ok so im literally just sitting here waiting for my stupid delayed flight out of iad and im basically starving and it just got me thinking about the whole food situation at washington dulles international airport and honestly its a real mixed bag like some airports you go to and its all fancy stuff and then others its just pure junk and iad kind of sits in the middle but leans towards the junk if you dont know where to look and its expensive too like literally everything is overpriced its a scam but we all deal with it cause what else are you gonna do right and you just need to eat sometimes you know so i wanted to share my two cents on the restaurants at airport here at dulles cause maybe itll save someone else from making a bad choice or wasting their money on something thats just not worth it.
Where to eat (and where to skip)
so after years of flying in and out of dulles ive kinda figured out the lay of the land when it comes to the restaurants at airport here and its not always easy navigating through the different concourses especially when you are rushing but if you got time its worth planning a bit and honestly some places are just plain better than others like there are a few standouts that i almost always go to if i have the chance and then there are the ones you literally just walk past and pretend they dont exist cause its gonna be bad.
for a quick but decent bite i always hit up the five guys its like a no brainer really you know what you are getting and its pretty consistent and the fries are always good and they have those fancy soda machines and its just a solid choice for a burger and fries and its usually not too far from whatever gate im at in concourse b or c which is nice and there is also &pizza which is pretty good for what it is like you get your own custom pizza and its fast and fresh and a decent option if you are craving something a bit different than a burger and those are usually my go-tos for something quick and satisfying and not too crazy expensive for airport food anyway.
but then you got places like the capital craft bar and grill its kinda ok if you just need a beer and like some wings or something but its never amazing and the service can be really hit or miss and its just loud and bustling and you feel kinda rushed and honestly i think its just another one of those generic airport bars that charges a premium for everything and the food is just meh and i dont really recomended it unless you absolutely need a drink and theres nothing else around and you just gotta settle and there are other places that are just like super generic deli counters that look sad and you literally just pass them by and you can tell by looking at the sad sandwiches that its gonna be a bad time for your stomach and your wallet.
Grab-and-go vs. a real meal
this is always the big dilemma at an airport right do you sit down and have a proper meal or do you just grab something quick and run to your gate and its a tough call cause sometimes you have like an hour layover and you are starving but you dont want to risk missing your flight but other times you have like three hours and you think oh ill get a nice meal but then you literally cant find anything good and you end up just grabbing a sad sandwich anyway and its such a struggle honestly.
for grab-and-go i always look for places that have pre-packaged salads or wraps that actually look fresh cause some of them literally look like theyve been sitting there since like last week and dulles has some of those gourmet markets that sometimes have decent options but its always a gamble and a good coffee shop like starbucks or dunkin is usually safe for a pastry or a sandwich but its not exactly a meal its more like a snack to tide you over until you get to your destination and its not ideal if you are genuinely hungry and need something substantial.
if you have the time and can find a half-decent sit-down place like maybe a potbelly or one of those more upscale casual dining spots it can be nice to relax for a bit but honestly sometimes the time investment isnt worth it and you just end up rushing your food and feeling stressed and it kinda defeats the purpose of trying to relax at the airport before your flight.
The Terminal Trap
so this is my number one piece of advice when it comes to restaurants at airport especially at places like iad that can be spread out and sometimes have limited options once you pass security and its something ive learned the hard way literally so many times.
- you get past security thinking oh there will be loads of choices but then you get to your gate area and its just one sad hot dog stand and a kiosk with stale muffins and youre literally stuck.
- the good places, the decent places, are often concentrated in the main terminal or earlier concourses and once you get to the far reaches its basically a wasteland for anything good or fresh.
- its so much less stressful to just eat something proper before you even go through security if you have the time like there are usually more options and sometimes even slightly better prices believe it or not cause once you are through you are literally a captive audience.
- i always check the airport map for restaurants before i even leave for the airport or when i first get there and if my gate looks depressing for food ill definitely try to grab something decent pre-security even if its just a sandwich and a coffee cause its better than nothing.
so yeah thats my rant about the restaurants at airport at iad hopefully it helps someone avoid a sad airport meal its all about strategy sometimes you know and like always planning ahead is key cause you dont want to be hangry on your flight its the worst feeling literally.