RewardExpert 2018 International Airport Dining Scorecard
RewardExpert breaks down the dining offerings at some of the most-traveled airports around the world so that frequent flyers know where to eat and where to avoid noshing
International travel can be a hassle. Long waits at customs, serious cases of jet lag, and tens of hours in the air can suck the joy out of even the most long-awaited overseas trip. On top of that, foreign travelers often have to stop their flights to wait so that they can get on another plane. A flight from JFK to Sydney? The odds of that being direct are slim to none.
Regardless, a good meal can ease the pain of a long layover overseas. RewardExpert sought out to find out which international airports serve the best food. We compiled thousands of reviews from the fifteen most trafficked airports outside of the United States and gathered menu and pricing data to determine the best airports in terms of overall restaurant quality, price and variety to help international travelers find culinary refuge from their long layovers.
Rankings from Best to Worst
Below is a ranking of fifteen major international airports based on food offerings. Each airport is rated on its
, , and . Additionally, the top eatery is listed at each airport including information in its cuisine, price range, hours of operation, and location.
Narita International Airport
This Tokyo-adjacent travel hub is the number one international airport to eat at on our rankings, and by a healthy margin at that! Nearly 0.7 points higher than any other airline, Narita’s high quality and low prices give it an edge over its contemporaries. Yakitori, Sushi, Udon and Tonkatsu abound in this airport; you can get some great Japanese food that will leave both your tummy and your wallet satisfied.
Sushiden
Japanese, Sushi
1-1 Furugome, Narita, Chiba Prefecture, New Tokyo International Airport Terminal 2, 4th Floor
9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Taoyuan International Airport
Lower diversity in cuisine choice is the only thing keeping this Taiwanese airport from its score skyrocketing even further in our ranking. With the second-lowest prices and second-highest rated food, Taoyuan is no slouch in the culinary department. Check out Chun Shui Tang for some quick, delicious local delicacies.
Chun Shui Tang
Chinese, Cafe, Asian, Taiwanese
B2, No.9 Hangzhan South Road, Dayuan Township, Taoyuan Airport branch, Taoyuan 337, Taiwan
9:00 am – 10:00 pm
Hong Kong International Airport
As the third-busiest international airport in the world, it’s not unlikely that frequent international travelers may have a stopover in Hong Kong International. That’s good news for their stomachs and their wallets. You won’t find many bad places to eat in this airport, and the consistency in positive reviews is quite remarkable. No matter where you stop, you’re bound to get a good, affordable bite, but its Hong Kong specialties are definitely its best reviewed.
Saboten
Japanese, Asian, Fast Food
7E163, Level 7, Departure East Hall, Terminal 1, Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong, China
9:00 am – 10:00 pm
Changi Airport
Coming in at number four, Singapore’s Changi Airport scores 4.0% higher than average in our overall ranking and touts balanced marks across the board. In the top half of all categories, Changi is home to a plethora of quality culinary options. Changi Airport particularly shines when with its top-notch Cantonese food, which travelers can experience while dining at Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine.
Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine
Chinese, Asian
75 Airport Boulevard | Singapore Airport - Crowne Plaza Hotel, Singapore 237994, Singapore
11:30 am - 3:00 pm (Mon – Fri)
Amsterdam Airport Schipol
Schipol ranks amongst the top half of every category, except for quality, but it is less than 3.0% away from being in the top half of our quality rankings. With a solid range of restaurants, from cheap eats to fine dining, Schipol is one of our top international airports to eat at.
Bowery Restaurant
Dutch, European, Asian
Schiphol Boulevard 701 | In Hilton Hotel, 1118 BN Schiphol
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Gatwick Airport
It doesn’t have the same name recognition of Heathrow Airport, but Gatwick boasts a higher overall cuisine ranking than its counterpart. The quality is only 4.0% lower than Heathrow on our scale, yet its average price rating is significantly lower. It’s a real win for Gatwick travelers.
