Goat goulash? I'd try that! Sounds good! :D

It was open at 10:30 am, but the atmosphere was so creepy that
I abandoned the terminal altogether and ended up at a something
beach brewing company in T6 next to a Sausage Kingdom and had a
perfectly decent sausage and a Stargazer IPA.

I think the worst place ever is the Fox Sports Bar in DTW. Dirty, smoky, and there isnt' a single item on the menu that isn't fried.

And I used to love Chili's - my father was one of the original managers when they still had company chili cookoffs in Texas, and I ate there all the time as a kid. They lost me when you couldn't get a burger medium-rare anymore...

Anything run by Aramark

Both sides of the coin here. I'll start with the bad. I am newly based out of MSY, and ironically, in a city known for its food, the terminal serving UA is utterly devoid of anything but very limited fast food and stale sandwiches. I can't speak for the rest of the airport, but even the one place in the UA terminal that serves liquor doesn't even serve anything but hot dogs that are so burned the outside of them is crunchy. :td: :td:

I'd have to say skip Que Bueno in DEN as well. Always rude service, always 90 degrees inside...if you can even get a seat.

In terms of pretty good by airport food standards, I'd have to make two recommendations. First, I used to be based out of TUS, and the little Mexican bar and grill past security on the UA/US terminal is actually pretty decent in terms of both food and service. Good thing, because it's the only restaurant past security on that side.

Second, Pour La France in DEN's Concourse B is consistently one of my best airport dining experiences on any trip that takes me through DEN. It's a little pricey by some standards, but the food is always good, the staff is always pleasant, the atmosphere is quiet and relaxing, and they don't mind if you stick around in there after your meal for an hour or two...good for long layovers.

Off topic, I know, but I'll agree with the posters who flagged AUS and TUS for the best airport food. I've actually tried 2 mex restaurants in TUS and found both fine. One's upstairs, IIRC. The one by the UA gates makes an awesome breakfast, too.

Sjc
 

For some reason, I keep getting a hunger for a big fat greasy burger when traveling. But at the SJC Terminal A Burger King, they keep getting my order wrong, I always order without pickles, but they turn up in my burger anyways. And the staff doesn't seem to care one way or the other.
I like the Whoppers and onion rings at regular Burger Kings restaurants (shaddup...I know... :p ) Unfortunately I keep forgetting which Burger King to avoid until I bite into my Whopper while waiting at SJC. :(


Steve

Que Bueno is popular for flight crews. Not sure why, because the place is unsanitary and is not really that good for Mexican food. You get to watch flies land on the food they are making. No clue how they got the Best Mexican Restraunt from 5280 magazine several years ago. And I did notice that their staff is terribly rude nowadays.

But for DEN, or any other airport, you really cannot beat Jimmys. Its on the A Concourse, right off the escalators. Awesome food, decent prices, and a great atmosphere. You forget you are in the airport!

Also, the Yankee Salad at the restraunt just inside security at SFO's UA terminal cannot be beat. Its the old Crab Pot restraunt, completely redone and with new staff...which are fantastic!

The china restaurant at Vancouver Intl departures is awful !

I even had the worst cheeseburger of my life at the McD in DFW (dont remember the area, it was DFW-ZRH) last week !

But at least one positive comment: The Duesseldorf airport has a new fantastic sushi restaurant in the unsecured area. Even some of the other restaurants are superb ! The best destination when it comes too food for me!

Compared to the U.S. airports the european ones usually dont have Burger King, McD etc. (exceptions like FRA+CDG) but nice and tasty bakerys :D

worst airport restaurants
 

on a plus side, the grill at ACY (atlantic city "international" airport)
serves eggs to order at very fair prices. It is past the security check-in.

the cheesesteaks are no match to a true AC cheesesteak, but the prices once again are quite cheap.
and one can watch the Spirit Airlines planes outside.......a meal with a view!

and yes, I agree with the poster about the good food in the international terminal at SFO. My plane from PHL landed in the INTL section for some reason last week, and it was quite a sight to see a few tables of folks eating their sushi at 10 am. (along with plenty of coffee pots getting passed around)

LAS does not have any inspiring food places, IMO.

Chili's @ IAH Terminal A
 

This whole terminal is a culinary disaster. They have too many restaurants to support the low volume of passengers. That leaves us US Airways passengers with a variety of bad options. The worst is Chili's-to-go. Utterly sickening, the last thing you need before jumping on a three hour flight.

The restaurant inside security at Tucson gets my vote.

In a region with fantastic Mexican food, this place serves FROZEN and reheated burritos...I got one which was still partially frozen on the inside.

Never again!

Well, while I agree that the food inside concourse C (the UA terminal) leaves much to be desired, you can do OK while you're still on the other side of security. I was at the Acme Oyster House's restaurant at MSY this afternoon and it was pretty good, I thought!

......and most are overpriced as well.

Agreed on ICN airside. I loved the signs for "Turkey Ice Cream" they had up last fall. Shocking how such a great airport can have such terrible food offerings.