Yelp Names The Best Airport Restaurants Of 2025 (And A Mouth-Watering Wine Lounge Takes The Crown)

Travelers often have a complicated relationship with airport restaurants. On one hand, costs can reach ridiculous levels (think the $28 pint of Samuel Adams beer at LaGuardia Airport or $18 avocado toast at San Francisco International Airport). On the other hand, amid the anxiety and fatigue before a flight or during a long layover, comfort food can do more than just fill a stomach. As a result, travelers passing through airports often seek the best dining experience for the money, and many airports (including the five best airports in America for food) are working to meet this expectation.

Here to help you navigate the quandary and find the best restaurant experience is Yelp's 2025 Most Loved Airport Brands report, published alongside data that revealed the top airport lounge of 2025. Leading the way is Vino Volo, a wine bar operating in numerous North American airports. As one Yelp reviewer put it, "The vibe was very welcoming and upbeat." Another enthused, "Everything was so outstanding that it turned my mood around!" 

The top five were rounded out, in order, by Chick-fil-A, Shake Shack, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, and Starbucks. If anything, the list highlights the power of food to comfort, as eateries accounted for most spots, with exceptions going to XpresSpa and Hudson News.

To determine the winners, Yelp looked at the total pageviews, searches, photo uploads, reviews, and average star ratings of various airport brands. Each factor was weighed equally. With searches, Yelp compared the frequency of phrases per million searches in 2024 with 2023. Based on these metrics, scores were assigned to each brand that met the qualifying threshold of at least five airport locations. The top 25 were then ranked accordingly. The final list includes nationally recognized names such as Dunkin, McDonald's, Wendy's, California Pizza Kitchen, Panera Bread, and Peet's Coffee. The rankings do not include more exclusive dining experiences, such as the East Coast airport lounge with mouth-watering lobster rolls and craft cocktails.

The Yelp report also points to trends in the airport restaurant space. Chief among these is the blurring line between fast food and fast casual. "Fast casual brands ... are embracing quick-serve operations in their airport locations, delivering high-quality meals with the speed and convenience of traditional quick-service restaurants," Yelp shared. Brands that enhance speeds (for example, Starbucks, with its seamless digital ordering option) also win high marks from customers. 

Beverage brands do particularly well, Yelp points out, as travelers appear more likely to pony up for a fresh latte, juice, or smoothie at the airport. In short, Kadecia Ber, senior director of campaign strategy for national brands at Yelp, says, "Airports are some of the most crowded, high-stress environments, so the brands that stand out understand the modern traveler's mindset—prioritizing speed without sacrificing experience, and delivering memorable moments."