Comptoir Libanais
Lebanese, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Gatwick Airport | North Terminal Airside Gatwick Airport, Crawley RH6 0PJ, England
Kingsford-Smith Airport
Like Thai food? Head to Taste of Thai. Into Mexican? Mad Mex is for you. How about modern Australian? Grab a bite at Ibis Kitchen. The airport in Sydney ranks the highest of all fifteen airports on our list when it comes to culinary diversity. The prices aren’t always great, but the food is and you can get a quality bite in a number of cuisines.
Chur Burger
American, Fast Food, Australian
48 Albion St, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia
11:30 am – 10:00 pm (Tue – Sat)
Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport
Madrid Airport is a haven for delectable Spanish foods and tapas, but offers little else for hungry travelers without a taste for either. Low diversity in choice puts this airport in the middle of the pack, despite solid scores in the quality and price categories.
Vinea
Mediterranean, Spanish, Fusion
T4 Sat Madrid/Barajas Airport, C/ Colon nº 56 Bejar (Salamanca), Spain
9:30 am - 14:00 am, 4:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Munich Airport
Expensive menus all around brings down the rankings for Munich Airport despite its quality food offerings. Establishments like Airbrau are among the most well-renowned in any airport in our ranking. Munich’s choice diversity is middle-of-the-road, however the prices are second-highest among the airports in this ranking. Food costs are nearly 40.0% higher than the average prices among all fifteen airports.
Airbrau
Bavarian, Beer Hall, Breweries
Terminal road. 18, 85356 Munich, Germany
8:00 am - 1:00 am
Heathrow Airport
More than 75 million hungry travelers have passed through Heathrow’s gates, making it the second-most traveled international airport. It’s the third-highest rated airport in terms of cuisine quality and is home to restaurants from chefs like Gordon Ramsey. It’s also the most expensive airport to eat at by a large margin, making its overall ranking rather low.
Gordon Ramsey's Plane Food
European, British, Vegetarian Friendly
Terminal 5 Heathrow Airport, Wellington Road, Hounslow TW6 2GA, United Kingdom
5:00 am - 9:30 pm
Frankfurt Airport
The Frankfurt Airport is more well-trafficked than its sister airport in Munich, but it doesn’t quite stack up in terms of our rankings. Frankfurt actually scores above 4 stars in quality and touts a wide selection of German cuisine, like Paulaner in the Squaire, but it’s the fourth-most expensive airport to eat at, cutting into its overall ranking.
Paulanier in the Squaire
Bavarian, German
The Squaire West, AiRail terminal, level 5 at the airport 60549 Frankfurt, Germany
11:00 am – 12:00 am
Pierson Airport
Toronto is one of the largest cities in Canada and its multicultural population and plethora of cuisine choices make it a hot destination for foodies. Unfortunately, the culinary culture is not well reflected in the capitol’s airport. Sunk by a wide range of low-rated restaurant choices, Pierson airport ranks the lowest of any airport in terms of quality, yet its ranking is bolstered to fourth-lowest by its high diversity in cuisine choice.
Fetta
Cafes, Food Stands, Sandwiches
Toronto Pearson International Airport – 6301 Silver Dart Dr Mississauga, ON L5P 1B2
5:00 am – 12:00 am
Charles De Gaulle Airport
Paris, home to Charles De Gaulle Airport, is widely-known as one of the great culinary cities of the world. De Gaulle Airport does not quite live up to its home city’s culinary prestige in our rankings. De Gaulle has the third-lowest quality ranking and fifth-lowest culinary diversity standing of the fifteen airports reviewed. However, it is a bastion for high-end dining. Sushirama and Caviar House are quality options, but they’re far from cheap.
I Love Paris by Guy Martin
French, European
Airport Charles de Gaulle, Terminal 2E (Hall L), 95931 Paris, France
5:00 am – 12:00 am
Barcelona-El Prat Airport
A mere one-tenth of points separate Barcelona-El Prat from the dregs of this ranking and it falls victim to many of the qualities that also dragged down the last-place airport. Barelona's airport boasts more than a handful of well-reviewed tapas and Spanish restaurants, cashing in on the national cuisine. However, options are limited and Barcelona has the third-worst cuisine diversity on the list.
