- Travel site Wanderu recently released a ranking of the best and worst airports in the US based on food selection.
- The site looked at 50 of the busiest airports in the US and based its findings on how many eateries a place has and how well they’re rated.
- If you’re looking for food options, the best airport in the US is Denver International Airport in Colorado.
- Based on Wanderu’s findings, Nashville International Airport in Nashville, Tennessee, has the worst food options.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Airports aren’t exactly known for their restaurants, but some locations definitely have more eateries and better options than others.
Recently, the travel site Wanderu released a list of the best and worst airports in the US, based on food selection.
The site looked at the 50 busiest airports in the US and used Yelp reviews to see how many restaurants each airport has. Eateries needed at least 20 Yelp reviews to be included in the data and Wanderu classified them as highly-rated if they scored above a three-star average on Yelp.
From there, Wanderu ranked airports based on their total number of highly-rated restaurants. If any airport tied, they gave the edge to the one with fewer total restaurants, which meant they had a higher overall percentage of good food.
Read on to see which busy US airports had the best and the worst dining selections.
Coming in fifth place, Logan International Airport has a pretty great food selection.
Although Wanderu reported that this Boston, Massachusetts, airport only has 28 qualifying restaurants (which is on the lower side compared to many of the other airports on the list), it still came up in the top five because half of them were highly-rated.
According to Yelp data, the best eatery in the airport is Shojo, a Chinese restaurant with a few locations throughout Boston.
The stop features modern Asian cuisine and it opens at 5 a.m. for even the earliest travelers to have breakfast. It also stays open until 30 minutes before the last departing flight.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has a number of stand-out restaurants.
With 48 qualifying restaurants, 15 of which are highly-rated, Arizona's Phoenix Sky Harbor is nearly leading the pack.
The airport offers a range of options including vegan fare, brunch food, and upscale meals.
One spot you won't want to miss is The Refuge Coffee & Wine, which Yelp says is the top-rated restaurant in the airport. The spot serves up wine, coffee, brunch, and more.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has almost 90 qualifying restaurants.
This Georgia-based hub has more restaurant choices than any other airport on Wanderu's list, and 18 of those are highly-rated.
It has 88 qualifying options, which range from cafe food to high-end eats.
Based on Wanderu's report, the airport's top-rated eatery is One Flew South, the first upscale dining experience in the Atlanta-based airport.
It's located near Concourse E and it serves up "Southernational" food that's inspired by world travels.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is a huge airport that scored second place on Wanderu's list.
Another major airport hub, Dallas-Fort Worth in Texas offers nearly 60 qualifying restaurant choices, 19 of which are highly rated.
The place has a range of eateries, serving up everything from Mediterranean food to burgers.
According to Yelp, the top-rated place to eat in the airport is the Cajun eatery Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, which has locations in both Terminals A and C, plus more throughout Texas.
THE BEST: If you're looking for food options, head to Denver International Airport.
With 51 qualifying restaurants, 19 of which were highly-rated, this Colorado-based airport has something for everyone, no matter what time of day you're flying.
If you stop by, you may want to visit the airport's top-rated eatery Root Down, which is known for crafting American dishes using locally-farmed, sustainable, and organic ingredients.
Based on its food options, LaGuardia Airport ranked as the fifth-worst airport in the US.
Located in Queens, New York, LaGuardia has a total of 33 qualifying restaurants, most of which are fast-food chains or small cafes.
Out of all of those eateries, Five Guys, a fast-casual chain that serves burgers and fries, is the only one that received an average of three stars or more on Yelp.
Kansas City International Airport ranked fairly low on the list in terms of food offerings.
Wanderu found that the Missouri-based airport doesn't have much when it comes to eateries - its five qualifying restaurants mostly consist of fast-food chains and bars.
None of those five eateries received an average of more than three stars on Yelp.
Southwest Florida International Airport also doesn't offer much of a food selection.
Located in Fort Myers, Florida, this airport only has six qualifying eateries, and none were rated highly on Yelp, according to Wanderu.
The airport's offerings range from bagel shops to fast-food chains.
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport didn't score very well on Wanderu's list.
Considering New Orleans, Louisiana, is known for its impressive food that ranges from Cajun staples to famous fried desserts, it's perhaps surprising the city's airport came in 49th place.
Some of the dining options at the airport include fast-food chains, hot-dog stands, and burrito spots.
According to Yelp data, the airport had 12 qualifying restaurants with over 20 Yelp reviews, but none of those received an average of more than three stars.
THE WORST: Nashville International Airport doesn't have many great food options, based on Wanderu's data.
Nashville, Tennessee, is known for its terrific food, so it might be surprising that the city's airport takes the 50th spot on Wanderu's list.
The airport has 16 qualifying restaurants with 20 or more Yelp reviews - and none of these spots have more than three stars on Yelp.
These eateries consist of popular fast-food chains, plus a few casual-dining restaurants.
You can visit Wanderu's website to view the complete ranking of the 50 busiest airports in the US.
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