Conde Nast just published this list of the top 10 airports for food in the world, along with a separate list for top 10 US airports. I did find it interesting that there were no European airports listed.
https://www.cntraveler.com/story/best-airport-food-options-around-the-world
I live in Austin, Texas and I am surprised that we are not included. I believe that our airport food is considered very good. We have satellite eateries from some of our major restaurants . The food is good although pricey. We also have live music at specific times of day and some very nice art work.
Thanks for posting this
I agree, AUS has always had great food in it's restaurants. DFW? O-Hare? Really? The best eatery in DFW is one that started at AUS! This seems more like someone was up against a story deadline and just googled some stats about airports than a real list.
Interesting. Maybe it's just me but food is probably the last thing I care about at an airport. I usually eat at ATL since I connect through there and by that point it's been many hours since I left home. It's generally something plain, like a grilled chicken sandwich, which you can pretty much get at any airport with varying degrees of blandness and ripoff-ness. š
small print at the bottom - "Conde Nast Traveler [sic] may earn a portion of sales"
How would that even work? It's not like we click on an affiliate link when we're buying food at an airport.
Nick, that's a standard disclaimer that has nothing to do with the above topic. There are no links in the article and if you would have pasted the entire line (instead of just a portion) you would see that it applies to affiliate links, which is obviously not the case here. The whole sentence reads CondƩ Nast Traveler may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers.
roubrat, I hear you but I do know that when I have a long layover at the airport, it's nice to be able to find a good restaurant and relax with some good food. :) I'm at MSP a lot and although it was not named, it has a number of local restaurants there, which is nice.
"you discover that there is nothing to eat except breath mints and Pringles"
That is pretty funny! There is nothing at my local airport except Starbucks which works for me as I'm usually on a morning flight.
I generally connect thru Seattle and am very fond of Floret which is a branch of a local restaurant known for seasonal and local cuisine. Their vegan coconut cake is TDF. Seriously excellent! I usually get their spicy hummus wrap to go as it tastes pretty clean and fresh.
I've not connected thru any on the US list recently except Atlanta and I had the ability to go to the SkyLounge so opted for that.
I kind of agree with the statement upthread about it kind of seems like someone was on a deadline and did some googling - like which airports are good for GF travelers.
DJ, there used to be a place at DFW that we enjoyed very much. It was a kind of sidewalk cafe, with local wines and small plates. We had a very good lunch there once, but when we looked for it the next year, there was no sign of it.
Pam, I've never flown through Seattle, but Floret sounds really yummy!
Really? Newark and JFK are in the top ten US airports for food? I fly in and out of them often. Iāve found them quite lacking in good food options especially considering that millions of people pass through these airports. The best option Iāve found at JFKās Terminal 4 is Shake Shack(LOL) where the line and the wait is often untenable if youāre trying to catch a flight.
I am a volunteer at the information booths at the MInneapolis airport. One of the most common questions is, āWhere can I get something good to eat?ā People are rather impressed that there are 50-60 options and that they are scattered throughout the airport, not just clustered in one food court. As Mardee mentioned, there are many outlets of popular local restaurants which makes for an interesting, and better, mix than at many airports where national chains dominate.
renee, my son-in-law's mother used to volunteer at MSP. Unfortunately she is in a nursing home now and is no longer able to do that but she loved it and did it for years.
SEA has several good restaurant choices these days. But I have to admit I really am not thinking about food much at an airport, besides maybe a coffee shop, a power bar, or something quick. I honestly don't have much of an appetite when I am in an airport---nerves? not wanting a full stomach when I fly? airport atmosphere? I'm not sure. I know that there is good food out there, and I wonder about it as I am walking through the concourses and see nice restaurants, but the idea of airport dining doesn't really excite me.
Wow! O'Hare is listed as one of the top 10 airports for food? You've got to be kidding me! When I travel to Canada, I often take United and it frequently goes through O'Hare. I find the selection to be rather ho-hum, although to be fair I don't tend to eat at the sit-down restaurants although those are typically chain restaurants and also very boring.
This is funny because the first time we visited Rome my kids fell in love with a ramen restaurant at Fiumicino...it was one of their fav parts of the trip! When we flew into Rome again to see more of Italy, they were really looking forward to that restaurant!
Iām glad that SeaTac FINALLY finished their food court area remodel (the area where itās been the floor to 2-story glass windows view) which now looksā¦ā¦essentially like it did before the remodel! I ate at a scruffy Qdoba for a few years for this? : ( Anyway, I love the food choice now closest to the glass that has ābuild your saladā and wraps. I like lots of veggies when Iām traveling.
