Eat on the fly: Great airport restaurants with local cuisine

Go local: Brookwood Farms Carolina Pit BBQ serves southern favorites at the Charlotte airport.

By Mark Chesnut

Does the thought of airport food make your stomach churn? Sure, there are plenty of less-than-savory selections — dishes that could be described as “terminal” in more than one sense of the word. But look around during that next layover and you might find tasty options that feature lots of mouthwatering local flavor. Here are a few of the best.

• At Boston Logan International Airport, Legal Sea Foods — the Massachusetts-based restaurant chain that dates to 1950 — has multiple outlets, including a Test Kitchen at Terminal A, which offers fresh seafood, fast service and grab-and-go specialties to take on board.

• Southern delicacies are in the spotlight at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, where you can sample pulled pork and barbecued beef drenched with Carolina Vinegar-style sauce and accompanied by a crunchy fried pickle, at Brookwood Farms Carolina Pit BBQ,located in the main food court area, between all of the concourses.

• La Carreta is the place to stop for authentic Cuban cuisine at Miami International Airport, with top choices including delicious fried yucca sticks, conch fritters, shrimp sautéed in garlic sauce and tasty Cuban sandwiches.

• Travelers with a sweet tooth should arrange a layover at San Francisco International Airport, where See’s Famous Old Time Candies stocks plenty of great gift ideas, including brittles, toffees, chocolates and lollypops.

• Ivar’s has been a favorite in the Seattle area since it first opened in the city’s waterfront back in 1938. At Sea-Tac, you can order classics at Ivar’s Seafood Bar that include chowder, fish and chips, scallops and chips and jumbo prawns.

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Mark Chesnut is a travel writer, editor and publisher of LatinFlyer.com, which focuses on travel to Latin America. He got very hungry writing this article.

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