Fine Fare for Frequent Flyers

Eight Airport Restaurants Worth the Trip

If you’ve had all the fast food and refrigerated sandwiches you can stand, this one is for you. We’ve searched the web and cooked up a list of some of the freshest, finest, most interesting restaurants at eight busy airports – starting with our home turf at LAX.

Los Angeles: Ink Sack

Tom Bradley International Terminal – Great Hall

If you’ve lived in LA for at least a few years, you probably know Ink Sack. Owner and chef, Michael Voltaggio, broke plenty of hearts when he closed other locations to focus on new concepts, but this LAX favorite is an awesome option for famous gourmet fare on the go. Check out the pork butt banh mi or gravlax with pickled onions and “everything spread.” They’re more than just sandwiches. They’re little epicurean adventures.

San Francisco: Manufactory Food Hall

San Francisco International – International Terminal

Created by the chefs of some of the Bay Area’s best restaurants — including Tartine, Cala and Kin Khao — the Manufactory Food Hall features dishes crafted with ingredients from the same farmers and purveyors they use in their primary locations. Tartine showcases sandwiches, salads, soups and their famous baked goods. Tacos Cala serves fresh tacos and tortas inspired by their Civic Center restaurant. Kamin focuses on the native fare of Thailand including rice bowls, noodles and grilled meats.

San Diego: The Prado

San Diego International – Terminal 2

Prado’s airport venue doesn’t offer travelers the same al fresco vibe as the original restaurant in Balboa Park, but it does follow the same menu. Healthy entrees crafted from the fresh ingredients include favorites like their famous Kobe cheeseburger and amazing red-and-gold beet salad. The relaxing environment also provides a welcome change from the constant buzz of typical concourse traffic.

Las Vegas: Metro Pizza

McCarron International – D Gates

Metro Pizza may not offer the fanciest fare around, but it’s been a favorite throughout the Las Vegas metro area since the early 1980s – thanks to their famous dedication to quality ingredients and generous portions. The airport menu is a little more limited than that of other locations, but you can still enjoy a huge, hand-stretched, freshly made pie from pizza makers who’ve been doing it right for generations.

Phoenix: Christopher’s

Sky Harbor International – Terminal 3

Created by James Beard Award-winning chef, Christopher Gross, this superior airport venue (that’s not an oxymoron) bears the same name of his former restaurant. While Gross and Christopher’s were most often recognized for exceptional French cuisine, he’s taken a more casual-yet-sophisticated approach here with travel-centric offerings like chicken wings in red wine sauce, margherita pizza and house-smoked salmon.

Portland: Blue Star Donuts

Portland International – Pre-Security Main Terminal

Prime steaks and Asian dishes are great for lunch or dinner – but what do you do when you only have 20 minutes before that early morning flight? People in Oregon often travel for hours to enjoy Blue Star Donuts, but you just need to get to the airport a little early. They’re not just delicious but inventive. Nothing cures the anxiety of waiting in the security line like a horchata-glazed brioche or a blueberry-basil cake donut.

Seattle: Skillet

Seattle-Tacoma International – North Satellite

From food truck to neighborhood diner to SeaTac staple, Skillet has grown to become a venue that captures the unique personality of Seattle. Their mission to offer weary travelers the best in portable Pacific Northwest comfort food has produced a variable menu including everything from fresh breakfast chilaquiles to kale Caesar salad. Even if you’re not hungry, you still have to try their homemade doughnut holes with raspberry jam.

Denver: Root Down

Denver International – Concourse C

Looking for more vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options? Root Down not only serves some of the best but does it in style. Based on the same menu as their popular LoHi neighborhood restaurant, options at this airport location include gluten-free banh mi and vegetarian shoyu ramen. All served in an eclectic environment featuring recycled light globes, repurposed cockpit instruments and a self-watering garden wall.

So? What do you think? Ready to try something different? With a little more planning and some extra time in your itinerary, the airport might actually become one of your favorite travel destinations.