Traveling is something you should get excited about, not have anxiety about. Whether you travel occasionally, for fun, or weekly for work, it is possible to eat healthy in the airport. I am going to run through some of the more popular US airports to fill you in on what I would eat to stick to my personal fitness goals.
First it’s important to know what you can and cannot bring through security. Don’t attempt a jar of peanut butter.. sadly they will confiscate that. You could bring fruit, nuts, protein powder, HB eggs (if you just use the whites they aren’t too smelly), or kale chips.
Please note, I only mention an establishments salads when they aren’t your typical pre-made chef salad or caesar salad which are neither healthy or appetizing.
Also note, I am total food snob and I’d rather starve than eat something that was made 48 hours ago in a factory with 8000 other meals, so I bet you can find things I didn’t list, and if you did, tell me in the comments below!
Atlanta
Lorena Garcia Cocina in Concourse F – This place has a few salads that look good, a roasted portobello mushroom and ceviche. I loveeeee ceviche. http://cheflorenagarcia.com/files/LG_Cocina_PDF.pdf
Nature’s Table Bistro in Terminal E – They have a bunch of salads made to order and I’ve even eaten the Fandangled myself. It was really tasty! You can even see their nutritional info on their site here: http://www.naturestable.com/menu/salads/
One Flew South in Terminal E – I didn’t get to look at their menu but they tout themselves as being first class dining and they get great reviews on travel sites. And if nothing else, they have sushi which, sashimi is never a bad option. http://www.oneflewsouthatl.com/foodanddrink.html
Phillips Seafood – This place has boiled peel and eat shrimp, grilled mahi, salmon or blackened tuna and all come with some sort of greens. They also have a decent breakfast like bacon and eggs and veggie omelets. Unfortunately they are closed right now for renovations, but hopefully they’ll be up and running soon. http://www.phillipsseafood.com/locations-and-menus/airports/hartsfieldjackson-atlanta-international-airport
Baltimore
Chipotle in Terminal A – Chipotle is burritos or bowls, but I have to mention them because they are quick and easy and they do use high quality ingredients for fast food, like local and organic produce when they can. http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/menu.aspx
Obrycki’s in Terminals A and B – These may have slightly different menus, but I noticed they have shrimp cocktail and crab meat cocktail, which is just lump crab meat (hellooooo it’s MD!) and cocktail sauce. http://www.obryckis.com/menu.php
Phillips Seafood in Concourse A – (See Atlanta description) http://www.phillipsseafood.com/locations-and-menus/baltimore/menus
Ram’s Head Tavern in Concourse C – This place looks like it may have the most delicious and naughty bar food in the world, but they do have a lot of different salad options and the have hummus with peppers, carrots and celery! Just be careful when looking over the menu. http://www.ramsheadtavern.com/annapolis/menu.html
Vino Volo Wine Bar in Terminal A has been reviewed and sounds decent. If not for the wine then you could try the charcuterie or a small plate of braised pork tacos. https://www.vinovolo.com/
Boston
Cibo Express Gourmet – This place has a lot of goodies, try to overlook the chocolate and the cookies because they do have fruit and greek yogurt too.
Legal Seafood in Terminals A, B and C – they all have different menus and some change frequently, but I will say, Legal always has a standard that they always uphold. You can always expect lobster, some kind of oysters, and different fish that you can almost always find baked along with veggies as well. http://www.legalseafoods.com/restaurants/boston-legal-c-bar-br-logan-airport-terminal-b
Phillips Seafood in Terminal A – (See Atlanta description)
U Food Grill in Terminals B and C – This place uses organic ingredients and they don’t fry their food. All of their steak tips are grassfed too. You can get steak tips or grilled chicken and you get to pick your sides which they have steamed broccoli and sweet potato mash.. yum! They also have burgers made with lean ground beef, which I am sure you could order with a salad. It seems like everything at this place is made to order so I am sure you could easily order their breakfast wraps without the wrap too. Their menus list all of the nutrition info for you to see: http://www.ufoodgrill.com/Food/
Charlotte
Phillips Seafood in Concourse C – (See Atlanta description)
Chicago, O’Hare
Cibo Gourmet Kitchen in Terminals 1, 2 and 3 – Fresh fruit and other snacks like nuts and hummus
Ice Dishes and Drinks in Terminal 3 – Smoked salmon, a couple decent salads, charcuterie, veggie sampler and quite a few drinks that look pretty tasty. http://www.flychicago.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/OHare/Menus/Ice%202page%20Menu.pdf
Nuts on Clark in Terminal 1- lots of different kinds of nuts and nut butters
Wicker Park Sushi Bar in Terminal 2 – great reviews for sushi and sashimi
Chicago, Midway
Nuts on Clark
Dallas/Ft Worth
360 Gourmet World Grill in Terminal D – they have options like veggie salad bowls, chicken salads and they flame broil the meats and seafoods there for you.
