Surviving Airport Food

The more I travel, the more I like O'Hare.

Each terminal has a variety of restaurants, coffee shops and fast food -- of varying quality, sure, but at least there's some variety beyond the lowest common denominator (and I can get a Chicago hot dog with neon relish and a nice crisp pickle spear in every terminal -- too bad no skin-on fries at those stands).

Things I like: Cinnabon at the end of K, Chili's at the junction of H&K.. but I really don't eat much at O'Hare unless I've got a long delay, I usually eat before I head to the airport.

I'm often stuck elsewhere, and I'm hoping others can assist. Many airports have a dearth of any eats once you clear security, and in this age of TSA, it's not worth leaving for food if you've got a half-hour line to get back in.

Reagan National: I've only flown AA and UA, so it's the middle set of gates I know the food at: A moderate selection of California Pizza Kitchen items, a fast food-like chinese place, McD's, and a brewery with edible food. Rating: B.

Denver: The United gates area has an edible mexican place (whose name I've forgotten), and a Wolfgang Puck. There's lots more options in the main terminal area. Rating: B.

Newark: Sucks, truly sucks. Past security, you get two choices: a coffee kiosk much inferior to Starbucks (their blender never works, so no frappes), and a themed hamburger joint (one is american bandstand, I've forgotten the other I've seen). Overpriced, overcooked burgers, served with chips. Chips!? Rating: D-

Boston: Pretty darn bad. Inside one American gate area, there's sandwiches wrapped in the Eisenhower administration -- that's it. Inside another, there's the same plus a combo Burger King/Pizza Hut. Outside there's a restaurant I may try when I've got more time (I know I'll be through there again). Rating: C-

Philly: A large mall including food court inside security. It's a hike from the gates, but at least there's some choices. Cheesesteaks are average in quality, there's deli, fastfood chinese, and a couple other things. Rating: B-.

Tokyo Narita: I spent my last 700 yen on katsu curry before leaving the country. Not as good as even Mitsuwa's food court, but hey, better than 99% of all airport food. Rating withheld for more sampling, someday.

I'm off to Montreal on Wednesday, I'll append here.

Miami - The cuban restaurant in the termainl (pre-security) is as good or better than most you run into in town.

If I may quote myself:

Food at O'hare: Last month I discovered what can best be described as a genuine Greek grill at the end of a concourse (F, I believe) in terminal 2. It is an overflow location for United.

The place offers all the grill standards, fried eggs, omelettes, fried egg sandwiches, sausage, gyros, hot dogs, burgers, and even italian beef. The counter girl gave me crap (her T shirt said something about everyone being idiots, which prompted a discussion of exactly who this was directed to), just like the counter person at a grill is supposed to. It was real, and it was refreshing.

I had a fried egg sandwich, enhanced with the sweet peppers for the I-Beef (at no charge). My daughter had a respectable grilled cheese sandwich. This was a long way from gourmet food, but it was prepared to order, and it tasted just fine. Prices were a bit high, but not as high as most places in O'Hare. I recommend it highly.

I also find this thread on the topic of Ohare food amusing, which is where I stole my response from... http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=6650#6650

Glad to hear the Cuban restaurant in Miami is still up and running. I don't get to Miami much anymore, but their Cuban sandwich was always a must. I'll go out on a limb and rate it as #1 for airport restaurants--for CH's anyway.

JoelF wrote:Newark: Sucks, truly sucks. Past security, you get two choices: a coffee kiosk much inferior to Starbucks (their blender never works, so no frappes), and a themed hamburger joint (one is american bandstand, I've forgotten the other I've seen). Overpriced, overcooked burgers, served with chips. Chips!? Rating: D-

I think you're overly harsh on Newark.
First of all, 60% of flights leave out of termainal C (Continental), which has a much broader selection past security than the ones you experienced. The old terminals A&B have only gotten makeovers in the area before the security checkpoints; past security is virtually nothing. And if you have a bunch of time before your flight, you can take a short train, bus, or cab ride to downtown Newark for a truly great pre-flight meal.

