Calgary Stampede Midway food tasting finds ramen donuts soggy but fried pizza genuinely good
Reviewers sampled new Stampede foods ranging from BBQ rib cookies to fried frozen watermelon, with mixed results on the pricier experimental dishes.
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The Calgary Stampede Midway is rolling out new foods this year, some inspired and some bewildering. Here's what we actually tasted.
The BBQ Rib Cookie from Craig's Cookies ($6, 7/10) came as a skeptical surprise. A soft, crumbly cookie stuffed with BBQ rib meat sounds wrong on paper, but the sweet-savoury balance reminded us of meat and cornbread. It was messier to eat than expected, but the flavour worked.
The Ramen Donut from Wok This Way ($18, 5/10) stuffs instant ramen noodles and cheese inside a fried donut shell. The outside was crispy, but the noodles turned soggy inside, and at $18 per donut, it lacks the umami punch you'd expect from ramen. Not worth the premium price.
Worse was the Coke Caesar from Covet Sweets + Sips ($25 with refillable boot, 2/10). Clamato juice and Coca-Cola sounded adventurous; in practice, the Clamato completely overpowered the Coke. You're paying $25 mostly for the cute souvenir cup.
Mr. Pickle's Fried Frozen Watermelon ($12, 7/10) actually worked. The mini donut batter coating, cinnamon sugar, and strawberry sauce drizzle made it surprisingly refreshing for a hot day — a repeat visit contender.
Pizza 73's Cheesy Saddle Slice ($15, 8/10) is deep-fried pizza coated in Hot Cheetos, available in classic, pickle, and pepperoni flavours. It tastes like an oversized mozzarella stick with pizza crust. It's enormous and kept us full for hours. Best value of the bunch.
The Stampede runs through July 13. If you've got appetite left, these are your best bets—skip the $18 ramen donut.
