Best Airport Restaurants - Not food courts

[gfweb]

My Criteria: -Must be on airport property,

-preferably within security,

-serve individually cooked meals...ie no food courts

-have a dedicated place to sit..ie no food courts (I despise food courts)

I'll start. Mr G's at the DFW Hyatt Regency. It is a truly first class steakhouse, full menu, decent wine list, tuxedo-ed waitstaff, good food. Except the desserts, which are limited. Only drawback is that it is outside of security, but their van will pick up up and take you back.

Edited November 4, 2009 by heidih
Edited admin w/ member permission (log)

[jsmeeker]

If you are going to submit a restaurant in a hotel at DFW, what about the restaurant in the new Grand Hyatt at Terminal D? Still not inside security, but it's actually part of the terminal. From the photos, it seems like they have a fairly interesting setup for solo diners.

[wfnugent]

I travel a lot and am enjoying the Vino Volo chain. Can get a decent glass of wine and a small plate of food at a decent-for-airport prices and it isn't a fried this or that plate with a warm beer.

BN

[tim]

Hi,

We have come a long way. I remember 25 years ago their was a brand new restaurant in the Miami airport that was dramatically better than any other; it was named McDonalds. That was really pathetic but true.

Tim

[HungryC]

Not a full service restaurant, but the most welcome sight to this traveler's eyes: the Tazza D'Oro coffeebar in the international terminal at FCO (Rome).

[gfweb]

If you are going to submit a restaurant in a hotel at DFW, what about the restaurant in the new Grand Hyatt at Terminal D? Still not inside security, but it's actually part of the terminal. From the photos, it seems like they have a fairly interesting setup for solo diners.

That place hasn't impressed me. They do singles well, but the whole restaurant is open and close to the bar and noisy and the food is just OK. When the GH opened I expected a better place considering.

[SaltySnack]

The diner at the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia. I'm sure it has an official name, but it's a historic location, with a beautiful setting, great view and made to order grill. It's outside of security, but entering the diner makes you feel that you've stepped back in time to the grand era of travel.

[gfweb]

The Legal Seafood at BOS isn't pretty, but the food is good there.

[Chris Hennes]

Terminal B at Denver International has been undergoing a food renaissance over the past year or two. Most notably, the previously dismal sit-down breakfast option (Pour la France) have been supplemented by the excellent Elway's. Elway's is a rather expensive steakhouse at other times of day, but their breakfasts are both reasonably priced and quite delicious. Which is not to say that at other times of day they aren't still your best sit-down bet at DEN right now, but there are several other new places I haven't tried yet. I'm also almost always going through DEN at breakfast time . Standouts at Elway's are their very non-traditional biscuits and gravy (served with scrambled eggs on the biscuits, and very large, thick, genuinely spicy homemade sausage patties) and the Short Ribs Benedict (short ribs replace the canadian bacon, and they add a tomatillo relish that is delicious). 

[Alex]

One Flew South, at Concourse E at Hartsfield-Jackson (Atlanta). As they say, "The first upscale dining experience at the world's busiest airport." Ms. Alex makes it a point to eat there whenever she passes through ATL.

Vino Volo, as posted about earlier, doesn't quite meet gfweb's criteria, but it's a pleasant spot to enjoy some good wine and a sandwich or charcuterie platter. They're in multiple airports; I've been to the ones in Baltimore and Detroit.

[blue_dolphin]

The airport outpost of Seattle's Anthony's restaurant chain in the central marketplace area at SEA is casual, not fine dining but has both table service and a raw bar.  

You can get a table with a view out the windows and watch the planes take off and land while enjoying a platter of oysters or a nicely cooked piece of fresh fish with a local brew.  

In my experience, servers are pretty good about hustling food out if you're in a rush or letting you linger if you need to kill time.

[rotuts]

No food courts ?

 

 

I have not been through Chicago in a long time.  used to have to stop there on the way to SFO for a ridiculously low fare.

 

it was a mess then , perhaps know

 

in one of the food courts there was a carnita burrito w fine Tex-Mex trimming inside

 

as good as you could get in any Barrio Ive ever been in.

 

much better than any sit-down rest. at CHI

 

I could tell :  no one was smiling at any of them

 

plenty of smiles at the Burrito Loco    ( made up the name )

 

I didn't mind the lay-over because of it.

 

now that says something !

 

 

Edited September 10, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[Alex]

rotuts, they don't make burritos and aren't a sit-down restaurant, but if you should again find yourself at O'Hare, I suspect you'd appreciate Tortas Frontera.

[rotuts]

@Alex 

 

nice !  

 

thanks !

 

looks pretty fine.

 

however , Ir rather walk these days than deal with CHI

 

and yes I spent 4 years there , on the S. Side and it was the right place at the time

 

Cheers !

[Alex]

20 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@Alex 

 

nice !  

 

thanks !

 

looks pretty fine.