Steve Z is right about the La Carreta branch in MIA. My single favorite US airport restaurant. Probably the best La Carreta in Miami (certainly much better than the one on Key Biscayne).

I'd put Midway above O'Hare, though the big airport does boast some decent options like the Berghoff and numerous places where one can get a Vienna Beef. You'd be surprised by how much non-Chicagoan frequent fliers look forward to the cart dogs between flights.

SFO has some good asian options, strictly fast food. In large part, the big airports have crap for food options. LAX, St. Louis, Atlanta, Detroit, and Denver strike me as particularly bad. Some smaller airports have decent options, eg, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Tampa. Houston's new terminal's ok.

My favorite place to be stuck at the airport might be Mexico City. The cheesy central bar/cafe happens to have sublime squash blossom cerpes with green mole. I've had them maybe 4 times.

Also, Rich, Newark has a friend in you. Tough town with some interesting food options, but I wouldn't put the airport dining very high.

Now, for NYC area airports, the New-England seafood themed restaurant in the White Plains airport is pretty good. Steamers with bellies intact and a decent beer make for a nice lunch.

In addition to the Asian options in SFO, there is also a pretty decent seafood restaurant (The Crab Pot or something similar) in the United Terminal. You can get a dungeness crab dinnner or a crab omelette and/or chiopinno that is quite good right in the airport.

The problem with Newark for me is that both American and Continental share terminal A, whose gate areas are these dark, noisy pits. Yes, Continental has a huge terminal of its own, but not for Chicago flights.

I have been fortunate enough to have a brother living in Newark up until very recently, and he was often kind enough to meet me at the airport and take me to a great Portugese place whose name never registered. So my memories of Newark are favorable, but I do not think I ever ate a single bite in the airport. It is pretty easy to get in and out of, though, as Rich noted.

Boston isn't as bad as you might think it is-there are at least three Legal Seafood outposts. In the United/Delta terminal there are no less than two-one a full service restaurant and one a raw bar. Both serve chowder which is really all that it's cracked up to be (it's been served at every presidentail inauguration for like 20 years). Rumor has it that there's a Legal within the American terminal (post-security) but i've never found it. There is, however, an Au Bon Pain stand which does passable salds and sandwiches. I always grab a cheese sandwich before i get on the plane to London in case i get hungry mid flight.

~~Susannah

I have to agree with Rich on Newark. That airport has undergone a dramatic change in the past three years. The Continental terminal has styles its food somewhat like what Midway has done by opening branches of well known less expensive New Jersey restaurants. Prior to the transformation, it was nothing short of dreadful.

It's fitting that, if you're eating breakfast at Newark Airport, you can get some Taylor Ham to go with your eggs at the Garden State Diner just inside Terminal C.

My contribution would be Hartsfield in Atlanta where you can get a good old fashioned southern meat and three cafeteria style or those Chic Fil A sandwiches that I miss so here in Chicago. This is in addition to the standard mall Chinese and Popeyes that you'll find in many airports.

The last part of my latest trip to New Jersey (documented elsewhere on this board) wound up in Newark Terminal A, the culinary black pit of this airport. Fortunately, it wasn't mealtime and I wasn't hungry, so I didn't feel compelled to look for anything to eat (wait ... does this mean I'm disqualified from future posting on this board?). Anyway, I think it is hugely ironic that so many airports that tried to improve their restaurants have been hamstrung by the new post-9/11 security regs -- i.e., because so many of the nicer places are on the wrong side of security. Now, we are safe from good eating, too. (And don't even ask my latest traveling companion about trying to grab a smoke!)

For several years running, I've flown about 50 legs a year. I feel far far better if I eat AFTER the flight, rather than before or during. That leaves apples/nuts and such and plenty of water and no alcohol (just dehydrates you more, in concert with the dry cabin air) during the flight.

ATL--My home airport. Yes Pascal's in the Atrium and out at Delta's Concourse A has attractive b'fast and ok fried chicken (both no salt), BUT--several years ago they broke me of the pre-flight b'fast/fried chicken habit when after three of the last five visits I found the food not setting well. Perhaps too many flights has embrittled my heretofore cast iron stomach.

