America's Best Foodie Airport Is A Bustling Southern Hub That Happens To Also Be The US' Busiest

Grabbing a meal at an airport isn't often a fine dining experience. Some airports and terminals don't have a great selection, and you may often find yourself snacking on something like chips and a fast food burger before a flight. However, there is one airport that can give you a very different experience. Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is considered the busiest airport in the world, but it also has the distinction of being the best foodie airport in the country. Food and Wine polled over 400 travel and food writers, wine professionals, travel experts, and chefs around the world, who designated Hartsfield Jackson as the best for food and drink in 2025. It even beat out the Chicago O'Hare airport and New York's JFK.

The number of restaurants at Hartsfield-Jackson is staggering, and since it's also one of the worst U.S. airports for layovers, you may very well have time to sit and linger over some of the amazing eateries there. One restaurant that the publication mentions is One Flew South, the first upscale restaurant at this airport. In fact, the spot, which opened in 2009, has been nominated for two James Beard Foundation awards. That certainly beats some soggy fries and a Coca-Cola. The eatery serves dishes like poké tacos and curry cauliflower soup with crispy chickpeas, cilantro, and smoked paprika oil. Its "deviled egg experience" allows you to build your own platter, with the option to add smoked salt, cracked black pepper, radishes, crispy shallots, bacon jam, or tuna poké. One Flew South even has an omakase sushi box with premium chilled sake.

But that's not the only incredible spot in ATL. You can also visit Bantam and Biddy from chef Shaun Doty, which has locations in Amelia Island, Atlanta, and Chattanooga. The airport location makes mouth-watering, fresh biscuits all day. The upscale Ecco is another option, with items like pasta, cured meats, and cheeses. James Beard Award nominee G. Garvin has a stand offering delicious Southern-style fare, and its success prompted the opening of a LowCountry Steaks restaurant in Atlanta. You can enjoy even more southern cooking at Ludacris' Chicken and Beer or Paschal's.

At Grindhouse Killer Burgers, you'll find signature offerings like a Cowboy-Style burger, featuring cheddar cheese, bacon, a crispy onion ring, and barbecue sauce. There are also favorites like Wolfgang Puck's Fresh Express, TGI Fridays, P.F. Chang's, Cat Cora's Kitchen, and Gordon Biersch (though you may want to skip ordering the garlic fries if you're about to get on a plane). You might even find yourself choosing a layover in Atlanta just to sample the cuisine. 

Of course, there are also familiar fast food staples like Arby's, Auntie Anne's, Burger King, Chick-Fil-A, Chipotle, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's, Nathan's, Panda Express, Shake Shack, Subway, and Wendy's if you're just passing through quickly or running between terminals and need a snack. Finally, if your destination is Atlanta and you're flying into Hartsfield Jackson, you can work off all that delicious food by taking a hike in nearby, and very enchanting, Cascade Springs Nature Preserve.