The Top 10 Best Airports for Food
Airport food usually isn’t the best. Salad bars, soggy sandwiches and limp fries, all far too expensive as well. But things are different at these ten airports.
The American magazine Forbes published a list of the ten best airports when it comes to food. The ranking is based on tens of thousands of reviews from hungry travelers around the world. Great, now we know which destination to book our next ticket to.
10. Heathrow Airport (London)
Planning a city trip to London? Then you can eat at the airport at none other than Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant. The chances of finding the shouting chef himself behind the stoves there are small; he’s far too busy arguing with his rival Jamie Oliver. Gordon or no Gordon, his restaurant serves a fine bite and has plenty of vegetarian options on the menu.
It probably won’t surprise you that this is one of the most expensive airports.
9. Munich Airport (Munich)
German cuisine may not immediately come to mind when you think of culinary delights, yet Munich performed surprisingly well. At Airbräu, you can enjoy classic German dishes, including a very large glass of beer, of course.
8. Aldofo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (Madrid)
Tapas, tapas, tapas. If you haven’t eaten enough during your stay in Madrid, you can have one final food sprint here. The best are at Vinea, which also serves other Spanish classics.
7. Kingsford-Smith Airport (Sydney)
Australia is an amazing destination anyway if your main goal is to eat as much as possible. It’s a true melting pot with the best from every corner of the world. You can see that at the airport too. From Thai food at Taste of Thai to Mexican at Mad Mex, you can take a whole trip around the world without leaving the airport. Prefer Australian food? Then stop by Ibis Kitchen.
6. Gatwick Airport (Gatwick)
You thought London was the best English city for food, didn’t you? Think again. Gatwick Airport comes in a few places higher on the list. I’ll be honest: that’s mainly because of the value for money. Comptoir Libanais is named as the best restaurant at the airport. Very tasty, sure, but you could also just go to Utrecht Central Station for that.
5. Schiphol (Amsterdam)
Yes, our very own Schiphol is in fifth place! The restaurant Forbes identifies as the best pick is Bowery. We’ve never been there ourselves, but we’re always very happy at Leon. And if you’re more in the mood for something greasy, you can always just go to McDonald’s, right?
4. Changi Airport (Singapore)
Look, guys, now we’re getting to the real deal. People in Asia love food, and that shows in the top four. Singapore’s airport is a culinary playground. From fantastic Hainanese chicken (Singapore’s national dish) to classic Cantonese dishes: you’ll find it all at Changi Airport. Seriously, if you ever have a layover here, add a few extra hours. You can even catch a movie at the local cinema.
3. Hong Kong International Airport (Hong Kong)
Another Asian gem. Hong Kong is in my personal top three best cities for food anyway, and you can start eating your way through it at the airport. From caviar to soup dumplings, Hong Kong has it all, and of the best quality. Bad food is very hard to find in this city—and at the airport.
2. Taoyuan International Airport (Taipei)
Taiwan may not yet be on your list of culinary hotspots, but you need to change that very quickly. Coincidentally, after a great deal of research and drooling, this is my next travel destination. From beef noodle soup to bubble tea and handmade noodles, the Taiwanese certainly know how to cook. Chun Shui Tang is a chain found throughout Taiwan, and they claim to have invented bubble tea. You can get all the other Taiwanese delicacies here too, so you know where to go.
1. Narita International Airport (Tokyo)
This airport gets a full five points for both price and quality. You can get the very best sushi, yakitori, noodles, tonkatsu and other Japanese classics there. I remember very well buying a box of sushi at what was basically an AH to go at Tokyo’s airport, and it was genuinely a thousand times tastier than the sushi I eat in Dutch restaurants. So it doesn’t surprise me at all that the food at this airport was voted the best.
The best restaurant at Narita according to Forbes? That’s Sushiden, where you can get sushi that is apparently out of this world. Not in the mood for sushi? Then go to Tentei for the airport’s best tempura, Menya Kuukai for a large bowl of ramen, or Tonkatsu Inama Wako for tender, fried pork. Prefer something healthy? At Obon de Gohan, you can select your own meal with rice and miso soup. Have you booked your ticket yet?
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