Blue Bamboo XPress in Terminal D – They have some sushi and a couple of salads that look somewhat interesting.
Cibo Express Gourmet – This place has a lot of goodies, try to overlook the chocolate and the cookies because they do have fruit and greek yogurt too.
Grand Met/ M Lounge/ Moka in the Grand Hyatt in Terminal D – This place looks like a sit-down restaurant with decent food like squash soup and beet salads. Then at Moka they have grilled asparagus and portobello mushrooms as well as fresh, seasonal fruit cups. http://granddfw.hyatt.com/en/hotel/dining/GrandMetLounge.html
Pappadeaux in Terminal A has oysters, Alaskan king crab and a few salads which you could have made to order. Then they also have salmon with asparagus and grilled tilapia with spaghetti squash. http://www.pappadeaux.com/menu/
Reata Grill in Terminal D has a couple of salads, a mixed veggie plate for a vegan option and grilled salmon.
U Food Grill in Terminal B – See description under Boston
Uno Due Go in Terminals C and E has several salads, some even made with spinach, but I will say, after looking at their menu, I would hold quite a few things from these salads. http://unoduego.com/
Denver
Denver Chop House in the A Gates area – Definitely a sit down place and if you have the tiime you can order seared tuna, ahi tuna salad, steak tip salad, or a piece of salmon with sides like sautéed spinach or asparagus. Don’t be afraid to ask them to steam your veggies. http://www.denverchophouse.com/menus/index.html
Root Down in the C Gates area – I wasn’t able to find a full menu for their airport location, but their hub in Denver seems awesome! They have a bunch of yummy veggies like kale and brussels sprouts and entrees like pork tenderloin and arctic char. In their description they mention being “farm to table” and having raw vegan options. I really want to go eat at this place!
Detroit Metropolitan Airport
Vino Volo in McNamara Terminal (See Baltimore description)
Mediterranean Grill in McNamara Terminal – I wasn’t able to find a full menu, but the reviews look promising! Stick to the fresh grilled veggies with hummus, grape leaves, or their salads.
Waterworks Bar and Grill McNamara Terminal – There is a lot of naughty foods available here, but with entrees like shrimp stir fry, salmon, chicken breast and options of rice and salad as sides, you could definitely do worse. http://www.midfieldconcession.com/pdf/Waterworks-Menu.pdf
Ft.Lauderdale
Urban Market – Grab-and-go shop with fresh fruits and salads.
Houston
Pappadeaux in Terminal C (See Dallas description)
Las Vegas (McCarran Airport)
La Tapenade Mediterranean Café E Gates at T3 – Grilled meats and veggies, plus hummus and olives make for some healthy options.
Las Vegas Chophouse & Brewery Terminal 3 – This place looks alright. Stick to lean meats and a large salad.
Los Angeles
Gladstone’s 4 Fish in Terminal 3 – I looked at their real menu and I bet their restaurant is awesome, but I bet the airport menu is pretty basic, a few simple salads and fish. http://sbe.com/restaurants/brands/gladstones/
Nate N Al’s in Terminal 2 – This place looks like they have a decent breakfast, with a few egg options. They’re salad options look less than thrilling. I wish I could name something better for LAX, but I’m gonna just say, bring your own hard boiled eggs! http://www.natenal.com/pdf/natenal_lax_menu.pdf
Miami
Lorena Garcia Cocina in Terminal D – (See Atlanta description)
Sushi Maki in Terminal D – You can always order sashimi for a great protein option and some edamame http://sushimaki.com/menu
Minneapolis/ St.Paul
Fletchers Wharf Terminal 2 – They have some good salad options and a fresh breakfast menu with omelets and fresh fruit. http://www.shopsatmsp.com/page/1/Fletchers-Humphrey.jsp
Cocina Del Barrio in Terminal 2 – If you can avoid all the chips and melted cheese, this looks like a good place to order some meats and veggies. Try one of their salads or something of their breakfast menu. (They have pumpkin seed granola!)
Mill City Tavern – Locally sourced fresh ingredients for dishes like pumpkin soups, veal stew, bison ribeye, and roasted beet salad. This places looks delicious! http://www.shopsatmsp.com/page/1/Mill-City-Tavern.jsp
Newark
Gallagher’s Steak House in Terminal C – If you have time I’d go here. They have tuna poke (my favorite thing I ever ate in Hawaii, which is raw tuna), salmon tartare, hamachi and fluke crudo; lobster, crab and shrimp cocktail; oysters and clams, which that just makes up the raw bar. They also have veal and steak tartare and a few salads for starters. They have a wide array of cuts of steak along with veal, salmon, swordfish, sole, lobster, tuna, chicken and shrimp. They have veggies for sides like spinach, broccoli, green beans and mushrooms, although I am sure you would have to ask for them steamed, otherwise they may come in butter. But I have nothing against butter and now I’m really hungry. http://www.gallaghersnysteakhouse.com/
Grand Central Oyster Bar in Terminal C – they’ve got oysters, those are great protein. http://www.oysterbarny.com/
Le Grand Comptoir in Terminal C – This is a wine bar with small bites like beef carpaccio, which I loveeeeee and the also have some salads. http://www.le-grandcomptoir.com/
Phillips Seafood in Terminal A – (See Atlanta description)
Vino Volo in Terminal C (See Baltimore description)
New York/ JFK
I just want to begin by saying avoid this airport at all costs. They sometimes make you go outside to get to your plane, which means you have to subject yourself to the weather that is NY. Also, I’ve seen more people lying around on the floor in this airport and birds flying around. Their food selection isn’t much better.
