CNE 2026 New Food Guide: From KD Smoothies to Popcorn Falafel Poutine

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.

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:

• 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:

• 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:

• 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:

• 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]