Here's all the outrageous food and drinks at the 2024 CNE
Food at the 2024 CNE is what everyone will be looking forward to this year. Avocado ice cream served in a coconut, anyone?
Not everyone can stomach The Ring of Fire but everyone can agree on the rubber-necking allure of the CNE’s wackadoodle foods.
Ready to balk at nothing, instead ignoring common sense, instinct and commonly accepted rules of the kitchen? Then, the time has come to fuel your days with all manner of weird, wacky, occasionally wonderful, carnival eats.
If you like your ice cream spiked with wasabi, your chicken coated in sugar cereal and your samosas the size of small dogs, then these polarizing treats might be just your thing.
Otherwise, you’d be best to stick to safer fare, like the slew of sweet and savoury options available at Ribfest, as part of Food Truck Frenzy and in the CNE Food Building.
After last-year’s record-breaking attendance, pack your patience if you want to try one, or all, of the trailblazing new food and drink options debuting at the CNE for 2024.
Tzatziki Cheesecake
New York-style cheesecake is a vessel for many things — from fruit and chocolate cookie crumbs to salted caramel. Has it ever been topped with zippy tzatziki buttercream, crisp pita, fresh dill, and garlic? Not until now.
A dish ($13.25) from Greekery Bakeshop (Concessions) that scores high for shock value, this one is creamy and sweet, with the unmistakable twang of mezze that’ll linger for longer than you may like.
Karaage Soft-Shell Crab on a Stick
A veritable feast for the eyes, this impaled crustacean ($19.95) from Farm to Fryer (Food Building) is a hearty option for the bold snacker.
Not everyone can chow down on a whole animal without batting an eye — even when its crisp-fried and doused in sriracha mayo — but if you can, kudos to you.
Mac & Cheetos Popsicle
Fried mac and cheese conveniently served on a stick, this dish from Farm to Fryer (Food Building) is livened up with a Cheetos coating ($13.95). Will it blow your mind? Probably not.
Is it a safe, tasty bet for fans of unnaturally-hued fried corn snacks? Absolutely.
Giant Samosa
It’s difficult to imagine how many peas have to perish for the team at Bombay Spice Street (Food Building) to create just one of their 12-inch samosas ($22.95).
Mixed into a subtly-spiced pea and potato filling, the verdant little veggies are crammed into dough, then deep fried to create the type of outrageous snack we except from the CNE. Grab a knife and fork to battle this behemoth.
15-Inch Donut
Nothing says carnival quite like chasing your giant samosa with an equally-mammoth iced donut topped with a flurry of sprinkles ($20).
From Pancho’s Bakery (Food Building), this family-sized pastry could have been dreamt up by Homer Simpson himself.
Jalapeño Lemonade
Sweet with a subtle whisper of heat, this is the refresher you need to fuel hours of strolling, shopping, gawking and more.
From Alijandro’s Kitchen (Food Truck Frenzy), it’s worth seeking out when run-of-the-mill lemonade won’t do.
Kool-Aid Fried Chicken
Refreshing? Sure. But as a marinade for chicken, Kool-Aid has never jumped out as an obvious choice.
Day-Glo red, deep-fried and generously topped, this cutlet ($16) from Fried Chicken Sandwiches (Food Building), boldly ventures into unfamiliar territory.
Fruity Cereal Tenders
Fried chicken is always a crowd-pleaser. Or is it? At Lucky Chicken (Food Building), the team eschews tradition, instead coating its tenders in customers’Â choice of Cocoa Pebbles, Fruity Pebbles, Cheez-Its or all-dressed Ruffles for a flavour combo that won’t necessarily make everyone swoon.
Footlong Deep-Fried Mozzarella Stick
From Pizza Pizza (Hall A, Enercare Centre), this hot-dog doppelgänger ($11.11) is actually a foot-long stick of mozzarella tucked inside a squishy hoagie bun.
A dish that marries the gooey goodness of a cheese string with a slew of punchy toppings — from marinara to mustard and pickles — this one is a knockout.
Uni-Corn
Rainbow-hued queso takes this cob ($12) from ho-hum to, well, colourful.
Available from Freshly Roasted (Food Building) each one finds the season’s tastiest vegetable doused in mayo, queso, tajin and lime for a snack that’s drippy and savoury with a subtle kick of heat.
The Twisted Pickle
Tired of spiral potatoes? The team at Twisted Pickles (Concessions) is now spiralizing pickles ($12) for a treat that’s simultaneously crunchy and soft, vinegary, salty and hard to put down.
Top it with Flamin’Â Hot Cheetos or dill chips, plus a drizzle of dilly sauce, for maximum effect.
SpICE Cream Chorizo Fries Supreme
A snack that’s got sugar and spice and, let’s face it, everything nice, these souped up fries from Los Vietnamita ($20) are the ultimate indulgence. Does this dish start with hand-cut fries seasoned with hot oil? Check.
Are those fries then doused with cheddar sauce and sprinkled with chorizo? Check. Is an icy, chipotle honey butter-laced scoop of ice cream then plopped atop the entire thing? By this point, you shouldn’t have to ask.
Deep-Fried Butter Chicken Lasagna
A fan favourite, Rick’s Good Eats (Concessions) is back this year with a dish that caters to those craving novelty and those who favour flavour.
Crunchy with a tender core, laid atop a pool of sauce you’ll want to drink, this dish is a hefty one you won’t want to share. ($21)
Whipped Lemonade
Topped with a citrusy cloud of lemon foam (made from lemonade blended with lemon ice cream) this drink is dessert and refreshment in one. Find it at Real Fruit Splash (Concessions).
Uncrustables Classic Bacon Cheeseburger
Meaty and rich, this sandwich ($19.99) is best approached well before you hit up Pharoah’s Fury.
From Bacon Nation (Food Building), it includes thick-bacon (natch) plus an all-beef patty, cheese and the squishy comfort of two toasted strawberry and peanut butter Uncrustables.
Just Peachy
Like something grandma might make, this dish ($11.99) feels so homey, warm and — gasp — normal that it almost feels out of place at the CNE.
Still, perfect for the season, this baked peach crumble crowned with whipped cream is a stellar sweet you’ll want to revisit year after year. Find it at Eat My Bowls (Food Building).
Deep Fried Cheese Curds (Taylor’s Version!)
Swifties, listen up. Not your average cheese curds, these golden, squeaky pockets, from The King of Curds (Concessions), have been dressed up with “Wildest Cream” icing, “Lavender Haze” crunch, “Lover” cotton candy and “Bejeweled” edible shimmer.
Is it enough to mesmerize Tay-Tay’s legion of groupies into shelling out $19.89Â for a taste? Time will tell.
Wasabi Ice Cream
Dispensed onto a charcoal cone, topped with nori and orange sugar pearls, this iced treat ($12) is a little bit naughty and a little bit nice. A fairly balanced marriage of spicy and sweet, it’s not nearly as terrifying as it sounds.
Cheeseburger Spring Rolls
More portable than your typical burger, this hand-rolled snack ($12 for 2) is also easier to share. Fat with ground beef, American cheese and dill pickles all these snacky bites from Smash City (Food Building) need is a dollop of house burger sauce to feel complete.
Tanghulu Mochi Donut
Joining the CNE’s vendor line-up for the first time, O-Mochi (Food Building) is tempting visitors with a slew of donuts, including this chewy, crisp, caramelized option ($5.75).
If there’s a drawback to this dessert (and it’s hard to find one), it’s the sticky fingers and attention from buzzy things it tends to create.