When it comes to airport food and drinks, Dallas/Fort Worth International is No. 1.
That’s according to Thrillist, which ranked 72 airports across the country.
How did they come up with the ranking?
First we broke down every essential airport by the number of planes that fly in, plus region so every state was included. Then we looked up every single restaurant and bar available at each spot, and broke the airports down into four tiers. Once we had the tiers, we went deeper and figured out our proper rankings, paying particular attention to two factors: a) whether the options were unique and illustrative of the foods of that region, and b) the quantity of quality places available. But we tried to weigh the first factor higher, so smaller airports with more local food got more credit than massive places with 85 chains.
Why is D/FW No. 1?
Credit the variety of restaurants, from barbecue to Mexican.
“Flying through DFW always seemed like a hassle, the unintended consequence of having to switch planes while on an American Airlines flight,” Thrillist says. “But then you see what they’ve got: four BBQ spots (including Ft. Worth legend Cousin’s); eight Mexican spots (Urban Taco, Pappasitos’ Cantina); eight bars (Belgian Beer Cafe), plus Sky Canyon from Dallas legend Stephan Pyles, and even a … cereal restaurant. And they’ve got the popular chains too, if you prefer them, but why make that mistake when you can plan your own … BBQ and beer crawl through an airport?”
Explore D/FW airport restaurants here.
The list was compiledby Kevin Alexander, Thrillist's food/drink executive editor, and Liz Childers, Thrillist's food/drink associate editor.
What about Dallas Love Field?
Love Field wasn’t on the list. But the airport has undergone extensive renovations – and there are many dining options, including Cru Wine Bar, Sky Canyon, Cool River Café, Cantina Laredo, Campisi’s and Paciugo Gelato.
What about other Texas airports?
No other Texas airports ranked in the top 10. Austin-Bergstrom International ranked No. 13. San Antonio International came in 21st. Houston Hobby ranked No. 24. George Bush Intercontinental ranked No. 27.
The top five
1. Dallas/Fort Worth International
2. San Francisco International
3. Los Angeles International
4. JFK
5. Newark Liberty International
The bottom five
68. Sioux Falls Regional
69. Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National
70. Des Moines International
71. Jackson-Evers International
72. Bozeman Yellowstone International
