The Johnston Brief
The fair has 200-plus food stands, but sometimes you want a real table, a good breakfast before the gates open, or somewhere to land after a long day. Here is where to eat on the fairgrounds and the real Des Moines spots closest to them, from a Johnston crew that makes the drive every August.
On the grounds, hit the classics: a corn dog, a pork chop on a stick, the hot beef sundae, a bucket of Barksdale's cookies. Off the grounds, the closest real sit-down spots are on E Grand Ave, the fairgrounds' own street: Tasty Tacos (1400 E Grand) and Zombie Burger (300 E Grand). For a proper Des Moines meal, Chuck's in Highland Park and Fong's Pizza in the East Village are worth the short drive.
Most of a fair day is eaten standing up, and that is the point. The must-haves: a corn dog, a pork chop on a stick from the Iowa Pork Producers, a giant turkey leg, a funnel cake, the hot beef sundae, and a bucket of warm cookies at Barksdale's. There are also 80-plus new foods this year. Our complete fair guide breaks down the new-food finalists and exactly where to find them.
When you want a table and air conditioning, the closest real restaurants sit on E Grand Avenue, the same street as the gates, a few minutes west.
Tasty Tacos is an Iowa institution: the fried-flour-tortilla taco was born in Des Moines, and there is even a stand at the fair, but the sit-down spot at 1400 E Grand is about a mile west of the gates. Zombie Burger, a few minutes further into the East Village, is the move for a big messy burger and a boozy shake after a long fair day.
Chuck's is a genuine Des Moines landmark, a Highland Park Italian joint that has fed the city for generations and recently reopened after a historic renovation. Fong's, in the East Village, is where you get the crab rangoon pizza half the metro is loyal to. Both are a short drive from the fairgrounds and a nicer way to cap fair night than one more corn dog.
The closest options are up in Johnston, where our Johnston breakfast guide has the local favorites (several close to I-35/80), and near the gates in the East Village and on the east side, which have plenty of morning spots a few minutes from the fairgrounds. Gates open at 8 a.m., so a real breakfast first is a smart move, though hours can shift during fair week, so confirm before you go.
Plenty of fairgoers stay up in Johnston (about 20 minutes northwest, and usually cheaper: see where to stay for the fair) and eat here to skip the fairgrounds crowds. Our guides to the best restaurants in Johnston, pizza, and Mexican food cover the options, or use the what-to-eat tool if you cannot decide.
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Both on and off the grounds. On the fairgrounds there are more than 200 food stands. Off the grounds, the closest sit-down restaurants are on E Grand Avenue, the fairgrounds' street: Tasty Tacos at 1400 E Grand and Zombie Burger at 300 E Grand. Des Moines classics like Chuck's in Highland Park and Fong's Pizza in the East Village are a short drive away.
The nearest sit-down restaurants are along E Grand Avenue, the same street as the gates: Tasty Tacos at 1400 E Grand Ave and Zombie Burger + Drink Lab at 300 E Grand Ave in the East Village, both a few minutes west of the fairgrounds.
On the grounds, the classics are a corn dog, a pork chop on a stick, a turkey leg, the hot beef sundae, and a bucket of Barksdale's cookies, plus more than 80 new foods each year. See our complete Iowa State Fair guide for the new-food finalists.
Gates open at 8 a.m. If you are staying in Johnston, eat there first (see our Johnston breakfast guide); it is about 20 minutes northwest via I-235 and I-35/80. Closer to the gates, the East Village and east side have breakfast spots a few minutes away, though hours can change during fair week.
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