A SoCal Airport's Cool Terminal Reboot Has Edgy Public Art And Local Street Food From A Top Chef Alum

If travel has become less of a romance and more of a chore in our increasingly globalized world, then endless security checks, apathetic staff, cut-and-paste fast food chains, and soulless airport terminals are largely to blame. Which makes renovation projects, like the one being carried out at San Diego International Airport's Terminal 1, all the more welcome. Called New T1, the first stage of the $3.8 billion renovation is expected to be completed in September 2025, with 11 extra gates ("Phase B" of the redevelopment) added by early 2028. 

The renovation is being billed as a celebration of San Diego's sun-splashed culture and includes 30 new restaurants and retail outlets and statement-making artworks throughout the terminal's public spaces. It will also feature improved access for commuters and travelers, more parking spaces and electric vehicle charging ports, and streamlined security checkpoints (though it's still good to know your TSA-recommended dos and don'ts for getting through airport security).

The terminal building opened in 1967, sporting a brutalist facade upheld by dendriform columns, in a style that was then at the bleeding edge of civic architecture. It served 2.5 million travelers in its first year, but that annual figure has now surpassed 10 million, and the airport has grown into the busiest single-runway commercial airport in America. A redevelopment meant to enhance the individual traveler's experience, along with logistical improvements, was developed. Five contemporary artworks from acclaimed international artists, and a new Mexican restaurant helmed by award-winning chef Claudette Zepeda and backed by skateboarding luminary Tony Hawk, are indicators of the project's ambition.

In a city with artsy, upscale beach boroughs like La Jolla and one of the best Little Italys in America, it should come as no surprise that art and food are being placed front and center in New T1. Each of the five commissioned artworks tells a story about San Diego. Amy Ellington's "A Day in the Sun," for example, is a series of columnar mosaics evoking the natural environments and seascapes of the city, while "Rise" by Matthew Mazzotta is a chainmail sculpture of a purple-striped jellyfish, an animal often found floating in the SoCal surf. 

The culinary overhaul at New T1 has also been drastic: The total area of dining and retail space will jump from 17,000 to 70,000 square feet by the time the project is complete. A new food hall by "Cutthroat Kitchen" host Brian Malarkey and a branch of Kettner Exchange, a highly regarded San Diego eatery,  are among the new highlights. But Claudette Zepeda and Tony Hawk's Mexican restaurant in the departures lounge is arguably the highest profile addition. Called Novecientos Grados Bar and Restaurant,  the restaurant is an ode to the skate culture Hawk popularized here in the 1980s and '90s, and to San Diego's Hispanic culture.

Zepeda, who readers may know from her stint on "Top Chef," is in charge of the menu. Expect California classics like seared meat and Pacific seafood imbued with fiery Mexican flavors. For the best experience, take a seat at the island bar (whose design is inspired by skate ramps) and watch planes taking off through the floor-to-ceiling windows.