We know you're going to be getting out of the city this holiday season.
Whether you're flying to your grandmother's house for Thanksgiving, visiting your cool, older cousin for Christmas, or just high-tailing it out of the city for a vacation this season, you've got to eat.
Sometimes, you'll find yourself stranded in an NYC airport with a rumbling stomach.
How do you handle this situation? Luckily, the airports in and around NYC have some pretty good cuisine options. What we mean is, the food at NYC's airports isn't as dismal as actually being in the airports.
Read on to find the best places to treat yourself to some delicious food at NYC's airports this holiday season.
Newark
We know we told you not to go to Newark Liberty, but the fact of the matter is that sometimes flights from Newark are less expensive. Sometimes flights from Newark are more convenient. Sometimes, we've got to fly out of Newark.
Whenever we fly out of Newark, we've got to eat. It turns out that the food at Newark is better than ever before, because they've just launched a re-design program that brought some NYC chefs to the airport. Here's where we suggest you should eat.
1. Philip's Seafood (Terminal A)
cin_d_elisabeth A brisk afternoon of #retailtherapy #eating & the bf spoiling me #shopping Thank u 😍 #tangeroutlets #foxwoods #mashantucket #ct #philipsseafood (two tacos & crab cakes sandwich) #cteats #eeeeeats #chucky #childsplay #halloweentheme #foodbuddy #nomnomnom #yummyinmytummy #delicious #instayum #instalike #instagood #instapicture #instafood #food #eatlikeshit #foodstagram #foodporn #foodpics #foodie #hungry #shop
Philip's Seafood is every bit as excellent as any restaurant you could hope to find in an airport. They've got real breakfast with real eggs, and potato wedges that have clearly been cut from actual potatoes.
Plus, they've got table service, take-out, and a full bar with several beers on tap. These are perfect for getting a little tipsy before you board your flight.
The crab cakes here are entirely enticing, full of fresh crab in every bite, and are always freshly cooked.
The point is, Philip's Seafood really shines out among the wreckage of way worse, way less inviting restaurants at Newark.
2. Qdoba (Teriminal A)
We know we don't have Qdoba in NYC, and that's actually a shame since Qdoba is a way excellent outpost to obtain packed burritos, three-cheese nachos, Mexican gumbo, and quesadillas.
They also have some really excellent taco salads, complete with crisp lettuce, black bean corn salsa, and Picante Ranch Dressing, after which you get to munch on the bowl.
We're just saying the cheese game at Qdoba is great. If you have to fly out of Newark, make sure you make it to Terminal A and get yourself some delicious grub.
3. Wanderlust Burger Bar (Terminal C)
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If you've got some cash to blow, you might just find yourself having a great time at Wanderlust Burger Bar.
It offers a huge list of burgers which you're free to wash down alongside an even bigger list of beers. They've got fried pickles, iPads at every table which offer you the full run of the internet, cell phone charging stations, and televisions galore.
The bar is long, it stretches past several gates, and convenient: it's right in front of plenty of gates at Terminal C. The fries here are surprisingly excellent, and they've also got pretty good po boys. Give it a whirl.
JFK Airport
Since JFK is the best, most modern airport in NYC, it would stand to reason that it also offers the best selection of food.
Don't let yourself get brought down by delayed flights, and by the prospect of leaving NYC for yellower pastures. Dine at the following restaurants, and you'll get cheered up really fast.
1. Qdoba
Again, we'd have to recommend you check out Qdoba while you're in the JFK airport. Especially since you can't find it within the barriers of NYC.
How we'd have to describe Qdoba to those New Yorkers who've never tried it is: Chipotle, but if Chipotle had free guacamole, many more sauce choices, and, you know, the reason everyone goes to Qdoba in the first place: queso.
Plus, the Qdoba at the JFK airport is open 24/7, which makes it an even better option than most for those times you had to take the red-eye flight home from Thanksgiving to make it to work the next day, for instance.
2. Blue Smoke on the Road (Terminal 4)
andrearene_ France was great but this welcome back to #USA #bbq meal with bourbon is BOMB #bluesmokeontheroad #beefbrisket #woodfordreserve
Blue Smoke on the Road is a pretty great place to chill before your flight and munch on a burger. We'd have to suggest the Blue Smoke Burger. They've also got some delectable sandwiches, salads, ribs, and wings.
