Charlie trying one of the new hotdogs. Right: Mini Donut Boba Lemonade.
This Opinion article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Calgary Stampede is almost here once again and for a lot of people, that means heading to the midway to check out all the brand-new food on offer.
The updates to menus across the midway this year were huge with a whopping 57 new things available to try and I got the chance to go and preview a couple of the new things.
There were a couple of things I sadly wasn't able to try (boo to shellfish allergies) but luckily, there were tons of other options to check out so I didn't feel too left out.
I've ranked some of the new menu items heading to Calgary Stampede for 2023 and if you want to get your hands on them, you can find all the new foods on the midway between July 7 and 16, 2023.
La Catira Picosa (Spicy Blonde) Arepa: 9/10
La Catira Picosa.
Charlie Hart | Narcity
Where: Arepas Ranch
This was absolutely my favourite thing I got to try and it was actually pretty surprising. It's definitely less outrageous than some of the other menu offerings (it's no peanut butter pickle dog), but damn was it delicious. The arepa was filled with really flavourful shredded chicken, cheese and avocado and it came with a home made habanero sauce that I'll be dreaming about for a bit.
I'll definitely be taking a break from a diet of mostly corndogs to try this again when Stampede starts.
Sweet Chili Heat "Diablo Dog": 8/10
Sweet Chili Heat "Diablo Dog."
Charlie Hart | Narcity
Where: Burgers & Wurst
It's kind of standard fare at Stampede to have hot dogs or fried chicken covered in Cheetos or some other bizarre chip combination. However, this one really took me by surprise with how good it was. The owner explained that they use actually sweet chilli Doritos in the mix for the sausage and you can really tell.
I would 100% grab another one of these any day.
Elkeroni Pizza: 7/10
Elkeroni Pizza.
Charlie Hart | Narcity
Where: Avatara Pizza
I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to meat products so if I'd seen an Elkeroni Pizza out in the wild, I can't say it would have been my first choice. However, I did get to try a slice and I wasn't disappointed.
It was just a very tasty pepperoni pizza. I wouldn't necessarily have known the pepperoni was made using elk which surprised me. I liked the handful of arugula that made me relieved to be eating something that resembled a vegetable. I'm not sure if I'd get it again just because it didn't completely blow my mind but if you're just craving pizza, it's worth a try.
Mini Donut Boba Lemonade: 5/10
Mini Donut Boba Lemonade.
Charlie Hart | Narcity
Where: Family Squeezed Lemonade
It's not Stampede without lemonade and I'm ashamed to admit just how much I tend to drink over the 10 days so I was excited to try this new flavour.
The headline here is it's SO SWEET! Sugar lovers are going to want to get their hands on it. The recipe uses a "mini donut milk" combined with lemonade which makes it kind of tart but also creamy and it's a very weird sensation, especially when you add the popping boba into the mix.
While I definitely enjoyed trying it for the novelty and the photo ops, I'm not sure I could drink a whole one by myself.
Habanero Cherry Ice Cream Taco: 4/10
Habanero Cherry Ice Cream Taco.
Charlie Hart | Narcity
Where: V Burger
While I'm not that into sweet food, ice cream is one exception to the rule so I was super excited to give this taco a try. It's plant-based and gluten-free which is definitely a rarity for Stampede.
All in all, I really liked the ice cream, the taco shell and chocolate. However, the cherry filling and candy pieces on top were way too sweet for me and overtook all the other flavours. I also didn't get a huge amount of habanero spice which is probably great news if you were put off by the heat.
Spider Bao
Spider Bao.
Charlie Hart | Narcity
Where: Dumpling Hero
The first of thing I couldn't actually try was the Spider Bao. No, it's not actually a deep-fried spider (shudders). It's actually a whole soft-shell crab served up in a bao bun. It was enormous and looked super tasty.
Super Seafood Michelada
Super Seafood Michelada.
Charlie Hart | Narcity
Where: Happy Fish
If you're a Caesar lover, you're probably going to want to check this out. The take on a classic Mexican Michelada is any seafood lover's dream with shrimp, octopus and squid along with tons of fruit, cucumber, orange soda and Clamato. The cups are absolutely huge and it looks like a meal in itself.