Updated: July 8, 2026
In Ohio, the craving for a funnel cake or a lemon shake-up doesn’t keep a schedule, and you shouldn’t have to wait for the fair to satisfy it.
Fair food is basically a summer religion around here. The good news: you don’t have to wait for the Ohio State Fair (this year it runs July 29 through August 9) or one of the county fairs ringing Columbus to get your fix. Plenty of spots around town are slinging deep-fried, powdered-sugar-dusted, spun-sugar fair classics all year long.
Here’s where to find the best fair-inspired grub around the city, no wristband required.
French fries
Where to get it: Street Thyme
What we love about it: Street Thyme cuts their fries by hand with the skin still on and fries them up craggy and golden, the way the good stands at the fair do. Chase the truck down at Seventh Son Brewing or one of their regular Downtown stops and grab an order while the burgers cook.
Dining options: Street Thyme is a food truck, so check streetthyme.com or their Facebook page for this week’s stops and hours.
Funnel Cake
Where to get it: Fun’l Frenzy Food Truck, find the food truck here.
What we love about it: Fun’l Frenzy Food Truck is the real deal. You can find the food truck at various events and locations throughout the summer. Enjoy that powdered sugar covered dough, my friends.
Dining options: You can find the food trucks location here.
Elephant Ears
Where to get it: Elephant Toes
What we love about it: Elephant Toes has been working Ohio midways since 1968, so their fried dough is the real, old-school article: a plate-sized elephant ear buried under cinnamon sugar (ask about the cream cheese version). They hand-dip corn dogs too, if you feel like doubling up.
Dining options: This is a roaming fair-and-festival stand, so follow their Facebook page or track them on StreetFoodFinder to catch them around town.
Deep-fried Oreos
Where to get it: Your own kitchen or Fun’l Frenzy
What we love about it: The Ohio State Fair posted its own four-ingredient recipe, and a deep-fried Oreo is about the most forgiving thing you can drop in hot oil, so it’s a fun one to try at home: grab the recipe here. Not in a frying mood? Fun’l Frenzy, our funnel cake pick above, fries Oreos too, made to order off the truck.
Corn Dogs
Where to get it: Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace
What we love about it: Dirty Frank’s is a fantastic place to stop in and do something about your fair food craving. Order yourself some corn dogs with a side of funnel fries and just enjoy the yummy ride.
Dining options: Dirty Frank’s does dine-in, carryout, and delivery, and there are locations Downtown, in Worthington, and near OSU’s campus.
Cotton Candy
Where to get it: Cotton Sugar Co.
What we love about it: Cotton Sugar Co. is Columbus’s own artisan cotton candy cart, spinning fresh batches in more than 50 flavors, a long way from the plain pink-and-blue you elbow through a crowd for at the fair. Each puff is made to order, so start narrowing down your flavor now.
Dining options: Catch the Cotton Sugar Co. cart at pop-up markets and events around town, or book it for your own party through cottonsugarco.com.
Kettle Corn
Where to get it: Weathervane Kettle Corn
What we love about it: That warm sweet-and-salty smell is half the reason you wander the fairgrounds in the first place. Weathervane pops theirs fresh from Ohio-grown corn and hauls the kettle out to festivals, concerts, and farmers markets all over central Ohio through the whole season.
Dining options: Check the events calendar at weathervanekettlecorn.com to find their next central Ohio stop.
Lemon Shake-Ups
Where to get it: Simple Times Mixers
What we love about it: If you want an exact knock-off of the lemon shake-ups from the fair we all know and love, you can definitely make your own. But if you’re doing that, you should consider putting an adult twist on your shake-up. Simple Times mixers offer a variety of flavored lemonades that you can add a splash of vodka in to make your whole non-fair experience a little more enjoyable.
Dining options: Order the mixer online and have your adult lemon shake-up at home!