And agree with Pam about Spokane. Eat before you come! : ) One time I had an early morning flight and the lone Starbucks option in that section was āclosed for trainingā. I would have paid double price that morning! ; ) (The short flight to Seattle doesnāt serve any beverages.)
Ha, if you want a food desert, come to Duluth airport! There is coffee and some not-so-tasty snacks - and the coffee is not Starbucks. I feel like I'm stopping at a gas station to eat.
I love airports and I love food. I always eat at an airport. I always get terribly hungry when at an airport but that is because I am always hours early because I am afraid of missing my plane.
Anybody else remember when LAX in the 1960s had a destination restaurant that was so good people went there just for dinner? I remember being taken there by a friend's family to celebrate her birthday and we all lived 30 miles away!
Jean, I love salads and veggies, too - I'm sure we all remember the days when you could not get healthy foods at airports. They just weren't to be found!
@ SharYn who wrote:
Anybody else remember when LAX in the 1960s had a destination restaurant that was so good people went there just for dinner? I remember being taken there by a friend's family to celebrate her birthday and we all lived 30 miles away!
I don't know about LAX that way but I certainly do remember in country I grew up in, a few restaurants near the airport were definitely a) catered to travellers and b) were destination restaurants. There was the old Granada Hotel restaurant which while not right at the airport terminal was a very very short ride away (like 3 minutes drive) and people would often go there for dinner after the early check-in which involved dropping off luggage.
Airports themselves really used to be destinations in a way that probably most aren't today.
@bostonphil7
I love airports and I love food. I always eat at an airport. I always get terribly hungry when at an airport but that is because I am always hours early because I am afraid of missing my plane.
I hear ya! Airports used to hold a kind of excitement and charm for me because it meant the start of a new trip that begins with a wonderful flight to somewhere abroad. Plane flights, for me, used to involve wondering what in-flight entertainment there would be like the music program and what movie they would be showing. This was like back in the 70s and 80s when a lot more things inside the cabin were orchestrated, not just when the meals would be served but also when the movie(s) would be shown. Come to think of it, it is a bit analogous to dinner and a movie (and more), right? I remember when we were served our hot meals, there's an excitement around what the options are (chicken? beef? lasagne? etc.). All of that builds part of the excitement and fun of plane travel. Of course, before all of this is the excitement involved in visiting the airport, looking at the shops, seeing what interesting things there might be to tickle the eyes or tastebuds.
A lot of this is now all very ho-hum and unexciting in large part because of how the industry has just nickeled and dimed the experience, putting an upfront monetary cost to almost everything: seating choice, checked bags, and some even cabin bags, etc. It makes the entire experience not friendly and rather much more confrontational in nature.
a couple years ago our family was out in the area of PDX. We were hungry & the places in the area were mostly fast food. We had an hour to kill. so we went in to the airport for a meal. I don't remember the name but there were not any other locations in Portland. Pay to park & walk in. It was outside the security zone. We do like a couple places after security. One place we like has wine & small plates. It's nice to just relax with a glass of wine. We are typically early am flights out so it's coffee for us. Wine bar isn't open at 7:00 am
We have been through LAX a couple times the last few years and found the food options unremarkable
I don't know about $9 but the rest still stands
roubrat, ha ha ha ha ha!!!! I had forgotten about that sketch, although I think the tuna sandwich is more like $18 now. š¤£
Muriel and bostonphil, those really were the good old days! I also remember that excitement about flying (although for me, that didn't happen until 1974, which was my first flight). We have become not only blase but critical about the things we used to enjoy.
@Jean!! When (or if ever) anyone asks us about the Spokane Airport we can do a slight siiiigh with a breath exhalation and say..."It's a Pringles and breath mint kind of airport", hahaha!!!
Mardee...yes to your last statement about air travel. In 1974 I remember sitting in the departure lounge at Dulles watching the mechanical letters on the destination boards flipping over with SUCH exotic sounding names. Wow...thrilling. And they kind of made an exciting clatter too!
As the daughter of an Air Traffic Controller in the 50's/60's/70's I loved airports. Exciting to be taken up to the tower (which I am sure they do not allow any more) and to hear stories - like the security guy at the old airport in Jacksonville having to go out and run a gator off the runway before a plane could land, lol.
Mardee, this has turned out to be a fun and interesting thread!
Oh I remember those mechanical letters! I remember being so excited to get free pop on board! My parents NEVER bought soda!
