MIA, it has been a few years but we had a connection back to NY from St Thomas and about 3 hours to kill. We finally found a place that offered food and had a bar. The menu didn't do much and the thumbs down from the people next to us about their food convinced us the pretzels from the vending machine was a better option.

I think more airports should start having 'street-pricing' policies like at YVR and YYC. There is nothing worse than paying grossly inflated prices for tasteless food with little other choice.

Do airport operators in the US charge extravagant rents to vendors (like operators do elsewhere in the world)?...

That would maybe help explain the prices.....:confused:

Worst food has been Chilis, Fox Sport Net, Route 66, Fridays, etc...

Best BBQ at IAH and DFW, Papadeux IAH, and Legal Sea Foods DCA.

Also, when I lived in Laredo, Texas the food at the airport restaurant (Mexican) was good. We use to go to the airport for lunch when we were not flying. Good BBQ and Mexican Food. The owner smokes all his meat at home and then takes it to his restaurant in the airport. I use to drive by his house on the way to a grocery store, and every night he was in his back yard smoking the meat. BBQ enchiladas, strange, but very good.

Some do, some don't. From what I recall, more and more airports are moving towards street pricing. Construction/renovation of terminals tends to be the trigger as often the existing contracts are very long term and can't be breached for eons unless the space itself is being demolished.

It's probably easier to just list the airport restaurants that aren't terrible. As far as I'm concerned, it might as well be a one-million-way tie for worst.

Even good airports have lousy concessions. YVR's food concessions are crap - but at least they redeem themselves with the Jetside Bar at the Fairmount Hotel in the airport. Nicer than most airport lounges, good view of the ramp, and good food - had a particularly good butter chicken curry last time I was there. Buy a couple of drinks and it's still cheaper than a day pass.

Unfortunately not airside, but if you have time to kill after check-in, it's choice.

Dick Clark's American Bandstand grill in IND. Terrible food and mediocre service. :td:

Most food in airports is gross. Even "dependable" fast food manages to be way worse than it would be anywhere else. I had a grilled veggie sandwich at some place in IAH on a connection back to SFO and woke up at 5am that night puking my guts out.

Though the worst was having about 10 minutes to make a connection in SLC and having to get a sandwich from some place by the gate. It was like 7 dollars for huge, stale bread, lettuce, tomato and American cheese.

I patronized Route 66 @ ABQ because they were Rewards Network (iDine) participating: whatta mistake-a ta make-a! UGH!

Seven dollars for a third of a can of Campbells soup, anyone?

/pbz

SEA as well. I think SJC as well, but not sure.

The Budweiser restaurant in ATL is awful. Not that there is much good to eat in ATL...

I was once stranded outside security in the Albany airport for a little over five hours. The options were so dire, I ended up eating dinner out of the vending machine. I would have been grateful for a McDonald's at that point.

This is much like judging the worst seat on a regional jet, but I would have to say just about anything at BNA, except possibly Whitt's BBQ (which is trucked in from offsite anyway) has been awful since about 1986. Fortunately the terminal is being renovated and we are getting some decent restaurant options. I would like to single out the "Jose Cuervo Tequileria" at MSP for special criticism...the food is mediocre as you might expect, but you will have forgotten all about the food by the time you receive the check, which will typically be about 45 minutes later (no kidding). This place is known for being among the slowest restaurants in all of airportdom, at least domestically.

Krystal being the exception, of course! I guess it's OT to report decent places to eat in this thread, but Au Bon Pain is also a reliable place for a decent sandwich.