Hard to Swallow

List of best state fairs for foodies dishes shocking ranking for Texas

State Fair Big Tex finalist brisket and brew pretzels

The Brisket & Brew Stuffed Pretzels were a finalist in this year's Big Tex Choice Awards.

Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas

For many people, the State Fair of Texas is about one thing: food. Be it a classic Fletcher's Corny Dog or one of the outrageous inventions from the Big Tex Choice Awards, the No. 2 thing on each attendee's mind is what delicious morsels they're going to consume while at Fair Park (No. 1 is a selfie with Big Tex).

So it comes as a bit of a surprise that a new ranking from — and take this with a grain of margarita salt — "travel experts" has put our State Fair at No. 7 on its list of Top State Fairs for Foodies in the U.S.

These so-called experts are the team at SIXT, a car rental and transportation company headquartered in Germany. They took Blue Ribbon Group’s 2025 list of the best state fairs in America — where the State Fair of Texas is ranked fourth overall, by the way — and scored each fair based on food vendor variety, overall size, affordability, and length of festivities. In these rankings, more food vendors, larger size, longer run time, and lower cost all contributed to a higher score.

It should be noted that, of the top 25, our State Fair runs the longest (24 days) and receives the highest number of TikTok views (a whopping 7.4 million).

The list's top fair, the Tulsa State Fair, only runs 11 days and pulls in 110,000 TikTok views. However, it does boast 440 food vendors to our 166, and its entry cost is $2 higher than ours. Both fairs pull in an average of 100,000 people a day.

Also ranking above Texas are state fairs in New Mexico, Minnesota, Iowa, Washington state, and Wisconsin. Rounding out the top 10 are Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

It's not clear if any of these fairs display the depth and breadth of food options that our State Fair does, nor if they have ever tried to deep-fry butter, but as we previously pointed out:

This year, the State Fair of Texas has an additional 35 new beverages and bites to try. The fair itself runs from September 26-October 19, which spans 24 days. If you're a conscientious foodie, that means going to the fair every day and trying 1.3 snacks every time you go — and that's not even factoring in the Big Tex winners.

That certainly sounds like a foodie's dream to us.

state fair fair food big tex winners big tex choice awards rankings state fair of texas

Closing News

Longtime Dallas restaurant Sevy's Grill to close after nearly 30 years

Photo courtesy of Sevy's Grill

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A longtime Dallas restaurant is closing in 2026: Sevy's Grill, which has been open at 8201 Preston Rd. near Preston Center for nearly 30 years, will close on June 27, 2026.

According to a release from the owners, they're closing due to what appears to be an increase in rent.

"After months of negotiations, we were not able to come to a mutually beneficial agreement for our fourth 10-year lease," the post said.

The restaurant is located in Preston Sherry Plaza, which was acquired in September 2025 by Austin-based Endeavor Real Estate. Somebody gotta foot the bill.

Sevy's says they are looking at other locations.

"Our focus now is to finish these next 6+ months taking care of our guests and staff at the same caring level we built our brand on: Warm, professional service, consistently good food and a comfortable ambiance where the guest is always first," the post says. "First on our list of priorities is taking care of our guests in December and all the wonderful celebrations of family, friends and business groups. We do still have some availability for reservations, including our last New Years Eve at Preston Sherry. Come celebrate with us as the exciting anticipation of a new year for all of us."

"Our second priority will be the search for a new location to continue doing what we love," they said. "We are already reviewing possible sites and will keep everyone updated regularly."

Owned by chef Jim "Sevy" Severson and his wife Amy Severson, the restaurant has long been a neighborhood favorite with a lively bar scene, and was nominated in CultureMap's 2018 Tastemaker Awards for Best Neighborhood Restaurant. They were a frequent choice for winemaker events and are also known for the longevity of their staff.

"Eight team members have been with us all 29+ years, with an average tenure in the kitchen of 15+ years and a Management team that you all know," their post said. "Come support our staff as we celebrate the next 6+ months.Thank you again for your support through all the normal challenges of running a restaurant as well as economic downturns, market bubbles, Y2K, and of course the COVID era. As I tell my family and friends to “enjoy the ride in life”, wow, what an amazing ride it has been for us! And as always, Sevy’s Grill is here for you."