Toronto 
The CNE is back, and if you like trying foods that sound a little wild, this year’s menu gives you plenty to talk about.
Blue Heat Taki Tenders/Credit: CNE
The 147th Canadian National Exhibition runs from August 21 to September 7, 2026, with more than 30 new creations spread across the grounds. You can expect everything from deep-fried lobster and butter chicken taquitos to a KD smoothie, pickle coffee and Sichuan pepper soft serve.
There is also a new CNE Sweet Heat Hot Sauce, described as “sweet-forward with a kick of spice,” which turns up in several dishes. Consider this your tasting map for 2026.
2026 CNE New Food Highlights:
Sweet & Spicy:
Korean Fried Chicken Ramen Taco/Credit: CNE
- The Szechuan Sizzle Spice Cream: Vanilla soft serve gets an unusual kick from authentic Sichuan peppercorns, savoury chilli oil and crunchy chilli garnish, giving you sweetness, heat and that familiar tongue-numbing sensation. [Caf-eh TO, Food Building]
- Korean Fried Chicken Ramen Taco: A piece of fried chicken is coated in CNE Sweet Heat sauce, then paired with cotton candy aioli and kimchi inside a taco shell made from Buldak instant noodles. [Los Vietnamita Taqueria, Food Truck Frenzy]
- Sweet Heat Cloud Fries: These fries skip heavy cheese sauce for a light cheese foam made with the CNE’s Sweet Heat Hot Sauce, then add bacon and a maple drizzle. [Bacon Nation, Food Building]
- Mango Habanero Donut: This mochi donut brings together mango and heat with a glaze marbled with CNE Sweet Heat Hot Sauce, plus candied mango pieces and white chocolate. [Marry Me Mochi, Food Building]
- Pina-Colada Inferno Donut: If tropical flavours are more your speed, this mochi donut combines pineapple and chilli for a sweet, fruity option with a little extra heat. [Marry Me Mochi, Food Building]
- Nacho Aaair Donut: Here, a mochi donut goes savoury with nacho cheese, bacon, tortilla chips, green onions and black pepper, served with sour cream or Sweet Heat sauce. [Marry Me Mochi, Food Building]
Fun Foods:
Popcorn Falafel Poutine/Credit: CNE
- KD Smoothie: Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. KD Shaker Original Cheese flavour is blended with mango, pineapple juice, vanilla frozen yogurt and skim milk. [Booster Juice, Food Building]
- Sushi Pops: You can eat sushi from push-pop packaging, with rice layered alongside fresh ingredients. Choices include salmon, tuna, shrimp tempura and California roll varieties. [HK Station, Outdoor Concession]
- Space Rocks: This cold snack uses nitrogen-infused Oreo pieces, freeze-dried Nerd Clusters and ice cream sandwich bites. You can also grab slush drinks served with nitrogen fog. [Yeti Puff Nitro Snacks, Heritage Court, Enercare Centre]
- Edible Dirty Soda Spheres: Dirty Soda becomes bite-sized here, with edible Citrus Ice Blue Raspberry spheres over strawberry cold foam. There is also a cotton candy soda topped with Sweet Heat cold foam. [Dirty Sodas, Outdoor Concession]
- Blue Heat Taki Tenders: House-made chicken tenders are brushed with hot honey and covered in crushed Takis Blue Heat for a crunchy, tangy and spicy finish, with your choice of dip. [Lucky Chicken, Food Building]
- Pickle Cheesecake Pop: A New York-style cheesecake on a stick is dipped in chocolate and rolled in dill pickle potato chip crumbs, mixing rich sweetness with salty pickle crunch. [Mr. Pickle, Outdoor Concession]
- Popcorn Falafel Poutine: This gluten-free poutine tops fries with crispy mini falafels, vegetarian gravy, pickled turnips, sweet dates, pickles and tahini sauce for a meat-free take on the classic. [Donia’s Donair, Outdoor Concession]