MDW--There's a mexican place with edible made to order b'fast burritos. The soup and sandwich place is awful.

LGA-awful, awful. Well, there's a chain pizza place, and down in the food court a chain Olives with a nice bar and decent salad, I suppose.

BOS--no contest, Legal Seafood. Not really good, but the best of the lot.

EWR-AirTran/United Terminal. Before security, there's a food court--barely edible pizza, but not by much. TGIF out on the concourse. Need more be said? In one of Continental's Terminals there's a Nathan's out on the concourse, which about 5 years ago is where I had my last airport dog and chunky fries. It was good, too.

LAS--eat on an emergency basis, only.

BUF--awful, awful across the board.

Kansas City--Arthur Bryants. mediocre to bad. Pity, I still have yet to get to the original, but what they serve at the aiport is sorry.

DAY--inedible pizza, just after security.

New Orleans. Why eat at the airport when super terrific Harbor Seafood is literally 4 minutes away? Have the cab wait outside while you pick up something for both of you, they'll even draw you an Abita Ale draft to go (hey, this is N'Orluns).

Bottom line: I try, try NOT to eat in airports. I've done it twice in 3 years (say 150 flights), just last week in Buffalo, and once last year at MDW changing morning flights on the way back from a 6:00 AM LAS departure.

Best airport meal in my life was 1980 in IND. At the fancy restaurant the Fri lunch buffet used to include oysters on the half shell. Mmmm. But its lost now, in time and space. Probably been renovated into ten or more fast food joints like at other airports.

I thought the beef on weck and wings place in the Buffalo-Niagara airport was pretty darn good, for an airport. It's been over a year, so i guess things change.

Midway has arguably the best choice of food of any airport anywhere, with a lot of very legit Chicago-only choices. Portion-controlled Manny's corned beef is still better corned beef than one can find in most American cities, in or out of an airport. Breakfast and burgers at the Illinois Bar and Grill (original on Taylor) are solid. Harry Caray's isn't too shabby for an airport. Try the chicken Vesuvio if you have a long delay.

http://www.flychicago.com/midway/terminals/maps_food_beverage.shtm

In the bullet train concourse of Tokyo Station, you can choose bento boxes from a wide range of vendors, each about $10-$15. They come packed in a small box with everything you would need to eat in the small confines of your seat. I enjoyed a nice broiled eel over rice, with several small sides of vegetables. To drink I had a hot can of green tea.

I really wish we had the same model here, where everyone can choose their meal before their flight from a multitude of vendors, and competition brings out great chow options.

I fly United quite a bit so here is my rundown:


I am an east coast boy so I get excited when I can grab a Nathan's dog and fries (well done). I haven't been to Newark for awhile but they used to have Nathan's, BWI has a Nathan's, as does Tampa and so does Cleveland. I will even grab Nathan's for breakfast if I can. yes, I am a sick person.

LGA has a great hebrew national deli with hotdogs and salami in the lower level.

If I have to eat at ORD, I like the Berghoff roast beef (maybe the best airport food item imo)

SFO used to suck (Jamba, Noah's and a japanese place) but they are doing a lot of work and opened up a sit down rest. which I haven't tried and a self-serve place that is mediocre.

Philly- United terminal is weak, BK and a crappy pizza place but the main food court has some passable options as have been noted above.

Dallas- there is a mediocre BBQ place (which beats no BBQ)

Houston has a fridays (or friday's esque place ...its been a couple of years

Westchester- has a real sitdown rest. with a view of the airport. The food is relatively excellent. They also have a diner which is passable.

Any of the above beats eating the plane food (even when you are sitting up front)

Happy trails.

oh yeah, the breakfast at Wolfgang Puck's in ORD is pretty decent too. I recommend it.

Breakfast at ORD is ALL about Billy Goat Tavern - good, greasy diner style eggs + hash browns.

I fly into and out of Memphis quite a few times a year, and, despite the cost, the pulled pork (barbecue) sandwich served at the Interstate Bar-B-Q kiosk in Terminal B is arguably the best airport food in the country. It's a little expensive, but Interstate still does one of the best barbecue sandwiches in Memphis, even at the airport location. The slaw and the spice are spot-on.

