Bun B’s Trill Burger is back at the rodeo for the fourth year in a row, but this time, with its own area—dubbed Trill Town—near the Kirby Road and McNee Drive entrance. The 9,000-square-foot standalone spot boasts a bar, lemonade stand, and of course, the iconic Trill Burgers. For this rodeo season, the brand teamed up with Truth BBQ to debut a Truth BBQ Brisket burger, much like the Trillen's Burger that was sold last year. For $22, you can get the burger with all-beef smashed patties, American cheese, beer-battered onion rings, and barbecue sauce; then for $10 you can add on three ounces of brisket from Truth BBQ—which didn't seem like much of a collaboration to me.

Although I didn’t love the hefty price, I was a fan of the food. The massive burger looked intimidating at first, but it was delicious and held up well.

If you want to experience the Trill Burger and Truth BBQ collab’ but don’t want to pay the $32 price tag, then I suggest opting for the brisket fries instead. At $20, the basket comes with three ounces of Truth BBQ brisket (which is shredded, making for an easier time when eating), barbecue sauce, Trill slaw sauce, white queso, pickled onions, pickles, and escabeche. I ate this one easily with a fork, so no mess, and all the ingredients made for an enjoyable experience.

Given this is located right outside the plaza and wine garden, I feel like having the word “munchies” in the name is fitting. Including “elote,” however, was a bit misleading. When I think of elote, I think of street corn on the cob. Instead, the nachos come with elote queso blanco, smoked brisket, a housemade chipotle ranch, hot sauce, cotija cheese, and lime wedges. It was mediocre, and the ratio of chips to brisket was overpowering. If I were a bottle of wine deep, I guess they’d do the job.

As someone who had never eaten alligator before, I was extremely excited for this…and then quickly disappointed when I realized it just tastes like chicken. The fried basket came with a lot of meat, but it could’ve been seasoned better, and the sweet sauce didn’t add much to the flavor either. Although this didn’t wow me, at least now I can say I’ve tried gator.

This item won Best New Flavor at the 2025 Gold Buckle Foodie Awards, so of course it piqued my interest. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but as it turns out they literally spin a slice of bacon that’s on a stick with cotton candy. And let me just say—they do not skimp on the ratio or size. The bacon is a thick, full piece that is evenly covered in cotton candy for the most part. You would expect the cotton candy to dissolve quickly from the grease, but it holds up nicely. I didn’t feel like either flavor overpowered the other. For me, rodeo season means oddball food, so I recommend adding this to your must-try list this year.

As a lover of apple pie, I absolutely had to try this new rodeo food at Sills Funnel Cakes and Food. I was pleased with the dessert at first, but my enjoyment of this fluffy fried food stopped once I reached the middle. The inner portion of the pie was still cold and even somewhat frozen—I’m pretty sure I ate some ice. What a major letdown. Here’s hoping the next person gets one that’s cooked all the way through.

A fried red velvet twinkie with cream cheese? Uh, yes please. This was the thing I was most excited to try—the rodeo means deep-fried everything, and I am here for it. The dessert was delicious and the fried aspect gave it just the right amount of crunch. It comes on a stick, but I was given a spoon to eat it with, so of course I opted for that to avoid a mess. I found, though, that eating with the spoon made it more difficult, so I suggest embracing the finger food as is. Regardless, it was my favorite bite of the day.

I’ll be honest, I was extremely hesitant to try this rodeo snack—it’s literally a pickle wrapped in a fruit roll-up with Hot Cheetos on the side. But because it was a finalist for the Gold Buckle Foodie Awards’ Most Creative category, I couldn’t leave without trying it. I found it funny that I was given a fork, it's made to be eaten with your hands. As unexpected as the concept is, I have to say…I surprisingly enjoyed it. The sour taste from the pickle and the sweetness from the fruit roll-up truly complement each other well. I do think the Hot Cheetos were a bit extra, though.

Honestly, sometimes simplicity is the answer, and that’s especially true in this case. The sausage, mac and cheese, Hot Cheetos, and jalapeños made the hot dog overwhelmingly massive. Also, why do we put Hot Cheetos on everything now? I could barely hold this with my hands, so I had to use a fork and knife, which defeats the purpose of a hot dog, and I could barely get a good bite in because of the size (slight disclaimer: I do have small hands, but still). It might have been a finalist at the Gold Buckle Foodie Awards as Best New Flavor, but I wasn’t a fan.

This dish is made with bits of smoky brisket and classic fried rice. It was tasty, but nothing special. It’s extremely large, so although it’s on the more expensive side—who are we kidding, all of the rodeo food is—it’s still a great shareable item. I would’ve liked mine to have more brisket bits, though.

Though I would have loved more brisket on my fried rice, this Houston rodeo vendor rarely misses. The crab rangoon egg rolls come with five pieces and combine cream cheese, crab, and chives, with a sweet chile sauce on the side. Each bite was creamy and rich in flavor. The egg rolls were crispy and held together well. I definitely recommend spending your money here, and if you’re still hungry, grab a Viet taco to fill you up.

This is your classic Tex-Mex bite: three chicken taquitos with salsa, avocado, tomato, and lettuce. It was also probably the prettiest of the day, carefully layered in a cup, so if you want to get some Instagram-worthy shots during your rodeo visit, I highly suggest you stop by and order this dish. Even though the taquitos are “drowning,” they weren’t soggy—and I ate them after quite a few minutes of the photographer and I working together to find the perfect angle for a picture. No complaints.