Plant City becomes a strawberry lover’s paradise every March when the Florida Strawberry Festival arrives in town. The festival has been honoring the region’s famous strawberry harvest since 1930 and has developed a culinary reputation that matches its agricultural heritage.
The menu offers traditional shortcakes and deep-fried dishes that feature unusual flavor combinations, which achieve perfect taste results. The festival draws hundreds of thousands of visitors who come ready to eat their way through the grounds.
Here is a list of 15 foods worth tracking down during your visit.
Strawberry Shortcake
The St. Clement ‘Make Your Own’ Shortcake Booth sits in the middle of the Parke Exhibit Building and serves what many consider the festival’s signature dish. You get to choose between cake or a buttermilk biscuit base, then pile on as many fresh Plant City strawberries in their juices as you want.
The whipped topping comes next, and you can be as generous as your conscience allows. They finish it with a whole strawberry on top, and the entire experience costs about $6.
Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
Two family-run vendors handle the chocolate-dipping duties at the festival. The Chocolate Strawberry Express operates in the middle of the Parke Exhibit Building, while Mavric’s Chocolate Barn sets up at the south end of the Entenmann’s Strawberry Tent.
Both spots use the same careful hand-dipping technique that’s been passed down through generations. The strawberries come out with a perfect chocolate shell that somehow makes the fruit taste even sweeter.
Smitty’s Corn Dogs
Festival veterans will tell you that Smitty’s has perfected the corn dog over their 80-plus years at the event. These hand-dipped buttermilk corn dogs come out with a golden crust that’s both crispy and tender.
A little mustard adds that sweet-and-tangy contrast that keeps people coming back. The line might look intimidating, but it moves quickly, and the wait proves worth it every single time.
Strawberry Cannoli Funnel Cake
Mama Jane Harris creates a new funnel cake masterpiece each year, and her strawberry cannoli version became an instant classic. The traditional funnel cake gets topped with ricotta-style filling, fresh strawberries, and cannoli shell pieces for crunch.
She’s appeared on Carnival Eats multiple times, and this particular creation shows exactly why producers keep inviting her back.
Fiske French Fries
Something about Fiske’s fries makes them different from regular festival French fries. They’ve been making them fresh at the strawberry festival for over eight decades, and somewhere along the way, they figured out the secret formula.
The vendor provides vinegar for topping, which cuts through the richness and adds a sharp bite that ketchup just can’t match.
Deep-Fried Strawberry Shortcake
Multiple vendors serve their own versions of this deep-fried twist on the classic. KD Concessions on Edwards Street offers one popular version, while Prowant Specialty near Gate 16 does a rolled variation.
The concept sounds excessive until you taste how the hot fried exterior plays against the cool strawberries and cream. It’s basically regular shortcake wearing a crispy jacket.
Strawberry Milkshakes
Brandon Farms sits directly inside Gate 1 at the Amscot Main Ticket Gate, making them one of the first stops for many visitors. Their strawberry milkshakes use fresh berries, whole milk, and just enough sugar to enhance the natural sweetness.
Polar Bear Ice Cream also serves them at their locations on Edwards Street and East Independent. Both versions provide the perfect cool-down option during warm festival days.
The Sweetheart
Peachey’s Baking Co. takes their famous Amish donut and transforms it into something decadent. They start with their signature donut, cover it in hot fudge, then pile on whipped cream and fresh Plant City strawberries.
You can find them at two locations: West Independent and the Kiddie Korral on East Independent. It’s the kind of treat that makes you temporarily forget about calorie counts.
Island Noodles
Festival regulars consider Island Noodles one of those ‘if you know, you know’ picks. After eating endless amounts of sugar-loaded treats, your taste buds start begging for something savory.
These noodles deliver exactly that break with their seasoned flavors and satisfying texture. They might not be strawberry-themed, but they serve an important purpose in pacing your festival eating strategy.
Strawberry Pizza
Brandon Farms creates this dessert pizza using a graham cracker crust as the base. They spread cream cheese filling across it like pizza sauce, add strawberry glaze, then top everything with sliced fresh strawberries that look like pepperoni.
The combination sounds strange on paper, but each element works together to create something genuinely delicious. You can find their stand east of the TECO Expo Hall near Gate 1.
Strawberry Wings
Grub & Go food truck surprised everyone when they added strawberry wings to their menu alongside their fried catfish and jerk chicken. The wings come out crispy with a slightly sweet glaze that carries subtle strawberry notes.
The berry flavor doesn’t overpower the savory chicken, and they serve it with cornbread and vegetables on the side for a complete meal.
Strawberry Brisket Tacos
Johnson’s Barbeque takes smoked beef brisket and tops it with strawberry pico de gallo in a soft taco shell. The sweet-and-savory combination follows the same logic that makes barbecue sauce work so well with meat.
The strawberries in the pico add brightness and acidity that cuts through the richness of the brisket without turning the whole thing into a dessert.
Belgium Waffle Strawberry Sundae
SanJon Concessions serves up fresh Belgium waffles made with pearlized sugar that gives them a slight crunch. They warm the waffle, then top it with strawberry vanilla ice cream and fresh berries.
A dollop of whipped cream and another strawberry finish it off. The contrast between the warm waffle and cold ice cream creates that temperature play that makes sundaes work so well.
Strawberry Cookies From Parkesdale Farms
Festival veterans will warn you to buy these last. The soft, chewy texture and concentrated strawberry flavor make them dangerously addictive, and opening the bag while you’re still wandering the grounds means you’ll finish them before you make it to the next food stand.
They’ve become iconic enough that people specifically plan their exit strategy around grabbing a bag on the way out.
Fresh Strawberries
Fresh strawberries, harvested when fully ripe, appear in flats from Parkesdale Farms and also Wish Farms directly within the event space. Once tasted in assorted inventive forms, a simple handful may seem fitting—a reminder of the fruit that began it all.
Just beyond the main gates, growers sometimes offer their harvest near entry points, especially useful should minutes grow short inside.
From Harvest Celebration To Culinary Tradition
A quiet beginning marked the start of Florida’s strawberry gathering—farmers once shared harvests straight from the field to the community. Back then, displays stayed rooted in soil, sometimes with pie crusts baked by hand appearing near wooden crates.
Now crowds arrive yearly, drawn not just by fruit but by bold flavors shaped through time. Some booths introduce wild new tastes, whereas older ones hold firm to methods passed down without shift.
This mix—one part change, one part memory—is why vehicles fill parking lanes every March under open skies.
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