Memphis and Midway are probably in the running for best small airport. MEM never seems overly crowded, and flight delays are almost nonexistent. I'm not sure how the loss of ATA will affect this, but Midway is the easiest major airport to use in the country.

For several years running, I've flown about 50 legs a year. I feel far far better if I eat AFTER the flight, rather than before or during. That leaves apples/nuts and such and plenty of water and no alcohol (just dehydrates you more, in concert with the dry cabin air) during the flight.

I don't flyoften but I'm deferring to your suggestions from now on. I'm flying to Charleston in the morning, with a short layover in Cinncinati and arrival in Charleston around lunch time. I figure a couple of apples, trail mix, and a sandwich before I leave will give me a nice relaxed lunch after arrival. Then a nice dinner Sunday night, I hope.

In June, I had a moment of temporary insanity and did what I said that I would never do - book another flight on United.

After flying my last thirty flights out of Midway, returning to O'Hare and its limited collection of food joints was a disappointment. Fortunately, we had the time to stop at a Greek diner on the way to the flight

Scuba Steve wrote:Rumor has it that there's a Legal within the American terminal (post-security) but i've never found it. There is, however, an Au Bon Pain stand which does passable salds and sandwiches. I always grab a cheese sandwich before i get on the plane to London in case i get hungry mid flight.

The ABP is new and most welcome to somebody that's flown ORD-BOS for the last ten years. Legals never did make it to the B terminal, I think that might have been a dot.com boom idea that didn't survive. The sit-down place outside AA security (Bella Boston) is acceptable and reasonably priced for an airport - I usually eat there if I take the 8pm flight home.

IND: Run by BAA (who runs LHR and PIT), they have a very good selection outside of security. There is a California Pizza Kitchen carry-out over by the A concourse, a custard place, a TGI Fridays, and a food court with a decent Mexican option before the B/C security point. I haven't been down to the D councourse. Inside the concourses there is not much; Subway in each, and the A concourse has a Jody Maroni's for a decent piece of sausage.

I actually love Midway's food choices: I'd kill for a Superdawg or a stripped-down Manny's at any other airport. It's the only airport where I'll consider eating when I arrive before my drive home.

A few others from my travails:

Nashville: There's a sitdown place beyond security in the corridor that connects the B and C concourses (behind the ticket counters). Nothing special, but better than the rest of the food options.

Albany: There is a Saranac Lake Brewpub just past security. They don't mess up the sandwiches too badly but the fries are lousy. But they have their own microbrew as well as their own draft root beer (yum)

Orlando: Eat at your own risk.

Hartford (old terminal/AA): Ditto. Hopefully the new terminal will have some options. If I get to Hartford early, I end up at the OTB across the street instead.

Kansas City: Just inedible, including Arthur Bryant's.

One of the thing that you have to consider is the LOCATION of the eateries.

San Diego has some good restaurants BUT they are all OUTSIDE the security area. The food inside is terrible.

O'Hare *might* have good food BUT it is different in each terminal.

I have a new least-favorite airport: IAD (Washington DC Dulles).

First off, its crazy layout means that it's an extra 15 minutes to get to or from the ticket/check-in/baggage claim area and the gates, because you have to take a freakin' bus to get to any of the gates. Combined with the huge length of their terminals, it was a long time to get in or out. Seriously, I think I could have flown to DCA (Washington National/Reagan) and taken a cab, and it would have been faster.

So far as I could tell, there was no food in the ticket building. I will admit security had some of the shortest lines I've seen in an airport rush hour.

In terminal C was probably the saddest, sickest food choices I've ever seen: a bagel place that frankly didn't smell too good (and I'd had an excellent deli sammy for lunch so I didn't want another sandwich -- I'd write it up if I knew where they had it delivered from), a trail mix stand, a sign pointing to a Burger King that didn't exist, a McD's very far down the other way, and two storefronts of this abysmal bar called something like Olde Providence or something, which featured sandwiches and salads that could have been wrapped in the Ford administration, and claimed to have Uno's Famous Chicago Pizza.

