Dining Options Outside Airports

Los Angeles

I know business travelers who schedule a special stop at the In-n-Out Burger just a mile from LAX. Like all outposts of this cult chain, the Sepulveda Boulevard branch has no freezers, heat lamps or microwaves and only sells fresh burgers and fries and shakes made with ice cream. But I'm partial to Mariposas at the Hacienda Hotel, about two miles from the airport. Mariposas is a diner, and a dive diner at that, all blue-vinyl banquettes and brown laminate countertops. But it offers a killer breakfast, several terrific Mexican dishes, and a nice California club sandwich.

Minneapolis/St. Paul

A glorious (but financially unsustainable) haute cuisine palace called Levain has morphed into a charming, friendly French bistro called Café Levain. Eight miles from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International, the chef has been on a plane a mere three times in his life. In other words, no airport atmosphere or airline food here. Dinner only, however.

New York/Newark

The New York metro area's horrendous ground traffic means you probably should get your dining in before you leave for the airport. But since the three major airports are also the least-timely facilities in the nation, you might want to risk a food run during a long delay. Near LaGuardia, try Trattoria L'incontro, a sweet little mother-and-son restaurant in Astoria, about ten minutes away by cab. Good pizza and several interesting dishes from the Abruzzo region. About 10 minutes from Newark International is Casa Vasca, which melds Basque, Spanish, and Portuguese cuisines. Locals prefer munching in the bar, which offers daily specials off a blackboard. If the dreaded Van Wyck Expressway isn't gridlocked, try the Tandoori Hut, six miles from Kennedy Airport. This tiny, BYOB place does excellent Tandoori dishes and a fine job on familiar North India curries.

Philadelphia

A place called Bomb Bomb BBQ Grill and Italian Restaurant could only exist in South Philly. The traditional Southern Italian menu (tomato sauce is called gravy here) somehow co-exists with a roster of award-winning baby-back ribs and chicken dishes. All this is eight miles from Philadelphia International. If Bomb Bomb is too surreal for your tastes, try the Oregon Diner, which is open 24 hours and serves up a mean scrapple and a representative Philly Cheesesteak. It's 10 miles from the airport.

Phoenix

The good news: The legendary Pizzeria Bianco is less than five miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. But before you dream of a between-flights feast of Chris Bianco's iconic Rosa pizza (red onion, parmigiano reggiano, rosemary and pistachios), consider the bad news: The dinner-only place takes no reservations for small groups, the lines are insanely long and airlines never hold flights for transcendental pizza. Unfortunately.

Salt Lake City

The Red Iguana serves up Southwestern cuisine as well as excellent regional Mexican specialties. It's one of Utah's best and best-known restaurants—and, best of all, it's only six miles from Salt Lake City International. Since Salt Lake City is consistently one of the nation's most-timely airports, don't bank on a between-flights repast. Build some time into your departure schedule to dine before you leave town.

San Francisco

About seven miles from San Francisco International is the Sinbad Grill in San Mateo. It's a combination Middle Eastern restaurant and market that does terrific hummus, nice falafel and good grilled kebabs. Lots of imported beers too. If you prefer to fly from Oakland International, you owe yourself a visit to Dewey Bargiacchi's Francesco's. Just a block from the airport's front gate, this 40-year-old place is an odd agglomeration of diner, family-style Italian-American restaurant, and brown-liquor meet-and-greet hangout. The food is simple, portions are gigantic, prices are low—and Wednesday is ham hocks and lima bean night.

The Fine Print…

Security screening times at Seattle/Tacoma Airport are so unpredictable that I don't even try for the great Thai food at the original Bai Tong, which is two miles from the airport. And my misgivings about eating at an airport notwithstanding, I don't leave Boston's Logan Airport since the restaurant I crave, Legal Sea Foods, has four branches there. There's an outpost at Washington's Reagan National Airport too.

For a list of the addressess, telephone numbers, and websites of all the restaurants Joe recommends, click here.

---

Joe Brancatelli writes Portfolio.com’s business travel column, Seat 2B. Brancatelli is the former executive editor of Frequent Flyer magazine and has written about travel in numerous publications.