OC Fair 2025: $5 food options return
Food booths begin to light up against the sky as the sun sets over the OC Fair at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Sunday, July 30, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Orange County Fair runs July 18 through August 17, and it’s bringing back the popular $5 Taste of the Fair program.
Attendees who visit the fair before 4 p.m. each day will have a variety of fun-sized options to choose from at the various vendors on the fairgrounds. Not only does this allow fairgoers to get more bang for their buck, but it also provides the option for mixing and matching.
Options include bacon-wrapped pickles from Chicken Charlies, spicy cheese tots from Wahlburgers, or even a strawberry funnel cake from The Lazy Toucan. Some of the vendors are also rotating their $5 deal every few days including Crazy Nachos which will offer asada nachos from July 18-20, esquite from July 23-27, walking nachos from July 30-August 3, chicken nachos from August 6-10 and horchata agua fresca from August 13-17.
Here’s everything you can get at the OC Fair for $5 until 4 p.m., organized by where to find it on the fairgrounds:
Carnival
- Jalapeno Cheese Corn Dog – Big Dogs
- Cup of Streen Corn (small) – Corn Shack
- Dolphin Breeze Soda (9 oz.) – Cowboy Kettle Corn
- Funnel Cake Bites (mini) – Dutchmen’s Funnel Cake
- Flamin’ Hot Pickle Pizza (small) – Enzo’s Pizzeria
- Fried Twinkie – Fried a Fair
- Frito Chili Cheese Boat (small) – ICEE
- Rolled Taquitos (2 small) – La Mexicana from July 18-20
- Chicken Sope – La Mexicana from July 23-27
- Taco TIjuana – La Mexicana from July 30 – August 3
- Quesadilla (small) – La Mexicana from August 6-17
- Chamoy Pickle – Michelaguas
- Mini Donut Tray – Mini Donuts
- Cheese on a Stick (small) – Mustards Midway Cafe
- Pineapple Whip with Fruity Pebbles (mini) – Pineapple Whip Express
- Sour Apple Lemonade (12 oz.) – Squeezers
- Jolly Ranch Slushy (12 oz.) – Sugar Puff Candy
- Popcorn (small) – Sweet Dreams
- Popcorn (small) – Sweeties
- Strawberry Refresher (9 oz.) – Swirl Ice Cream
- Ice Cream Sandwich (2 mini) – Totally Baked Cookie Joint
Centennial Farm
- Kettle Corn, Popcorn or Sno-Cone (snack size) – Candy Land
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cone (4-5 cookies) – Cathy’s Cookies
- Lemonade (small) – Corny Dogs – Fresh Lemonade
- Ice Cream Cone or Frozen Chocolate Banana – Funnel Cake – Texas Size
- Tiki Bowl (small) – Hawaiian Chicken Bowls
- Giant Western Sausage (½) – Juicys
- Nachos Deluxe (½ order) – NOEL’S Mexican Food
- Chocolate-dipped Licorice (3) – Oasis Fruit Co.
- Turkey Dog (5”) – PINK’S
- Strawberry Dragonfruit or Lemonade Float (8 oz.) – Rowdy’s Root Beer
- Fried Twinkie – StrEat Fair
- Milk Tea (12 oz.) – Sunrise Boba
- Mini Fish Taco – The Hook
- Bayou Smoked Mac-n-Cheese (small) – The Ranch
- Cream Puff Any Flavor – Tom’s Puffs & Pie
- Award-winning Wine (4 oz.) – Wine Courtyard *Limit two per person
Main Mall
- Fried Bacon-wrapped Pickles (2 pieces) – Chicken Charlie’s
- Maui Chicken Slider – Chicken Charlie’s Pineapple Express
- Lemonade (small) – Corn Dogs – Fresh Lemonade
- Asada Nachos – Crazy Nachos from July 18-20
- Esquite (8 oz.) – Crazy Nachos from July 23-27
- Walking Nachos – Crazy Nachos from July 30 – August 3
- Chicken Nachos (small) – Crazy Nachos from August 6-10
- Horchata Agua Fresca (12 oz) – Crazy Nachos from August 13-17
- “Party Cup” Choice of Flavor Dots (3.5 oz) – Dippin’ Dots (Located inside Shopping Costa Mesa Building)Orange Chicken & Fried Rice (9 oz.) – Eddie’s Asian Inspired Cuisine from July 18-20
- Tempura Vegtables (5 pieces) with Steamed Rice – Eddie’s Asian Inspired Cuisine from July 23-27
- Egg Rolls (2) & Fried Rice – Eddie’s Asian Inspired Cuisine from July 30 – August 3
- Fried Rice & Noodles (9 oz.) – Eddie’s Asian Inspired Cuisine from August 6-10
