new experience, you'll want to find Moose Joose Slush.

We imagine if you get it, you'll be asked "Where'd you get that?" about 50 times.

9. The Peach Cobbler Factory's Cinnamon Peach Praline Cobbler

If you haven't been to The Peach Cobbler Factory yet, the fair will give you the opportunity to try their delicious cobblers. The Peach Praline Cobbler was topped with caramel, and it delivered exactly what you want from cobbler. It was fruity, gooey, nutty and buttery. I'd go for this option on a cool night at the fair.

If you want more after the fair ends, The Peach Cobbler Factory has Triangle locations in Cary and Fuquay-Varina.

It's coming soon to Chapel Hill, Durham, Garner, Raleigh and Wake Forest.

8. Waffle Chix Oreo Brownie Blast

For chocolate lovers, the Oreo Brownie Blast is a must.

It's a brownie baked inside a Belgian waffle with white chocolate syrup drizzle and Oreo crumbles on top.

Yes, it's on a stick, of course.

7. Ragin' Cajun's Cajun-Style Andouille Sausage Corn Dog

The andouille sausage corn dog with Mardi Gras Mustard Dipping Sauce was proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

The sausage on a stick was battered in Cajun cornmeal and deep fried with some crunchy bits on the outside.

Dip it in the spicy mustard, and it'll be hard to go back to regular corn dogs once the fair leaves town on October 22.

6. Hot Chix Hotcakes and Chicken's Walking Totchos

Get your mind right for a bucket of tater tots with Doritos, nacho cheese and bits of fried chicken.

If you like these items but have never had them in one dish like me, this will put a smile on your face. The trick to these sampling events is to pace yourself and don't overindulge on one thing, but I found myself going back to get another taste of this fun concoction.

You can also find the Hot Chix food truck cruising around the Triangle.

5. Kora's Cookie Dough's Bacon Berry Cookie Dough On A Stick

If you don't want to choose between salty and savory, this one is for you.

The safe-to-eat chocolate chip cookie dough comes in hunks on a stick with berries inside. Bacon bits were sprinkled on top, delivering salt and crunch.

This was both fun to eat and very tasty.

4. Fat Boys BBQ's Brisket & Waffles On A Stick

This is another dish that just screams "State Fair."

The brisket is stuffed inside of the deep fried waffle and comes in a ball on a stick. The consistency reminded us of hush puppies and they were visually unassuming, but the taste delivered much more than expected.

There were options of maple syrup, BBQ sauce and hot honey for dipping. We went with maple syrup and had zero regrets.

Fat Boys BBQ offers mobile catering in and around Raleigh.

3. Chef's D'Lites' Deep Fried Cinnamon Apple Crunch Bread Pudding Bites

If funnel cake is your favorite fair delicacy, but you're ready to mix things up this year, this treat is one for you.

You'll get the taste of fried dough goodness with a punch of cinnamon apple in the more dense, yet moist bread pudding. Chef's D'Lites has been a staple of the N.C. State Fair for years, and this dish is sure to delight your taste buds.

WRAL News' Debra Morgan ranked this as another one of her favorites at media day.

2. Cool Runnings Jamaican's Jerk BBQ Chicken Mac Bowl

Spice up your trip to the fair with the Jerk BBQ Chicken Mac Bowl.

Cool Runnings always delivers at the fair, and the flavors in this bowl give you the heat of jerk chicken but the comfort of mac and cheese all in one. There's not much else to say.

This was a favorite of WRAL News' Aaron Thomas and Ken Smith.

1. Oak City Fish and Chips' Colossal Shrimp Pop

Oak City Fish and Chips' fried shrimp on a stick garnered the most votes from media day attendees as a favorite among the 30 options on hand.

We can confirm the shrimp are indeed colossal and were fried and seasoned to perfection. They came with a lemon on the stick too to push the taste over the edge.

This was at the top of WRAL Meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner's list of favorites of the day.

The Raleigh seafood restaurant started out in 2016 as a food truck and has expanded to Morgan Street Food Hall and a location in southeast Raleigh. Bonus points for the brown sugar fried corn.

Honorable Mentions

It was not easy narrowing the list down to just 10, so here are a few others you should be on the lookout for if you want to try something new:

• Bulkogi's Deep Fried Gimbap.
• Arepa Loca's Little Locas Empanadas.
• The Cheese Curd Shack's Dill Pickle Flavored Deep Fried Cheese Curds.
• GoldenKdog's Korean Fried Chicken Wings.
• La Farm Bakery's Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese Danish.
• Lawrence & Perry BBQ's The Slop Bucket.
• Neomonde Mediterranean's Cherry Beef Bliss.

If you try some of these foods, be sure to stop by the WRAL tent, on the northeast side of Dorton Arena facing restaurant row and tell us your favorites.