hey everyone just touched down at ATL and honestly its a total maze but i finally made it to my next gate and decided to vent a little about the food here cause its a real thing you gotta plan for you know and its not just about finding food its about finding something thats actually edible and doesnt cost like a months rent for a sad sandwich.
so ive been through atl a bunch of times and every time its a new adventure trying to figure out where to get a decent bite and its like some terminals are way better than others but sometimes your stuck and its just depressing and you dont wanna pay twenty bucks for like a bag of chips and a half-hearted burger.
Where to eat (and where to skip)
okay so first off if your near the main atrium or the big food court area before you go through like the concourse specific security checkpoints your usually in luck cause there are more options and you can actually browse a bit but once your deep into a concourse its literally a gamble and you might get stuck with like one very specific type of food or just a snack shop.
i honestly usually try to find something with a bit of a local vibe if i can but its tricky cause its an airport so its mostly chains but i did see like a shake shack which is always a solid choice cause you know what your getting and its pretty consitent and not totally a rip off like some of the other places i wont name but their coffee shops are literally everywhere and their pastries look good but its basically just sugar and air and a five dollar coffee its insane.
sometimes you can find like a good little mexican place or a southern comfort food spot and those are usually winners but you gotta do your research or just get lucky and its all about the timing like if your rushing your not gonna find anything good and just end up with a sad pretzel and a really expensive bottle of water.
Grab-and-go vs. a real meal
this is a constant dilemma cause sometimes you just dont have time for a sit-down meal and you just need to grab somethin quick like a sandwich or a salad but then your sacrificing quality and often paying way more for somethin thats not even fresh and its just a total shame you know but if you have a longer layover then def try to find a place where you can actually sit down and get a proper hot meal cause it makes a huge difference in your travel day and its just nicer.
i recomended scoping out your options on the app or like the airport website before you even land or as soon as you get off the plane cause its literally a lifesaver and you can avoid the dreaded terminal trap.
- The Terminal Trap: this is basically when you get all the way to your specific gate in like concourse F and then you look around and realize your food options are literally a convenience store with some sad looking fruit and a coffee stand that only has like burnt coffee and a dry muffin.
- once your past security and committed to your concourse its almost impossible to go back to the better options without going through security again which nobody wants to do ever.
- so honestly if your gate options look depressing on the map or you cant find anything decent then eat BEFORE security like in the main hall cause its just better and you have way more choices and less stress.
- its like an unwritten rule of atl travel just eat before you get stuck way out there unless you know for a fact your concourse has something good.
anyway thats my rant for now but honestly its a pretty good airport overall just gotta be smart about the food situation so let me know if anyone has any secret gems at atl i should try next time!