Porta Gaig
Mediterranean, European, Spanish
Barcelona El Prat Airport, Terminal 1, Floor 3, 08820, El Prat de Llobregat, Spain
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Leonardo Da Vinci-Fuimicino Airport
It’s one of the most-expensive airports to eat at on the list and has by far the least cuisine diversity. Its average overall quality can’t bring it up from the very bottom of this list. If you’re looking for an Italian meal before you leave Rome, this isn’t a bad place to eat. If you want anything else, you might be better off waiting for food on the plane.
Antonello Colonna Open Bistro
Italian
Via Leonardo da Vinci | Terminal 1, Gate Area B, 00054, Fiumicino, Italy
Top 15 Airports
Full ranking of the fifteen international airports with good meal
| # | Airport | Country | Quality | Price | Diversity | Score | Top rated restaurant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo HRT | Japan | 5.00 | 5.00 | 3.46 | 4.77 |
Sushiden |
| 2 | Taipei TPE | Taiwan | 4.40 | 4.10 | 2.69 | 4.10 |
Chun Shui Tang |
| 3 | Hong-Kong HKG | Hong Kong | 4.17 | 3.35 | 4.04 | 4.03 |
Saboten |
| 4 | Changi SIN | Singapore | 3.96 | 3.95 | 3.85 | 3.94 |
Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine |
| 5 | Amsterdam AMS | The Netherlands | 3.95 | 3.01 | 4.42 | 3.88 |
Bowery Restaurant |
| 6 | London LGW | United Kingdom | 4.11 | 3.01 | 3.65 | 3.88 |
Comptoir Libanais |
| 7 | Sydney SYD | Australia | 3.90 | 2.36 | 5.00 | 3.84 |
Chur Burger |
| 8 | Madrid MAD | Spain | 3.96 | 3.77 | 2.88 | 3.77 |
Vinea |
| 9 | Munich MUC | Germany | 4.20 | 1.83 | 3.65 | 3.76 |
Airbrau |
| 10 | London LHR | United Kingdom | 4.29 | 1.33 | 3.65 | 3.75 |
Gordon Ramsey's Plane Food |
| 11 | Frankfurt FRA | Germany | 4.17 | 2.24 | 3.08 | 3.71 |
Paulanier in the Squaire |
| 12 | Toronto YYZ | Canada | 3.39 | 2.31 | 4.42 | 3.49 |
Fetta |
| 13 | Paris CDG | France | 3.63 | 2.56 | 3.08 | 3.39 |
I Love Paris by Guy Martin |
| 14 | Barcelona BCN | Spain | 3.51 | 2.78 | 2.88 | 3.31 |
Porta Gaig |
| 15 | Rome FCO | Italy | 3.83 | 2.20 | 1.92 | 3.30 |
Antonello Colonna Open Bistro |
Methodology
Fifteen of most trafficked international airports were determined using the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s 2016 Annual Airport Traffic Report. From the aggregate list, the domestic airports were eliminated to isolate 30 of the most trafficked international airports, of which 15 were selected due to their significant availability of user review, pricing and menu data. RewardExpert then created a weighted scoring system using pricing and quality ratings from Yelp and TripAdvisor, as well as cuisine diversity figures from these sites and each airport’s directories. These final figures were cross-checked with JD Power and Zagat ratings.
4.77
The final rankings were determined using three indicators: quality, price and cuisine diversity. Quality rankings were determined with a weighted average of Yelp and TripAdvisor scores for each airport’s restaurants and cross-checked with Zagat and JD Power rankings. Price scores were calculated using Yelp pricing data. Cuisine diversity was evaluated using the primary cuisine categories noted in Yelp Reviews and the individual airport’s restaurants listing in their directories.