 

however , Ir rather walk these days than deal with CHI

 

and yes I spent 4 years there , on the S. Side and it was the right place at the time

 

Cheers !

 

Yeah, O'Hare certainly is sprawling and can be a pain to navigate, but all in all, I don't mind it -- and it's a 45-minute, $5 ride to the Loop on the Blue Line ($1.10 with senior discount; $2.25/$1.10 to return). And the food options have markedly improved of late.

 

And speaking of the South Side, sad to say that Midway recently contracted with a new concessions operator, who got rid of the best places: Manny's Deli, Harry Caray's, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Lalo's, and even Ben & Jerry's.

[rotuts]

@Alex 

 

when I was on the S.Side , at the UofC

 

CHI had no redeeming Food , etc

 

they did have Thursdays at the Art Institute for free !

 

no matter

 

that was  soooo long ago :

 

1972.

 

I had to escape on the LC

 

to Randolph  then walked around.

[Chris Hennes]

1 hour ago, Alex said:

rotuts, they don't make burritos and aren't a sit-down restaurant, but if you should again find yourself at O'Hare, I suspect you'd appreciate Tortas Frontera.

 

Which, I will add, is far and away the best breakfast at O'Hare. You can, in fact, sit down and get table service there if the line isn't long, or if there is seating at their small bar. I love Tortas Frontera. Even if I weren't trapped in an airport with it, I'd eat there.

[Alex]

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Alex 

 

when I was on the S.Side , at the UofC

 

CHI had no redeeming Food , etc

 

they did have Thursdays at the Art Institute for free !

 

no matter

 

that was  soooo long ago :

 

1972.

 

I had to escape on the LC

 

to Randolph  then walked around.

 

The Hyde Park/U of C area has really taken off since then, food-wise (as has the rest of the city -- and burbs, to some extent). In fact, we'll probably be going to A10 later this year.

 

Ms. Alex will soon be flying to Europe via O'Hare, and will have some time to kill before catching her return connecting flight back to GR, so I suspect she'll be dining at Tortas Frontera. She's been to all of Rick Bayless's places in Chicago except this one. And thanks for the sit-down information, Chris; I forgot about that.

[kayb]

Nuts on Clark at Midway has always been my Chicago mainstay. After coming into Midway like a hot grounder into shortstop (the only kind of landing I have EVER had there), I'm generally not in the notion for anything heavy to eat. And there are plenty of bars.

 

In Baltimore, O'Brycki's in the main departure area has a wonderful crab cake. I think I remember reading their only remaining in-town restaurant had closed, leaving the airport their only outpost.

 

In Houston Hobby, Pappadeux, which apparently is a regional seafood chain, is pretty good. I like their Mexican ceviche.

 

In Atlanta, Paschal's, in C Concourse and in the main departure lounge is a fine, fine place for a down-home Southern breakfast. Those folks can make some biscuits and sausage gravy....

 

[Chris Hennes]

I'd love some more recs for IAH in Houston -- I've got two standbys, Popeye's and Le Grand Comptoir. Popeye's is great, and I do love chicken biscuits for breakfast, but you can't exactly kill time on a long layover there. For that I go to Le Grand Comptoir, whose food is so-so, but they have a pretty decent wine list with basically everything available in four different sizes ranging from 100mL to the whole bottle. I think there's a Smashburger going in, but I haven't flown through since the beginning of the summer and it wasn't open yet then, and again, you can't kill time there. I've tried 3rd Bar Eating House a couple of times and it's been hit and miss. Barcüterie is fine for a quick bite and a drink, especially if you're on a puddle-jumper leaving from that mass of gates. Cat Cora's Kitchen only has one thing on the menu that I like (one of the salads), but if I'm in the mood for that salad I'll go there. I ate at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen once, but don't really remember much about it.

[blue_dolphin]

24 minutes ago, Chris Hennes said:

I'd love some more recs for IAH in Houston

 

I usually do Pappadeaux at IAH.  As @kayb said, it's a chain and your previous experience suggests it's not a memorable destination for you but they have the option of sitting at the raw bar or at a table and a rotating selection of brews on tap.  

I've steered away from the cocktails but have found it otherwise useful for killing time.

[Lisa Shock]

It' closed now, but, my heart will always belong to Encounter which was in the old tower at LAX. It was UFO themed, and had custom dinnerware. And, at lunchtime, fresh, hot potato chips just kept coming to your table!

 

 

[chromedome]

Wow, that's just...groovy.

 

(I'd have loved it)

[Thanks for the Crepes]

42 minutes ago, chromedome said:

Wow, that's just...groovy.

 

(I'd have loved it)

 

Me too!

[NadyaDuke]

At the Portland (Oregon) airport there's a quite decent restaurant past security called Country Cat. It's an outpost of a local restaurant. Good cocktails and food. It's my standard pre-flight breakfast or dinner if the timing is such that I need one or the other.