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.

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Taking the field

Dak Prescott-backed Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux kicks off in Wylie

Photo courtesy of Walk-Ons

Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is opening in Wylie on August 10.

A Louisiana sports bar chain that counts Cowboys QB Dak Prescott as a partner continues to build its fan base in Dallas-Fort Worth: Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is set to open a new location in Wylie on Monday, August 10.

Announced earlier this year, the restaurant is at 906 FM 544, near the intersection of Highway 78 and FM 544. The opening marks the chain's 20th Texas location and its second operating restaurant in the DFW area.

Founded in Baton Rouge in 2003 by former LSU basketball "walk-ons" Brandon Landry and Jack Warner, Walk-On's has grown to more than 80 locations nationwide. The company is co-owned by former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (an Austin native), and franchise partners include Prescott, along with former NFL player Derrick Brooks, and college football coach Dabo Swinney.

Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux Wylie The new Walk-On's is at 906 FM 544, Wylie.Photo courtesy of Walk-On's

The menu is centered on seafood and classic Louisiana dishes: fried seafood platters, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, po'boys, fried oysters, gumbo, fried alligator, and boudin balls. Prices range from $10 to $20.

Starters include waffle cheese fries, fried pickles, boneless wings, cheeseburger sliders, spinach-artichoke dip, and venison nachos. They have a bread pudding made with Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

There's also a plentiful selection of beers on tap, plus margaritas and other crafty-ish cocktails.

The Wylie restaurant is owned by franchisee Cooper Thomson, who says the community made the city an appealing place to expand.

"I am thrilled to expand Walk-On's presence in Dallas, and particularly in the community of Wylie," Thomson says in a release. "To be a part of the growth in this area - to serve families and be a place where little league teams celebrate and football fans cheer on their team - is such a special opportunity."

Although Walk-On's has been in the DFW market since pre-pandemic times, Wylie will be its second restaurant in DFW open currently, joining a location at Grandscape in The Colony. Earlier Dallas-area locations in Irving and Arlington have closed, although the company has previously said it plans to reopen the Arlington restaurant at a new location.

The Wylie restaurant features a sports bar with dozens of TVs, a large outdoor patio, and a family-friendly dining room designed for game-day crowds.

Grand opening festivities will kick off at 10:30 am on Monday, August 10, with a ceremony featuring Walk-On's founder Brandon Landry, franchise owner Cooper Thomson, Wylie Mayor Matthew Porter, city officials, and representatives from Wylie High School and Wylie East High School.

The celebration will include donations to the two schools' athletic departments, followed by a ribbon-cutting at 10:45 am. Doors open to the public at 11 am, and the first 100 guests to dine will have a chance to win free Walk-On's for a year.

Walk-On's will be the second sports bar concept with celebrity cred to open in DFW within a few days' time. Shark Club, from Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi, opened Friday, August 7 in Northlake.

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