But remember the smoking sections! Ugh!
We have a brand new airport terminal in Kansas City, that has incorporated tons of local restaurant options (especially BBQ). It was one of the main reasons for building a new terminal, in order to attract and accommodate more connecting passengers. Definitely used to be a Pringles and breath mint kind of place, except the Pringles kiosk was never open when you needed it.
Okay, check this out - Flying in the 70's: https://www.cleverly.me/flying-in-the-seventies/
want to put in a word for Boston's Logan Airport. I have not been there for years but I believe that they have a 24/7 Dunkin. I think there are lobster rolls elsewhere and I can not remember what else. But they have local and I think good food.
One other thing. although you are asking about food, Boston also has rocking chairs and art exhibits.
Boston also has rocking chairs
Just what my motion sickness prone self needs pre-flight!
@mardee, indeed I have forgotten about the smoking sections. Ok those were yuck indeed!
I remember the smoking sections were each in their last few rows of their class cabins. But that means if you were seated in the nonsmoking section of economy class, you were seated behind the business class smoking section.
like the security guy at the old airport in Jacksonville having to go out and run a gator off the runway before a plane could land, lol.
My goodness, Pam! How did it even get on the property and how do you get rid of it without it hurting you? Yikes!
JFK?? EWR?? This writer doesnāt much spend time at airportsā¦.
Newark??? JFK????? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Never been a smoker, but as a kid of the 70s and 80s one thing learned is that everyone else did smoke and ya never really noticed the cigarette stink. It was just an unnoticed background smell. Go into a restaurant and by the lack of cigarette smoke wafting in the air you knew which dining section was busy and which was not and where you could get seated the quickest. Since the banning of indoor smoking there's no longer that lingering smell. Cycling to work, it was stunning how bad and strong the smell is coming from the car of a smoker. Yuk.
As far as airports as a dining meca that's a bit of a stretch. Never had a bad meal but the options are either fast food or mid-range Sysco supplied restaurants; they're just fine but nothing to go out of my way for and perfect for the captured customer base. EWR was just fine, had a nice burger there but burgers better here at home.
Stan, my daughter's aunt and uncle are from Kansas City and were talking about the wonderful new restaurants there!
My plug for best food: my home airport (PDX). Mostly local establishments and they're required to charge the same price at airport as they do at their in-town locations. The airport is currently under a massive renovation, but once it is done there will be even more excellent eating options. The restaurant hours are a bit more limited than some airports, but there's always something open. I personally enjoy having a pre-flight smoked salmon benedict and a mimosa at The Country Cat or a Blue Star donut and Stumptown coffee for the road. https://www.flypdx.com/Shops-Dining#/
"How did it even get on the property and how do you get rid of it without it hurting you?"
This was in the 50's and I was a child so don't remember what kind of security perimeter they had around the airport. Still, gators can climb a chain link fence. Now there are gator wranglers who will catch and remove gators so it's a specialist field. It usually involves duct tape around it's snout and avoiding the tail.
Speaking of which....fried gator tail is delicious if done well and could be a possibility for an airport snack kiosk in the SE, lol!! It would be way better than Pringles and breath mints!!
Rocking chairs - I think the most comfortable ones are in Philadelphia. The ones in Spokane arenāt very comfortable. I donāt remember them at Boston.
My most comfortable chairs vote goes to Paine Field, the small Everett, Washington airport - leather chairs, low-light lamps, fireplace, etc. makes my economy trip feel like first class!
In Atlanta, the food choices in all but the international terminal offer a great variety of menus for just about any taste. The international terminal (in my opinion) does not have nearly as good a selection as the rest of the airport. Despite their reputation (as they are great and I do love them), you might want to avoid the Varsity's chilli dogs before a long flight.
I really liked the airport in Bozeman, MT but that was back in the mid-2000's when my daughter was living and working there. It was very cozy looking yet still had cabin-y Western look and was small enough to maneuver through very easily.
I have no idea what's like now but with Bozeman's boom, it's probably not as cute and nice as it used to be.
SFO not on the list? There are lots of Asian options and some very good pastry choices, also a branch of a pretty good local eatery (Lark Creek Inn). The problem is that these are scattered among the terminals, making it hard to access them unless your departure gate is where they are.
Iāll also second the recommendation of PDX, where the vendors are overwhelmingly local and not allowed to charge more than they do in town.
SeaTac to be sure.
In Europe based on my experience, I would suggest LHR and MUC