Now I'm not a fan of the franchise or frozen Uno's. I'm betting that Ike Sewell's last laugh was selling only parts of the recipe to the franchise corporation. But I wanted something warm, and that looked like the only choice besides some of the bagel options that seemed even less savory.

Well, it wasn't even the Unoid pizza. It was a generic personal pan pizza, burnt on one edge and raw on the other, bitter sauce, gristly sausage. Can't say anything bad about the cheese, but it was hardly stellar. At least they had little packets of hot peppers and parmesan to mask some of the flavors.

Considering that the DCA United/American terminal has some decent choices (a microbrew-like place with decent burgers, Calif. Pizza Kitchen, and a Panda Express-like chinese place that hasn't killed me yet), I have no idea why IAD sucks quite so badly.

Fly away, and don't return.

I'm still in the process of putting together all my notes and pictures from my trip to Hong Kong, but here is a quick blurb about their airport. After having to (unexpectedly) spend 10 hours at the Hong Kong airport, it actually wasn't too bad due to all the various shops and eateries. Hong Kong has the benefit of only being 5 years old, and as a result it's HUGE in size. There are restaurants in the departure hall and arrival hall with little overlap. Unlike many of the airports in the US, I didn't witness much of an upcharge at the restaurants and stores. The pricing at the local chains was the same as their branches outside of the airport. For lunch we dined at Hang Heung's Kitchen (Shanghai), a sit-down restaurant, w/our meal vouchers. We split an order of rice rolls with scallops, but it did not live up to a previous experience in Toronto. We also ordered soup dumplings, which of course was not as good as some of the other restuarants around Hong Kong. Finally we had baked rice with grouper and corn sauce. All in all it was good esp for airport food.

We then ate dinner in the food court. The good thing about Asian Fast Food is that you don’t feel like it's junk food! I ordered noodle soup with fish balls and fish cake at King's Palace Congee. My dad ordered shrimp “ravioli”/dumplings (I don’t know the proper English description) in soup at Noodle Pak Loh Chiu Chow Express.

Maxim’s also had a restaurant across from Hang Heung’s Kitchen, and Maxim’s bakery was just below. There was also an Ajisen Ramen, Café de Coral, and a couple of other US standbys. There were several Watson’s, designer stores, beauty stores, etc to keep travelers entertained.

Detroit Metro Airport actually has a decent restaurant--the Mediterranean Grill has both takeout and sit down and though the food isn't wildly inventive, it's fresh and healthy, a welcome start or finish to a trip--they serve stuffed grape leaves, fattoush, falafel and a variety of other sandwiches and salads. (Good fries, too!)

I apologize to everyone for Kansas City's MCI. It's a food-forsaken desert, it really is. There is nothing to eat at the airport.

It's too bad, too. Back in the Day, the best chili-dog in the universe was available in about six places there. Sigh.

However, there IS one saving grace: most bars serve Boulevard Pale Ale on draft. Local microbrew, it's a *very* good ale. Nice and thick and quite bitter.

I flew out of Qantas' terminal at LAX and it was quite good: there are a couple of Asian restaurants, a Chinese noodle bar and a sushi place, that were legit, and put out pretty good food.

BTW, the W.Puck place at ORD is a saviour: my wife has never had a bad pizza; and the meatloaf is to die for.

PIT is ok, just barely; and it has the nice feature that the best of the places are all clustered at the crossover of the terminals. The sammich shoppe isn't so bad.

Anyway, sorry again about MCI...

Geo
PS. I'm *trying* to get time to report on my three-week pursuit of Oz's Best Fish and Chips. Which, I'm pleased to report, I found. In Hobart, Tassie.

Geo wrote:I apologize to everyone for Kansas City's MCI. It's a food-forsaken desert, it really is. There is nothing to eat at the airport.

Isn't that what Arthur Bryant's is for? Stopping on the way to the airport?

JoelF wrote:

Geo wrote:I apologize to everyone for Kansas City's MCI. It's a food-forsaken desert, it really is. There is nothing to eat at the airport.

Isn't that what Arthur Bryant's is for? Stopping on the way to the airport?

Not to be confused with stopping at the Arthur Bryant's inside the airport.