I’ve gone to The Big E 12 years in a row. These 7 foods blew me away this year

This marks 12 straight years that I’ve made the valiant charge across the Connecticut River to brave the high-calorie gauntlet of The Big E.

Each year, I think, “I feel like I’ve eaten everything. Will there even be anything new to talk about?” Each year, I’m proven wrong quickly and emphatically.

The 2025 Big E features some innovative and delicious additions to what is already a wild food lineup at the fair.

Between the sneak peek preview in August and my first visit of 2025, here are the seven items that blew me away:

1) A new innovation in corn

(Maple Bacon Corn Ribs | From Dr. Pickle | On Springfield Road)

I had no idea this was a thing. No, this was a case of me walking around the fairgrounds when, all of a sudden, the phrase “corn ribs” caught my eye.

I immediately needed to know more. It’s a good thing I did. These things are awesome.

It turns out that “corn ribs” are what you get when you take a roasted ear of corn and cut it into quarters to make four spears (similar in shape to long pickles).

The four ribs are then fried and covered with bacon bits and covered in maple syrup. Since you can’t eat the center of corn, you have to eat it like you would a beef rib.

Plus, once you’re done, you get this crazy pile of fried bits, bacon and maple syrup on the bottom. This is also good eating.

Corn ribs are a genius idea. I can’t wait for everyone to steal it.

2) Wake up, a new food-on-a-stick just dropped

(Pierogi-Kielbasa Skewer | From Janik’s Pierogi Cafe | In the Massachusetts Building)

I don’t know if I’ve ever had a dumpling-based food on a skewer. All I know is I want it to be more of a thing.

Savory kielbasa with creamy cheese pierogi? Sign me up – and cap it off with a great pickle.

3) A “sloppy Joe” that’s secretly an awesome burger

(The Wagyu Sloppy Joe | From All-American Craft Beer Bar & Grill | On Springfield Road)

I came in expecting a sloppy Joe sandwich. Instead, I got an awesome double cheeseburger with meat sauce on a pretzel bun.

It’s a simple, delicious burger that’s an avalanche of ground beef flavor with a clutch splash of cheese that makes the whole thing pop.

Does the Wagyu make a difference? I have no clue. Heck, I don’t even know if it was used in the burger, the sloppy Joe topping or both. It just tasted like beef.

4) A Christmas bar in September

(Christmas-themed cocktails served in an ornament | From The Spirited Christmas Bar | In the Young Building)

What used to be a speakeasy has now been turned into a Christmas-themed bar in the Young Building. The highlight for me was the fact that the drinks come in a Christmas ornament that has a straw coming out. It’s just a fun drink to get.

Personally, I recommend getting the “White Christmas Martini.”

5) Something off the beer garden’s “secret menu”

(Dubai Chocolate Imperial Stout/Local Blueberry Honey Ale | From Valley Malt Beer Garden | Behind the Massachusetts Building)

I went to the Valley Malt Beer Garden excited to try their new Dubai Chocolate Imperial Stout. I really like it. The beer is super heavy, boozy and lush with sweetness.

But then I got word that the staff likes to mix it with the Local Blueberry Honey Ale. So I had to try that particular fusion, which they joked was on the “secret menu.”

I can see why it is. The heaviness and booziness of the stout builds a huge flavor foundation while the tart, bright flavors of the blueberry ale lighten it all out.

I don’t know if I could have had a whole pint of the Dubai Chocolate Imperial Stout. But I’d definitely get another pint of this.

6) Ice cream “chicken nuggets”

(MooNugs | From Moolicious | On Springfield Road and West Road)

In terms of pure concept, this is one of my favorite things that has ever come to The Big E.

These start with little blocks of maple ice cream that have bits of bacon mixed in. Those then get covered in white chocolate and then crusted with frosted corn flakes. You get a choice of dipping sauce with them.

They’re imaginative, fun, shareable, memorable and (most of all) delicious.

7) A new nacho innovation

(Lobster Nachos | From New England Craft Beer Pub | On the Avenue of States)

Not everything needs lobster added to it. But sometimes, it really makes something awesome.

That’s the case at the New England Craft Beer Pub, which has put out the hottest nacho technology on the market.

The “nachos” are actually thick, homemade kettle chips. Those then get doused in a delicious cheese sauce. That alone would be enough.

Then they get hit with a lobster Newburg drizzle. Cheese and lobster don’t always mix. But in this case, it creates something amazing.