We all know Mayfest to be one of the craziest, most delicious days at CUSE, and to prepare you for next year I compiled a definitive ranking of all the food at Mayfest this year. I put in the work so you don’t have to (you’re welcome) and tried all of the food my stomach could take in an effort to steer you towards all the right places and flavors. I am sorry I didn’t waste my time or the room in my tummy on veggie burgers but tbh you vegetarians don’t need much guidance on what to eat cause your options are already limited.
1. Chicken Tornados:
The Chicken Tornados were absolute fire. These chicken taquito type, masterpieces come in at the top of my list. They were cheesy, gooey, and hit you with a little bit of spice. While these chicken and cheese filled tortillas were near perfect, my only critique is that the bags they were handed out in made them a tad soggy and we would’ve killed for a bit more crispiness.
2. Corn Dog:
Corndogs are a close second. Though maybe a little bias due to my lifelong relationship with the treat-I’m talking missing fairly important life moments by waiting on line just for a chance to scarf down a hotdog perfectly snuggled in cornbread- they didn’t deserve a number one spot this time around but were definitely not disappointing. While the cornbread was sweet and the hotdog was crisp and meaty, quite FRANKly (haha) it came down to the ratio of the elements being off. The layer of cornbread was just a bit too thick and dried out your mouth. Don’t worry though, it was easily fixable with a squirt of ketchup.
3. Fries:
Fries are always a fan favorite, and the ones at Mayfest did not disappoint. These were a perfect side to the rest of my greasy, delicious meal, but I had to rank them at number 3 because of my heavily carnivorous tendencies. To me, a meal is not complete without some source of protein, but these crispy, salty fries gave me a run for my money. Overall, they just made me really happy and adding ketchup to them perfectly balanced out the saltiness to round out all the flavors of the seasoning. And here’s a bonus for all you celiacs, they’re gluten-free!
4. Cheesesteak:
Spoiler, I’m not from Philly, and maybe if I was these would’ve been ranked lower, but to me, the cheesesteaks were pretty damn good and worthy of a number 4 spot. I thought the flavors of the sandwich were very nice and overall it was super juicy and moist, just how I like my cheesesteaks. The peppers and onions definitely elevated everything I was tasting. The only downside is that I didn’t really think they were practical cause of how messy they are, and I do not recommend dancing with a cheesesteak in your hand-you’ll just end up with ~meat juice~ (ew) all over you and your friends.
5. Cheeseburger:
I’m saying this right now, I will almost never pass on a cheeseburger no matter what situation I am in, but these cheeseburgers, I could pass on them. 🤷🏻♀️Still not horrible by any means, but definitely not one of the things you should run to try next year. These burgers were dry and lacked some seasoning, ketchup brought them back to life, but they still didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
6. Chicken Kabob
Overall, the chicken kabobs were definitely the most disappointing things I ate during Mayfest. While I appreciated the effort to bring in some Hallal flavors, these were just not done super well. I found the skewers were intensely lacking taste, and I don’t even think ketchup could’ve solved this one. In addition to that, the tenderness was pretty inconsistent because I had some bites that were moist and juicy and others that were really dry. I wouldn’t waste my time on these kabobs next year.
There you have it folks, a definitive ranking of all the food at Mayfest this year. I have to say that I really did enjoy having so many different snack options throughout the festival. It was nice to be able to take a break from dancing, ball-pitting, and merry-go-rounding and chill out while chowing down.