Airport Dining Survival Guide
The best places to eat and drink in 20 airports around the country

from the folks at
 Food & Wine

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
Salt Lick
The 40-year-old Driftwood, Texas, institution has brought its barbecue–most notably its supertender brisket–to Austin's airport (West Terminal across from Gate 12).
 
Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Yadkin Valley Wine Bar
This forward-thinking wine bar offers flights, glasses and bottles from North Carolina's growing Yadkin Valley wine region, including producers like Shelton and RagApple Lassie vineyards–and they'll ship, too (in the connector hallway between Terminals D and E).
 
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
Berghoff Café
O'Hare's coolest quick dining option: This outpost of the restaurant was opened by German brewer Herman Joseph Berghoff in the 1880s. Beyond Berghoff's beer on tap and root beer, there are hand-carved roast beef, turkey and corned beef sandwiches and the house specialty:
the Reuben (Terminal 1, Gate C26).
 
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
Cousin's Barbecue
As with the Charlotte, North Carolina, airport, your best bets at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport are barbecue and local wines. Cousin's offers Texas standards like smoked brisket, ribs, sausage and pinto beans (Terminal D, near Gate 28; Terminal B, Gate 27).
 
Denver International Airport
New Belgium Hub
The Denver airport has half a dozen taverns featuring the state's microbrewed beers. This artsy bar and grill serves whole-wheat pancakes for breakfast, but also chicken sandwiches and oversize salads to pair with Fat Tire Amber Ale and other award-winning beers from New Belgium, a Fort Collins, Colorado brewery (Concourse B, Gate 80).
 
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
Like Louisiana, its neighbor to the east, Houston has its share of Cajun and Creole food. This regional chain serves gumbo, jambalaya, shrimp Creole and dirty rice (Terminal E, Gate 3).
 
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
One Flew South
This sushi restaurant is Atlanta's first upscale airport restaurant, complete with a menu created by chefs Todd Richards and Duane Nutter of The Oakroom at the Seelbach Hilton in Kentucky (Terminal E, near Gate G6).
John F. Kennedy International Airport
Aeronuova
JetBlue's Terminal 5 has nine full-service restaurants; the best is Aeronuova, an Italian restaurant created by New York City star chef Mark Ladner, with dishes like grilled Berkshire pork chops and warm radicchio bruschetta (Terminal 5, post-security).
 
LaGuardia Airport
Figs
Post-security, LaGuardia's terminals offer very few food options. The most diverse selection can be found pre-security in the food court at the Central Terminal Building, where pizzas with toppings like fig and prosciutto (Central Terminal Building).
 
Logan International Airport
Bonfire
Steakhouse in Boston's Terminal B and New York's JFK airport with dishes like fish tacos (Terminal B, American Airlines side, post-security).
Los Angeles International Airport
Encounter Restaurant
At the center of LAX is the 1961 Theme Building, a freestanding structure designed to look like a flying saucer. It's home to this space-age restaurant, known for 360-degree views, stylings stolen from The Jetsons and California-style dishes like organic salads and mushroom ravioli with grilled asparagus (Theme Building).
 
Miami International Airport
La Carreta
The airport outpost of Miami's well-known Cuban chain is open 24 hours, serving favorites like pressed, portable French-bread sandwiches including the Cubano, made with roast pork, Swiss cheese and pickles, and the smaller medianoches ("midnight") made with ham, cheese and pickles (Terminal D, post-security).
 
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
French Meadow Bakery & Café
The Minneapolis original bills itself as the longest continuously running certified organic bakery in the country; the airport outpost serves baked goods like warm apple crisp as well as savory dishes such as pan-seared walleye with Minnesota wild rice (The Mall across from Checkpoint 1).
 
Newark Liberty International Airport
Vino Volo
This growing chain of cushy airport wine bars serves small plates of cheese, cured meats, olives, and dishes like chilled paella and duck-confit-and-lentil salad. The food is available to go, and you can also order wines you've tasted for home delivery (Terminal C, Gate 73).
 
Philadelphia International Airport
Chickie's & Pete's
The Philadelphia airport recently overhauled its main food court, adding an outlet of this lively South Philly crab house known for its chowder, steak sandwiches and "crab fries," or French fries seasoned with crab-boil seasoning and served with a creamy cheese dipping sauce (Terminal A-West).
 
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
El Bravo
Mother and daughter Carmen and Lorraine Othon's green-chile tamales have been drawing crowds to their El Bravo restaurant in Phoenix's Sunnyslope neighborhood for nearly 30 years. Now, Lorraine's daughter, Monique, serves those same tamales–prepared earlier that morning in the original location–at El Bravo's airport outpost (Terminal 4, near Gate D).
Portland International Airport
Rogue Ale Public House
The funky Newport, Oregon, brewery Rogue produces some of the best craft beers in the country; it also has five Rogue Ale Public Houses–the one in the airport has eight Rogue ales on tap and gastropub dishes like Kobe beef burgers topped with local Rogue Creamery cheddar (Concourse D, post-security).
San Francisco International Airport
Anchor Brewing Company
The famed San Francisco brewery's airport outpost serves the full range of its craft beers, including its Anchor Steam Beer, made using a unique brewing process that gives it the fruitiness of an ale and the rounded maltiness of a lager (Terminal 3, Gate 70).
 
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Anthony's
This regional restaurant chain in the Pacific Northwest is known for fresh local seafood and stunning views. The Sea-Tac location is no exception, with dishes like Puget Sound oysters and the Olympic mountain range as a backdrop (Central Terminal).
 
Washington Dulles International Airport
Five Guys
Both Terminals A and B have branches of this Washington, DC-based chain, which makes skinny, flavorful burgers and hand-cut fries to order and offers free peanuts (Terminal A, Gate 3; Terminal B, Gate 71).