Originally Posted by
Efrem
Does anyone have a recommendation for a LANDSIDE place to eat at LAX? My wife and I hope to have dinner with a cousin of hers during a five-hour connection (arrive AA, depart QF) the day after New Year's. The cousin wants to eat at the airport rather than picking us up, eating nearby, and dropping us off. She is also not someone who would buy a refundable ticket to get airside and then turn it in after dinner. Short of persuading her to do one of these, does anyone have a favorite landside eatery? (The two linked articles don't say which side of security the restaurants they discuss are on, other than the first one for TBIT only, but I assume they're mostly airside. Please correct me if that's wrong, too.)
Panchos is a few miles from LAX, south on Vista Del Mar in Manhattan Beach. Vista parallels PCH only it’s on the coast. Panchos is popular with South Bay locals (including local TV and movie celebs) for great food, easy prices and their Margaritas. It’s a 10 to 15 minute drive and not by freeway. I know they’re always trying to upscale the terminal dining experience, but unless you want a decent burger or chicken fingers perfected after years of practice, I’d leave LAX. BA used to offer to serve your full chef prepared F/C meal in the club before departure so you could board in your PJs and sleep for the entire flight, but that was only on shorter flights (like ORD or JFK to LHR) to increase dedicated sleep time. I doubt that’s featured on Pacific Rim trips. If the South Bay’s out, I’ll end with a link from the LA Times of good dining opportunities near LAX. The article’s a few years old, but with due diligence and leaving the driving to Lyft, 5 hours is plenty of time to leave LAX, eat well and make it back to TIBIT. Good luck and safe trip.
I apologize but apparently I am not allowed to leave links. I used the Bing SE in Safari and asked, “what’s the best restaurant near lax”