- Jamaican Beef Patty Mini Pierogies: Mini pierogies are stuffed with ground beef, spices and Scotch bonnet peppers, borrowing the flavours of a Jamaican beef patty and serving them with sour cream. [Supreme Pierogi, Food Building]
Deep-Fried Foods:
S’more Deep Fried Slice/Credit: CNE
- Lobster on a Stick: Canadian lobster tail gets a tempura coating before being fried and finished with Old Bay seasoning, house-made creamy dill sauce and a lemon wedge. [Lobster on a Stick, Food Building]
- Footlong Butter Chicken Taquito: This footlong taquito wraps tender butter chicken, basmati rice, butter chicken sauce, cheese and fresh vegetable toppings inside a crisp shell, with butter chicken aioli alongside. [Rick’s Good Eats, Food Truck Frenzy]
- Fried S’MOREO: Oreos and marshmallows are stacked together, rolled in chocolate sauce and graham cracker crumbs, then battered and deep fried for a mash-up of two familiar sweets. [Legend Dairy, Food Building]
- S’more Deep Fried Slice: A Pizza Pizza cheese slice is battered and deep fried, then coated in graham cracker crumbs and topped with marshmallow whip and chocolate drizzle. [Pizza Pizza, Food Building]
- Brie Cheese Deep Fried Oreos: Brie wedges are tucked between Oreo cookies, deep fried and finished with rosemary, putting creamy cheese, chocolate cookies and a savoury herb into one bite. [Sam’s Grill, Outdoor Concessions]
- Dill Pickle Pegrolls: Think pierogi meets spring roll. These new Pegrolls are fried until golden and served with either plain sour cream or a house-made spicy sour cream. [Pegrolls, Outdoor Concession and Enercare Centre]
- Ramen Fried Frog Legs: Frog legs are coated with ramen, deep fried and paired with sweet Thai chilli sauce, giving you another crunchy entry in the CNE’s deep-fried lineup. [Farm to Fryer, Food Building]
Meat Galore:
The Carnival Cone/Credit: CNE
- Smash Burger Dumplings: Steamed dumplings are filled with seared hamburger meat, cheese, dill pickles and griddled onions, then finished with homemade burger sauce and sesame seeds. [Smash City, Food Building]
- The Carnival Cone: A warm waffle cone is filled with candied yams, topped with Beach Hill’s signature Mac N’ Meat Ball and finished with its award-winning Mac N’ Cheese Sauce. [Beach Hill Smokehouse, Bandshell Park]
- Beef Butter Tart: Aninna’s Bakeshop’s award-winning butter tarts take a savoury turn with 12-hour braised beef, smoked gouda, beef demi and chipotle mustard piled on top. [Temptations Food Truck, Food Truck Frenzy]
- Nacho Ribs: Slow-cooked barbecue ribs are topped with Tex-Mex cheese, crushed nacho chips, tomatoes, onions, jalapeños and bacon bits, turning a rack of ribs into something closer to loaded nachos. [Bacon Nation, Food Building]
- Root Beer Candy Bacon: Thick-cut bacon is coated in root beer barbecue sauce and baked until caramelized, giving you a sweet and smoky snack built around a familiar fair favourite. [Bacon Nation, Food Building]
- Steak Barrel Pork Belly: Crackling pork belly bites are barrel-roasted and served with cassava fries, keeping this one fairly straightforward compared with some of the fair’s more unusual combinations. [Steak Barrels, Bandshell Park]
Drinks:
- Sweetcorn Wasabi Lemonade: Sweet summer corn meets the kick of wasabi in this lemonade, creating a drink the release describes as buttery, spicy and refreshing. [Alijandro’s Kitchen, Food Truck Frenzy]
- Pig Me Up: This iced espresso combines Belgian white chocolate, double espresso and smoky bacon flavour, then tops the drink with creamy cold foam for a sweet and savoury coffee. [Greekery Bakeshop, Outdoor Concession]
- The Big Dill: If bacon coffee is not unusual enough, this iced Greek coffee is whipped into a smooth foam and flavoured with dill pickle for a briny twist. [Greekery Bakeshop, Outdoor Concession]
