Global, goofy and gut-busting seems to be mantra for the creative culinary minds behind all of the new foods that you’ll be able to chow down on this year at the Fair at the PNE. But save room for some healthier eats — or at least eats without meats — and plenty of deep-fried goodness for 2019.
Last year, it was all about crickets and charcoal, while this year it’s all about pickles and ramen. And just when you thought french fries couldn’t be anything extra, they’ve gone and made them foot-long.
For 2019, over 10 per cent of the food booths at the Fair are new, and there seems to be an increased emphasis on plant-based options. The now-ubiquitous Beyond Meat burger will be in two spots at the Fair (at the Handmade Stuffed Burger Booth on the Fair main food line or at the Lookout Grill in Playland).
Among the many new vendors showcasing veg-forward eats are Govinda’s Vegan Vegetarian Street Food and North Vancouver’s own Buddha-Ful Vegetarian Food, the latter of which will be parking their cool double-decker bus food truck on the Fair’s main food line.
But Buddha Bowls aside, there’s still heaps of bacon and Butter Beer on tap. Oh, and speaking of taps, this year, the PNE collaborated with local craft brewery Parallel 49 on an easy-drinking Mexican-inspired beer called NeFAIRious Cerveza — look for it at the Fair and at the P49 tasting room in “Yeast Van.”
With nearly-unspeakable things being done to good old cotton candy and corndogs, along with something called a “Tipsy Unicorn,” check out the gallery above to see some of the standouts among the class of 2019’s new foods you can find at this year’s Fair at the PNE.
There's also:
- Pulled Pork Tater Tot Nachos
- Pickle Pizza
- Traditional Mexican Street Corn
- Watermelon Candy Floss
- Funnel Cake Pizza
- Jalapeno Lemonade
- The Snickly Dog
The PNE Fair runs from Aug. 17 to Sept. 2 (closed Aug. 19 and 26). Info about tickets, hours and programming can be found online.
— Lindsay William-Ross, Vancouver Is Awesome
