hey everyone so i just landed at newark liberty international airport its honestly been a day and im sitting here thinking about the food situation because honestly its like a whole other journey trying to figure out where to eat here you know and it feels like every time i fly into or out of ewr its always the same struggle finding something thats not ridiculously overpriced or just sad and basically like airplane food but on land and like slightly warmer its just so frustrating when youre tired and hungry and you just want something decent but you end up with some soggy sandwich its literally a common theme whenever i travel through this airport and ive been through it enough times to have some strong opinions and some advice too because nobody needs to suffer through bad airport food if they can avoid it you know its bad enough dealing with security and delays without adding a terrible meal to the mix.
Where to eat (and where to skip)
okay so where to eat its a tough one at ewr because honestly it really depends on what terminal youre in but basically its almost always a gamble and you gotta lower your expectations dramatically or just be prepared to spend alot of money for something thats just okay but if youre lucky enough to be near a shake shack its usually a pretty safe bet i mean its still airport pricing but at least you know what youre getting and the burgers are usually fresh and the fries are good so thats a plus and sometimes you can find a chipotle which is also a solid choice for a quick fresh meal and its not too terrible price-wise for an airport and i often see people heading for them and they seem pretty happy so its definitely recomended but then there are all these other generic spots these like cafe places or pizza places that honestly look like they havent changed their menu or their decor since like 2005 and the food just sits there under a heat lamp and its just so depressing and its definitely a skip unless you are literally starving and theres nothing else open and you have no other choice but to like grab a pre-made sandwich that probably cost you 15 bucks and it will be dry and tasteless so try to avoid those if you can because its just not worth the money or the disappointment.
Grab-and-go vs. a real meal
this is always the big question right do you try to find a sit-down place or do you just grab something quick and run and honestly at ewr its mostly a grab-and-go situation for me these days because if you try to get a “real meal” meaning like sitting down at a table and having someone serve you its gonna take forever and you dont usually have that kind of time especially if youre on a tight connection or if your flight is already delayed and you just want to get to your gate and settle in and even then the sit-down places often have menus that are just fancy versions of the grab-and-go stuff but twice the price and the quality isnt always there so its kind of a trap and you end up wasting valuable time and money and still not feeling satisfied so i usually lean towards grab-and-go but i try to make it a decent one like if i can find a fresh salad or a good sandwich from a reputable spot like i said maybe a chipotle or a decent looking deli counter because its often the more practical choice especially when youre dealing with the chaos of ewr.
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The Terminal Trap:
so this is my biggest piece of advice honestly and ive learned this the hard way over many trips through ewr and other big airports like jfk or lax but its always the same thing and you have to be smart about it and basically plan ahead and if you dont you regret it.
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why i always eat before security if the gate options look depressing:
its literally because the food options usually get worse and worse the deeper you get into the terminal after security especially once you get past the main food court areas and into the actual gate corridors its like the quality just drops off a cliff and all that’s left are these tiny kiosks with like a few stale bagels or some sad looking chips and maybe one coffee spot and thats it and then youre stuck with whatever meager offerings are at your specific gate area which is often just a vending machine or literally nothing so its always better to scout out what you want to eat before you even go through security or at least keep an eye out for better options in the main terminal areas because once you pass security its like youre committed to whatever sad options are left and you dont want to be hangry and stuck with bad food so plan ahead seriously.
so yeah thats my rant and my advice about ewr food honestly its not great but you can make it work if you know what youre doing and you dont get caught in the terminal trap so good luck on your next trip through newark and i hope you find something edible because its truly a challenge sometimes.