Must-try PNE Fair food: What to eat and how much it’ll cost you

This year’s PNE Fair saw a ton of outrageous foods added to the roster, but with so much to try, you want to make sure you get the best bang for your buck.

The PNE Fair, B.C.’s longest-running and largest ticketed event, is happening from Aug. 16 to Sept. 1, with new programming, returning attractions, epic headlining concerts, and more for the whole family to enjoy.

In addition to standout events (like the iconic SuperDogs show), there are dozens of food vendors to try. You worked hard for your money, so we want to help make your life easier when deciding between the dozen of vendors offering standout eats.

From blueberry pizza to mango soft serve topped with jalapeños, here’s what we tried at this year’s PNE Fair and if we think it’s worth the hype.

BC Blueberry Mascarpone Crumble Pizza

We started on a high note with this sweet mashup of pizza and blueberries.

But don’t start thinking that this is a pizza imposter. This is a proper pizza dough that is topped with blueberry ginger compote and cinnamon orange mascarpone cream. If you’re a fan of blueberry pie (who isn’t?), then this one should be right up your alley. Plus, it’s the perfect handheld dessert to enjoy while standing in line for your next bite.

Cost: $9 per slice, $49 for a whole pizza
Where: Cheeky Italian

Cowboy Candy Ice Cream

Another strong contender, this soft serve is our top bite of our visit. Makes sense since the Marchant family, owners of Summerland Soft Serve and the creators of this sweet and spicy combo, are celebrating their 30th year at the fair, so they must know what they’re doing.

If you’re worried about this one being too spicy, don’t. Any spice from the candied jalapeños on top is balanced out by the refreshing mango soft serve. Plus, the Tajin rimming the cup adds a nice salty component to the whole dish. This is definitely a must-try.

Cost: $10
Where: Summerland Soft Serve

JapaCurryBeef

Meat and potatoes have never steered us wrong, so it was no surprise that we liked these loaded fries. This spin on the classic Canadian poutine is topped with delicious Japanese beef curry. While we loved this dish, we’re firm believers that a poutine requires cheese curds to be considered a real poutine, which this one unfortunately replaced with shredded cheese instead. But that’s just us being picky, and we’d definitely get these fries again.

Cost: $17
Where: Rotato Potato

Apple Crumble Perogies

Cinnamon sugar? Check. Warm apple pie filling? Check. Smooth vanilla glaze? Check. Potato and cheddar-filled bite-sized pierogies? That one might be a pass for us.

We’ve always been supporters of salty and sweet combos, but this one didn’t quite work for us. That’s not to say that this dish tasted bad, but we’d rather enjoy the cheese and potato pierogis separately from all the sweet additions. If you’re someone who enjoys their apple pie with a slice of cheddar cheese, then this might be perfect for you.

Cost: $17.50 for 20 bite-sized pierogies
Where: International Perogies

Ube Corndog

If you’re a corn dog fan, we have a strong feeling you’re going to enjoy this one. Strangely enough, despite it being cooked in an ube batter and covered in ube panko, we wish more of that ube flavour came through.

However, we’ve never been steered wrong by deep-fried hot dog and cheese in batter (both of which are in this corn dog), so this was also delicious. Plus, if you need that epic cheese pull shot to impress your Instagram followers, then this is the item for you.

Cost: $14
Where: Corndog King

Canadian Corndog, Eh?

What’s better than a corndog? One covered in bacon and maple syrup, of course. There’s a strong argument to be made that corn dog batter could be considered pancake batter, and that’s the only justification we needed before digging in. This Canadian-themed corn dog is basically breakfast on a stick, and we’re here for it.

Cost: $12.25
Where: Big Cocos

Tarte au Sucre (Sugar Shack Pie Mini Donuts)

Listen, it’s the PNE Fair, so of course we had to try some mini donuts, and who better than the family that originally brought the sugary delight to Western Canada: Little Donut Bakery.

The Tarte au Sucre variety of these donuts reminded us of French toast, with its slight maple flavour. While they were delicious, next time we’d rather opt for the classic cinnamon sugar offerings. If you’re looking to switch things up from our typical mini donut order, these are absolutely a safe option. Plus, for $10, this was one of the more affordable choices at the fair.

Cost: $10 for 15
Where: Little Donut Bakery

Dubai Funnel Cakes

Dubai chocolate meets funnel cake, a.k.a. the combination we didn’t know we needed.

Before trying this, we were worried this would be too sweet for us. However, after taking a bite, all our worries disappeared. This golden brown funnel cake is topped with Dubai chocolate, pistachio crumble, pistachio cream, and whipped cream, and yet is surprisingly not overly sweet. If you’re a fan of funnel cakes, you’ll love this one.

Cost: $18
Where: Pennsylvania Funnel Cakes

Lemonade Infused with Sweetgrass and Strawberry with Sopalali Foam

As part of the two-day Tatus Festival on Aug. 29 and 30, the PNE has invited Indigenous chefs to the Safeway Cooking Stage, located inside the Marketplace.

We had the pleasure of enjoying a special drink from chef Sarah Meconse Mierau (owner of Ancestors Café and Tradish Food Truck) and restaurateur Inez Cook (owner of Salmon ‘N Bannock).

This lemonade is infused with sweetgrass and strawberry, and then topped with a sopalali foam (also known as soapberry foam). After a day of eating plenty of sweets and deep-fried things, this was a very welcome and thirst-quenching way to end off. If you happen to catch Mierau or Cook at the Safeway Cooking Stage, do yourself a favour and stop by to say hi.

Cost: Free
Where: Safeway Cooking Stage inside the Marketplace

PNE Fair 2025

When: Aug. 16 to Sept. 1, 2025 (closed on Aug. 18 and 25)
Time: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Where: 2901 E. Hastings St., Vancouver
Cost: Various prices, purchase online

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