Plane food certainly doesn’t get a good rap. From wrinkly sausages and mushy pasta to unusually yellow eggs and weirdly firm chocolate mousse, there are far better foods we’d rather fill up on. Your best bet? Eating before the flight. In Australia, most major airports offer a bounty of restaurants, cafés and bars, while regional spots make do with just one convenience store or kiosk. Interested to see which airports offer up the best bites Down Under? Read on.
The foodies at SEO for Restaurants analysed data from airport websites and Google Maps to compare prices, variety and quality of food and dining options at airports across Australia. They only included airports with 15 or more food establishments, assigned each one an overall score and ranked the seven busiest airports accordingly.
Topping the list as Australia’s best airport for foodies was Cairns International Airport, which scored 73.32 out of 100 overall. It boasts the highest number of dining options (per 1 million passengers) and the lowest average food prices. Connected by a walkway, Cairns’ International and Domestic terminals offer up everything from fast food joints and sushi shops to specialty coffee houses and a locally-focused taphouse.
Adelaide International Airport ranked as the second best for foodies in Australia, thanks to having the second-largest variety of restaurants and the second-most affordable food prices. Meanwhile, Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport came third. Despite having the highest-rated dining establishments in Australia, it fell short on variety, ranking second-last for choice. You can check out the full rankings of the best airports for foodies in Australia below.
These are Australia’s best airports for dining:
- Cairns International Airport, QLD
- Adelaide International Airport, SA
- Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport, NSW
- Melbourne International Airport, VIC
- Brisbane International Airport, QLD
- Gold Coast Airport, QLD
- Perth International Airport, WA
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