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Best airport dining for holiday travel
The holidays mean different things to different people, but one thing that's fairly ubiquitous is airline travel. And with airports comes some pretty godawful, overpriced fast food and full-service restaurants. That's why the team at Gadling (and a few well-traveled friends) gave their picks for the best airport dining at a variety of domestic airports.From Cubano sandwiches to Nigerian fufu, there's an eclectic mix of world cuisines, along with some regional and traditional American classics. Maybe layovers aren't so bad, after all.
Dallas-Forth Worth Airport: Pappasito's Cantina, Terminal A, Gate A28.
Tex-Mex made from scratch, salsa to tortillas.
Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston: Real Food Co., Terminal C.
Four words: Texas barbecue. Huge portions.
Miami International Airport: La Carreta, Terminal D, 2nd Level.
Mmm, Cuban food. Artery-clogging goodness from a popular Miami chain.
Albuquerque International Sunport: La Hacienda Express, between Concourses A and B.
Cheap, delicious Southwestern cuisine. Tip: adovada breakfast burritos.
[Photo credit: Flickr user freebeets]
Washington Dulles International Airport, Washington DC: Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Midfield Concourse, Gate B58.Old school burgers don't get much better than this, airport or no.
Logan International Airport, Boston: Legal's Test Kitchen, Terminal A, between Gates 4 and 5.
Clam chowder like it's meant to be.
Memphis International Airport: Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ, near Gate B14.
Honest-to-god pit barbecue from this popular local chain.
Portland International Airport: Stanford's Restaurant & Bar, on Main Concourse, behind Gates A, B, and C.
Steak, ribs, burgers, and a banging happy hour Sun-Fri, 3-6pm and 9-11pm.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: Anthony's, Central Terminal.
Regional seafood, including Puget Sound oysters. Slurp with PacNW beer and wine (there's also a full bar).
San Francisco International Airport: Ebisu Sushi, Terminal G Food Court.
A branch of the insanely popular, recently remodeled Sunset District original, which has been packing them in for over 20 years.
Raleigh-Durham International Airport: 42nd Street Oyster Bar, Terminal 2, near Gate C-1.
For over 70 years, the downtown location has been a Raleigh institution for its massive raw bar (one of the biggest in the Southeast), seafood, steaks, and Southern hospitality. The airport outpost is a "miniaturized version."
Chicago O'Hare International Airport: Two new Rick Bayless restaurants, Terminals 1 and 3.
Bayless, the acclaimed chef/Mexican cuisine authority behind Chicago's Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and Xoco, will be opening two restaurants at O'Hare this fall, er, winter. The names of the small, casual eateries haven't been announced yet; word is that one is an outpost of Frontera, and Bayless says the other will be a torteria, with a guacamole bar and "good margaritas." Count on it.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: African food at the taxi driver's cafeteria seven minutes walk outside of North baggage claim, Concourse E.
Look for dishes from Ethiopia, Somalia, and Nigeria.
Got a favorite food stop at a U.S. airport? We'd love to hear about it!
[Photo credits: Five Guys, Flickr user Adam Kuban; oysters, Flickr user VirtualErn]
Filed under: Business, Food and Drink, North America, United States, Transportation, Airports, Budget Travel, Women's Travel, Luxury Travel
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Melanie Fine Nov 22nd 2010 11:41AM
I would add Johnny Rocket's at Chicago O'Hare and would totally agree with Five Guys Burger and Fries!!!
Great list!
Melanie
Excellent Vacation Ideas
M-D Nov 22nd 2010 1:37PM
Seems like this list wouldn't be complete without Salt Lick BBQ at AUS!
Jonathan Lloyd Nov 22nd 2010 6:53PM
Carolina BBQ in Charlotte.
Bill Nov 22nd 2010 4:38PM
Add O'Hare Bar & Grill, huge grilled steak, medium rare, about $20. Outstanding for an airport.
Renee Nov 22nd 2010 8:44PM
Subway @ CAK while your waiting on your flight to Viva lost Wages.... ;-)
Anne Nov 22nd 2010 8:54PM
Absolutely Austin-Bergstrom Airport. To the Salt Lick BBQ, add Mangia Pizza, Lefty's Bar & Grille on 6th Street, Earl Campbell’s Sports Bar, Ray Benson's Roadhouse...flying in on Wednesday!
Tom Nov 23rd 2010 12:46AM
One good thing about the Austin airport is that the restaurants cannot charge more than what they charge downtown.
cookiecorner Nov 23rd 2010 8:53PM
Tulsa, OK Little closet-sized self serve (cafeteria if it were a bit larger). Locally owned, the BEST homemade everything. Their bean soup is even better than that served in the US Senate dining room. It is always fresh, service is comfortably friendly, prices are way below what airport food usually sells for and it is so much better.
Gotta agree about the breakfast burritos in ABQ. Get one to go and drive the whole plane absolutely crazy with the smell of their fantastic red chile.
John Nov 22nd 2010 9:25PM
One Flew South, center of Terminal E, ATL. Great Southern fusion, upscale food.
Sandy and Sue Nov 22nd 2010 10:01PM
I have never found good food at any airport anywhere. It all looks and tastes
like cardboard.
Hattie Crabtree Nov 22nd 2010 10:52PM
You must not fly often or don't eat the cheap stuff or grab a bite.If you ever go to Neelys near Graceland,get the bbq pork spaghetti.
Jim Nov 22nd 2010 10:12PM
You must be out of your mind to list any place at the Atlanta airport.
Shannon Nov 22nd 2010 11:28PM
Pappasito's Cantina (DFW) definitely deserves placement on this list. The salsa is crazy good, unlike anything I've ever had!!!
ray Nov 23rd 2010 12:45AM
do you mean international food-- give me a break
handsome Nov 23rd 2010 4:25AM
I have to agree with most everything on the list with the exception of Five Guys. Though not a bad burger, it certainly is way overrated. It's only served well done, a fault in my book, and the fries aren't special, just a classic case of more is better. A flawed philosophy, quantity does not equate to quality. Plus the prices are to high for just a burger and fries. I've had better burgers at Red Robin's and Chili's for less, and far better burgers at no-names for far less.
Handsome Nov 23rd 2010 4:35AM
The Hacienda in ABQ is great, and the adovada anything is the primo choice. Get it christmas (both sauces). As mentioned about Austin above (good food there as well), Portland also doesn't charge the vendors a surcharge that is passed on to the traveler. So you get the same prices you would at the street locations. A nice policy.
Danny Nov 23rd 2010 10:18AM
The authors are obviously lazy in that they only visited the largest hub airports. There are numerous regional airports with unique locally focused eateries.
Hey authors, there actually are great places in America besides, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and San Francisco.
JT Nov 23rd 2010 8:23PM
Unfortunately EWR doesn't have any good food, at least that I know of... and I fly out of there a lot.