They've also got a full bar. So if you're worried you may have to face the real world sober, well, with Blue Smoke on the Road, you don't have to.
The sandwiches are pretty great, especially the chicken salad sandwich which comes with a nice side salad, and they've got a very tasty plate of mac and cheese.
Really though, you should come here for the beer. They've got a staggering variety of it, and an absolutely divine smoked porter.
,3. Deep Blue Sushi (Terminal 5)
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Want some absurdly delicious ramen before your flight? Then Deep Blue Sushi is totally where you need to be.
The sushi, salads, and pork ramen are all great, but the ramen is really where it's at. Plus, we've got to say, the whole vibe is extremely relaxed, and sort of feels completely separate from the bustling airport right outside.
Props to the delicately constructed, delicious dragon roll. Props to Deep Blue Sushi for being amazing, and not in an "it's amazing for an airport" sort of way. It's just, actually amazing. The quality of the fish is high, and the rolls are innovative and good.
You'll be satisfied if you grub here before your flight.
4. Piquillo (Terminal 5)
cuevabar We open at 1pm every #Saturday come try these #teriyaki stuffed #piquillo with a $3 #sandiegocraftbeer
Piquillo is special because it's the first-ever restaurant in a U.S. airport to serve Spanish tapas. It's also special because they have this incredible tuna ceviche. It's absolutely one of the best options to get yourself fed in JFK, and probably the best option for breakfast in the entire airport.
They've got really stellar breakfast quesadillas that come packed with egg, bacon, American cheese, with sides of guacamole and pico de gallo. It also comes with our favorite side in the world: home fries.
They also have a pretty great cheese plate on which you can pick five cheese that are all delicious and unique, and topped with a balsamic glaze drizzle. You can get this with a dried, spicy salami too.
They've also got a huge selection of sandwiches, and the tapas we mentioned. We're mostly into the chorizo and shrimp. Basically, Piquillo can turn the blues of a delayed flight into happiness really fast.
LaGuardia
We hate on LaGuardia a lot, but we can't deny that the dining experience at LaGuardia has improved drastically over the past few years.
As in, there are a few places at LaGuardia that can really turn your airport experience around. Read on to find out what they are.
1. Cotto (Terminal C)
cashew28 I'll be back! The pinchos there were delicious! #pinchos #rainyday #cold #laguardia #rutadelvino
Of all the food at all the airports, Cotto's is pretty much where it's at. They've got Cabernet, tasty pizza, prosciutto frittatas, and really delicious cappuccinos.
These are all served in white porcelain, and you do all your ordering on iPads. You can prepay by credit card, so you're free to rush off if it's your turn to board.
They've also got some pretty excellent breakfast options. We're way about the steak and eggs. So maybe you're dealing with some supreme frustration because your flight was delayed, or you're bummed because you just had to leave someone you loved behind.
Chase all this misery away at Cotto. We promise it works.
2. Victory Grill (Terminal C)
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Victory Grill is a gem in a bleak environment. At Victory Grill you'll find love in a hopeless place. By love, we mean pork sliders, and by hopeless place, we mean LaGuardia Airport.
Victory Grill is top notch in terms of service, comfort, and offers up a high quality of food. They've got a pretty great variety of beer, and we can't really discuss the crab artichoke dip without our stomachs lurching in hunger.
You can satiate yourself pretty thoroughly with their organic roasted chicken with brussels sprouts on the side, and their juicy burgers. The chicken is seasoned perfectly, and tender, and the portions here are pretty large.
They've also got some really great hazelnut desert. Basically, Victory Grill is a diamond in the rough in every sense of that phrase.
3. Taglaire (Terminal D)
Taglaire was innovated by the son of Dom Demarco, the mastermind behind Di Fara pizza, so it's no wonder that the slices at Taglaire are more than decent.
In fact, DeMarco's brought Di Fara's legendary pizza recipe to LaGuardia airport, so if you're going to be stranded at LaGuardia waiting for your flight, you might as well feast on the best pizza in all the land.
They've got pies with bacon, pepperoni, sausage, basil, and ranch. They're every bit as delicious as they sound. They've also got stuffed breakfast pizza and breakfast stromboli, which are both pretty stellar.
Taglaire is the perfect opportunity for your last ditch chance at a slice of East Coast pizza.
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[Feature Image Courtesy BizJournals.com]