Summary
- Classified at Newark Liberty International Airport, it offers exclusive fine dining with seafood, steaks, and desserts.
- Venchi at Milan Airport serves high-quality chocolate and gelato, recommended by author Jacob Kenedy.
- I Love Paris at Charles de Gaulle Airport offers classic French cuisine and a Ruinart Champagne Bar by Michelin-star chef Guy Martin.
Although flying was a luxury reserved only for wealthy people in the years gone by, its accessibility to the wider public in recent times has meant that airports have developed into places where various facilities, such as spas, remote working spaces, shopping, etc., are available. Airports are also home to some of the most wonderful restaurants. Food & Wine, one of the most respected culinary magazines, even dedicated Singapore Changi Airport to being the best in the world for food and drink in 2024. But which restaurants, specifically, are the best airport restaurants in the world? Let’s find out.
![Inside the Gallatin Field Airport Restaurant.](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/gallatin-field-airport-restaurant.jpeg)
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Airport Dining Guide: Finding The Best Food & Restaurants
Say goodbye to fast food and lukewarm coffee.
5
Classified
This restaurant is reserved for people who have earned the privilege of being here with United Airlines.
Airport | Newark Liberty International Airport. |
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Location | Terminal C |
Photo: Stephanie Rizzolo via NJ Advance Media
Classified is a fine dining experience located inside a French restaurant called Saison. Classified is exclusively open to invited personnel only. The restaurant can only accommodate 38 people at the maximum. The restaurant opened to the public after it had been shut down due to the pandemic for more than two years. According to Omar Memon, a journalist for Simple Flying, the offerings at Classified include:
“ raw bar items such as French onion soup, jumbo crab cakes, prime steak tartare, and more. The restaurant also offers main courses with various meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetarian options. The main courses are served à la Carte with sides, dishes, and sauces. The restaurant menu also lists a variety of desserts. The restaurant also offers a kid’s menu, ranging from pasta to fritters. The menu also lists dozens of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. The menu allows diners to modify their choices based on their preferences and dietary restrictions.”
4
Venchi
The chocolate served here ranks among the finest in airports around the world.
Airport | Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) |
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Location | Terminal 1-B |
According to Venchi, this chocolate and gelato shop at the Milan Airport makes “travelers’ wait more pleasant by tickling their taste buds”. Jacob Kenedy, the author of books such as The Geometry of Pasta, among others, highly rates chocolate and gelato served at Venchi, located at Milan Airport.
“One of my favorite spots at Malpensa airport is Venchi. … While it might not be truly artisanal, it is pretty good quality – and actually better than a lot of gelato you would buy in Italy. I’d have one of the darkest of the chocolate flavors, along with either a hazelnut or nougatine gelato.”
Photo: Venchi
This chocolate shop in MIL opens at 6 am and closes at 8:30 pm, and is open each day of the week. Some of the most sought-after chocolates at Venchi in MIL include:
3
Fortnum and Mason
A great selection of quintessential British food.
Airport | London Heathrow Airport (LHR) |
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Location | Terminal 5 |
Fortnum and Mason at Heathrow is renowned for the sourced products and ingredients it serves. Therefore, the taste of the food there will be fantastic. The sight of the food being prepared or drinks being poured for the customers is a treat. Some of the best servings of this restaurant at the busiest airport in England (and one of the busiest in Europe) include:
- A great selection of shellfish
- Oysters
- Smoked Salmon and Caviar.
- Wickers, tea, and biscuits
Photo: Fortnum and Mason
These can also be picked up as souvenirs or gifts to take away. Elliott Grove, an executive chef of a five-star hotel, 45 Park Lane, and someone who has cooked for the Oscars for the past two years, commented about the delectable food at Fortnum and Mason at Heathrow:
“Fortnum & Mason does what is hands down the best Bloody Mary, so I start with one of those. Finally, I’d have the Welsh rarebit toastie with tomato compote. It’s so simple but absolutely delicious and a perfect pre-flight snack.”
2
I Love Paris
The airport restaurant was once named as the best in the world.
Airport | Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) |
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Location | Terminal 2E |
Terminal 2 at Charles de Gaulle Airport offers ten lounges for passengers traveling within the EU’s Schengen Area and seven lounges for non-Schengen travelers. Terminal 2 is also home to I Love Paris – a restaurant named as the best airport restaurant in the world by the 2016 Airport Food and Beverage (FAB) Awards. Eight years hence, it still remains one of the best airport restaurants in the world. This restaurant offers food and beverages such as:
- Classic French cuisine using bio and in-season products
- Steak with béarnaise sauce and fries
- Blanquette de veal en cocotte
The restaurant is served by French Michelin three-star chef Guy Martin, and the cheapest meal here costs $33 (€30). From 9am to 11pm, I Love Paris also serves some of the most wonderful drinks from a Ruinart Champagne Bar. The restaurant is open every day from 5:30 AM to 11:30 PM all throughout the year.
1
Violet Oon
This restaurant is the crowning jewel of the best airport in the world for food.
Airport | Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) |
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Location | Terminal 1 |
Violet Oon, a restaurant open from 10 am to 10 pm, is the crowning jewel of the Singapore Changi Airport. This restaurant has helped Singapore Changi to be known as the best for food and wine in 2024. Some of the best offerings at Violet Oon at Singapore Changi include:
- Singapore Island Iced Tea made with kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, and gula melaka syrup
- Kunyit Lemak King Oyster Mushroom
Photo: Violet Oon
You can also make a reservation at this finest airport restaurant at SIN or have a private dining event. A former MasterChef contestant, Elizabeth Haigh, who is also the winner of a Michelin star for Pidgin in London, had some of the most wonderful praise for (the satay served by) Violet Onon:
“ This slow-cooked pork belly stew, rich with comforting spices and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, brings back fond memories of home-cooked meals with my por por (grandmother). If you can’t eat in, you can collect a bento box, so you’ve got the most envious in-flight meal of all. For me, Violet Oon’s at Changi airport isn’t just a restaurant, it’s a celebration of Singaporean culinary heritage.”