- Orange Chicken & Fried Rice (9 oz.) – Eddie’s Asian Inspired Cuisine from August 13-17
- Pretzel Log either Salted or Cinnamon Sugar – Fair Pretzels
- Banana Dipped in Chocolate (½) – Fresh-Made Ice Cream
- Fresh Lemonade (16 oz.) – Hot Dog on a Stick
- Churro (10”) – Ice Cold Drinks/Churros
- Cinnamon Roll with One Topping – JP’s Old West Cinnamon Rolls (Located inside Shopping Costa Mesa Building)
- Kettle Corn Taste Bag or Cotton Candy – Kettle COrn Junction
- Cold Brü or Matchata with Cold Foam (9 oz.) – MoonGoat Coffee (Located Inside REWIND: A VHS Revival)
- Chicken Nachos (9 oz.) – Pepe’s Mariscos Fresh Mexican Seafood from July 18-20 & August 6-10
- Chicken Quesadilla (10”) – Pepe’s Mariscos Fresh Mexican Seafood from July 23-27
- Fruit Cup (9 oz.) – Pepe’s Mariscos Fresh Mexican Seafood from July 30 – August 3 & August 13-17
- Philly Cheese Steak, BBQ Beef or Roast Beef Slider – Philly Cheese Steak
- Shave Ice (small) – Shave Ice
- Small Hamburger with Dressing & Pickles – Tasti Burgers
- Tater Kegs (2) – Tasti Chips
- Original or Bacon Nutella (½ slice) – Ten Pound Buns
- Big “D” Texas Donut, Frozen Banana or Ice Cream Cone – Texas Donuts – Ice Cream
- Strawberry Funnnel Cake (small) – The LAzy Toucan
- Dill Pickle & Steak Jerky – Timbo’s Jerky (Located inside Shopping Costa Mesa Building)
- Plant-based Meatball Sandwich with Fries – Vegging Out
Fair Square
- Flamin’ Hot Cheetos & CHeese Pickles (small) – Biggy’s
- Hot Dog or Smoothie (8 oz.) – Blended Bliss
- BBQ Pork Sundae (mini) – Chuckwagon BBQ
- Cup of Corn (mini) – Chuckwagon BBQ Corn
- “Party Cup” Choice of Flavor Dots (3.5 oz.) – Dippin’ Dots
- Strawberry Funnel Cake (small) – Funnel Cakes
- Chips, Salsa & Guacamole – La Cantina Walking Taco
- Caramel Peanut Butter Popcorn (16 oz.) – Planet Popcorn from July 18-20
- Caramel Kettle Corn (16 oz.) – Planet Popcorn from July 23-27 & August 13-17
- Unicorn Popcorn (16 oz.) – Planet Popcorn from July 30 – August 3
- Spicy Cheddar Popcorn (16 oz.) – Planet Popcorn from August 6-10
- BBQ Pork Sundae (mini) – Wild Hog BBQ
- Cup of Corn (mini) – Wild Hog Corn
Family Fairway
- Bacon-wrapped Hot Dog (small) – Bacon Nation
- Popcorn (small) – Candy Factory
- Tater Tots with Chili & Cheese (small) – Char Broiled Corn – Giant Baked Potato & Fries / Corn Star
- Fried Avocado (3 pieces) – CHicken Charlie’s
- Maui Chicken Slider – Chicken Charlie’s Pineapple Express
- Soft Serve Cone Any Flavor (mini) – Crutchees’ Cream
- Churros (2) – Dutchmen’s Funnel Cake
- Fresh Frys with Cheese (½ order) – Fresh Frys
- Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza (1 slice) – Cino’s Pizza & Wings
- Banana Dipped in Chocolate (½) – Ice Cream
- Frito Chili Cheese Boat (small) – ICEE
- Tater Twister (small) – Spud Ranch
- Sour Apple Lemonade (12 oz.) – Squeezers
- Jolly Rancher Slushy (12 oz.) – Sugar Puff Candy
- Dole Soft Serve (mini) – Sweet Swirls
- Tater Kegs (2) – Tasti Chips Express
- BBQ Pork Sundae (mini) – Texas Style BBQ
Livestock
- Pulled Pork Slider with Fries or BBQ Fries with a Chicken Strip – Backyard BBQ Village/Big Chicken
- Chicken Nuggets or Aguas Freskas (small) – Backyard BBQ Village/Philly
- Chicken & Steak Street Tacos (1 each) – Baja Bar & Grill
- Lemonade (small) – Corn Dogs – Fresh Lemonade
- Cinnamon Roll with Frosting (½) – Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls
- Churro (10”) – Iced Cold Drinks/Churros/Soft Frozen Lemonade
- Chocolate Soft Serve Cone (small) – Ice Cream
- Kettle Corn Taste Bag, Cotton Candy or Shaved Ice – Kettle Corn Junction
- Mexican Funnel Cake with Whipped Cream (small) – Mexican Funnel Cake
- Chocolate Chip Cookies (4) – Mom’s Bakeshoppe
- Strawberry Dragonfruit Juice Float (small) – Tasti Whip
- Spicy Cheese Tots (small) – Wahlburgers
Plaza Pacifica
- Garlic Chicken Kabob (small) – Garlicky’s
- Churro (10”) – Ice Cold Drinks/Churros/Soft Frozen Lemonade
- Chicken Taquitos (2) – Papi’s Puffy Tacos
