We’re heading into the last weekend of the Calgary Stampede. It’s certainly been a wild ride, and that’s just the food!
The Calgary Stampede Midway is always jam-packed with weird and wacky eats, and at Dished, we feel it’s our duty to try as many as possible. We really got into the Stampede spirit and got our hands on plenty of treats.
Throughout the Stampede, we’ve experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly, but if you’re heading for one final tour of the Midway this weekend, here is our ranking of the food we’ve tried.
Hot Honey Ranch Pizza Dog
Winning Top Dog in Calgary Stampede’s own Midway food awards this year, we definitely had high hopes for this hot dog from Super Footlong Hotdogs, and it really didn’t disappoint.
First of all, it really is huge, which makes it perfect to share with friends (or just keep to yourself). The soft bun is loaded with pizza sauce, a hot dog, cheese and pepperoni before being topped with hot honey and ranch.
It was sweet, savoury, and spicy, which made it a hit. It was by far one of the best eats we tried on the Midway this year.
Price: $16
Score: 9/10
Watermelon Burger
Of the whole list of new Midway foods, one of the weirdest was certainly the Watermelon Burger, so naturally, we had to give it a try. The burger patty is sandwiched between two slices of watermelon, with feta, spinach, and balsamic glaze drizzled on top.
Let’s just start with how messy it is! You’ll need to come armed with plenty of napkins or deal with the consequences. However, despite the tricky process of eating it, this actually tasted pretty good. It was fresh and sweet from the watermelon, and the feta and balsamic glaze really amped it up.
Price: $18
Score: 7/10
Another stomach-churning choice on the Midway was the Cheeseburger Soft Serve ice cream. The ice cream is vanilla-infused, BBQ-flavoured, served in a waffle cone, dipped in cheese sprinkled with sesame seeds, and garnished with a pickle and an onion ring.
Honestly, this one was just not enjoyable in the slightest. The BBQ, almost meaty taste of the ice cream was overwhelming. While we didn’t exactly go in with high hopes, it just wasn’t worth the money at all.
Price: $13
Score: 1/10
Hot Dog Corn Dog
Charlie Hart/Dished
If there’s one thing you can count on at the Midway, it’s a new variation on a corn dog, and one of this year’s latest creations is the Hot Dog Corn Dog. The corndogs are split down the middle, similar to a hot dog and topped with either cheese and bacon or chilli and cheese.
We tried the chilli cheese version, and it was delicious. The chilli was flavourful, the cheese had that perfect nacho cheese texture, and despite all the toppings, it was still easy to eat and walk around with.
Price: $12
Score: 9/10
Takis Mini Donuts
Mini donuts are another Stampede classic and we opted to try the Takis Mini Donuts. The classic mini donuts are topped with a sweet sauce and crushed Takis.
These weren’t bad by any means, but they weren’t a favourite. The Takis flavour is pretty overwhelming, making it pretty spicy and sour. If you do love Takis, you might be really into them. For us, we’d probably just stick to the standard mini donuts instead.
Price: $12
Score: 6/10
Long John Donut Grilled Cheese
There are so many different types of sweet and savoury treats, but why not try one that combines both? We were intrigued by this grilled cheese with pulled pork stuffed inside a chocolate-topped Long John donut.
It was actually surprisingly tasty. The pulled pork, melted cheese and sweet donut paired really well. The chocolate was the only element that didn’t mesh quite as well as the rest. However, it was still very enjoyable.
Price: $18
Score: 8/10
What foods have you tried at the Calgary Stampede Midway? Let us know in the comments.