Cibo Express Gourmet – This place has a lot of goodies, try to overlook the chocolate and the cookies because they do have fruit and greek yogurt too.
Deep Blue Sushi in Terminal 5 – I keep reading about how this is one of the best sushi restaurants in any airport so I’d consider checking this place out.
French Meadow Cafe in Terminal 2 is all baked goods, but it’s certified vegan and gluten free
Healthy Gourmet in Terminal 3 seems to have some organic snacks and maybe fruit. BYO protein!
Palm steakhouse, pre-Security in Terminal 4 – you could get a quality piece of steak of a fresh piece of salmon with veggies or a salad. https://www.thepalm.com/files/filesPalm/JFK-Menu-Revised%205-2012.pdf
New York/ LaGuardia
Cibo Express Gourmet – This place has a lot of goodies, try to overlook the chocolate and the cookies because they do have fruit and greek yogurt too.
A Taste of Pat La Frieda in Terminal D – I couldn’t find a menu for this place, but their main website looks amazing and I imagine you could find some quality meats here (http://www.lafrieda.com/)
Taste of Prime in Terminal D – It’s a steakhouse, so have some steak and maybe a salad or veggies
Orlando
Cibo Express Gourmet – This place has a lot of goodies, try to overlook the chocolate and the cookies because they do have fruit and greek yogurt too.
Philadelphia
Vino Volo in Terminal A west and Terminal B – (see Baltimore description)
Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads Terminal D – Make your own salad bar. Avoid the wraps and sandwiches and stick to vegetable based soups.
Legal Sea Foods – (See Boston description)
Cibo Gourmet Express Market – This place has a lot of goodies, try to overlook the chocolate and the cookies because they do have fruit and greek yogurt too.
Phoenix
This airport has a great list of restaurants that offer gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian dishes. Of course just because something is gluten free or vegan that doesn’t mean it’s healthy, but generally it’s better than fast food or a Snickers. http://skyharbor.com/mapsfoodshops/Alternativedishes.html
Salt Lake City
U Food Grill in Concourses C and E (see description under Boston)
San Diego
Garden by Tender Greens at Gate 4 – Farm to fork, organic meals. Looks like really delicious, high quality food. http://www.san.org/documents/cdp/Garden.pdf
Camden Food Co. – Fresh, organic ingredients. Stick to the salads and avoid the carb-filled sandwiches. http://www.san.org/documents/cdp/Camden_Food_Co.pdf
Saffron – Thai food that uses locally sourced produce. Looks delicious! http://www.san.org/documents/cdp/saffron.pdf
San Francisco
Cat Cora’s Kitchen in Terminal 2 – this place seems legit. They have a lot of small plates, a raw bar and plenty of steaks and seafood.
Deli-Up Cafe in the International Terminal – they have greek yogurt
Ebisu in the International Terminal – I’ve read great reviews of this place. Typical sushi restaurants will have edamame and sashimi if nothing else.
Klein’s Deli and Coffee Bar in Terminal 1 – made to order salads
Napa Farms Market in Terminal 2 – they have organic snacks.. things like coconut water, nuts and they even have rotisserie chicken.
Tomokazu in the International Terminal 3 – sashimi
Vino Volo in Terminal 2 – (see Baltimore description)
Yankee Pier in Terminal 3 – They claim to fly in their New England seafood twice a day, which I could see possible since this is at the airport. Either way they have lobster which is always a great option.
Seattle
Vino Volo in Central Terminal – (see Baltimore description)
Washington, Dulles
Chipotle in Concourse B – (see Baltimore description)
Tidewater Landing in Concourse C – this place has a couple of things like shrimp cocktail and fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil salad. They also have eggs for breakfast.
Vino Volo in Concourse B and C – (see Baltimore description)
Washington, Ronald Reagan
Cibo – (See Boston description)
Do you travel through any of these airports and noticed I missed something?
Leave a comment below!
Your Coach,
Kyra
P.S. Looking for some clean eating recipes that are healthy that you can bring with you?
Get my Lean Body cookbook here!