The best food at Miami Airport to eat your way through a flight delay

Fans of the popular fast-casual concept from the 50 Eggs group were saddened when the non-airport locations faded away. But luckily the terminal-based outpost that opened in 2018 remains, still serving fried chicken, biscuit sandwiches, cobb salads, tater tots and big slices of carrot cake. Best of all, everything is made from scratch in-house. This one pours more than wine and beer, including sister restaurant Yardbird’s sweet blackberry bourbon lemonade. Daily 7am–10pm; gate D-22.

Save your calories for vacation. Icebox Cafe offers all sorts of healthy grab-and-go items, including sandwiches, salads, charcuterie and cheese platters and fresh juices. Travelers with a few minutes to spare should try one of the specialty items like the curried chicken breast or bacon, egg and cheese empanada. Its signature bowls – topped with globally sourced sauces and seasonings—are a vibe, too. Fans of the Sunset Harbour restaurant’s famous layered cakes will be happy to find the assortment of fresh-baked desserts that made it past security. Daily 6am–10pm; gate D-8.

We love this place for its massive buffet, where you can load up at breakfast on scrambled eggs, grits, bacon, buttery Cuban toast and so much more. At lunch, it switches to the Cuban classics, like ropa vieja, chicharrones, and picadillo. La Carreta MIA offers the same quality Cuban food available at its other Miami restaurants, so expect to find oversized portions of rice, beans, stewed meats and more. Daily 4:30am–9:30pm; gate D-37.

A Miami-bred success story, this unassuming Creole outpost is the brainchild of local chef Wilkinson Sejour. The chef is Bahamian born to Haitian parents, making for quite the culinary pizzazz in the dishes here. The grilled jerk chicken is always a safe bet, but you can dabble in some jambalaya and creole shrimp here, too. Beyond MIA, Chef Creole has six other local locations, including spots at Hard Rock Stadium as well as in North Miami. Mon–Sat 10am–7pm; concourse E.

With roots downtown and in Opa-Locka, this location has all the Southern morsels. Among them are perfectly crisped catfish, smothered pork chops and fried green tomatoes with a housemade remoulade sauce. There’s breakfast available until 10:30am daily, too, including a sizeable shrimp and grits offering. Daily 5am–11pm; gate E-2.

Named for the Dolphins coach from a much happier era of Miami football, this outpost of one of our area’s longest-standing steakhouses is your best bet for something substantial between trips. Feast on wings, six kinds of burgers, a handful of sandwich options and even surf and turf. Yes, you can get decent steak when you fly. Daily 7am-8:30pm; gate D-17.

Boasting a dozen restaurants plus outposts inside Whole Foods, this Miami-based chain keeps the city swimming in sushi. Pick up trays of its most popular rolls, as well as salads and poké bowls at terminal D. This one serves a standard breakfast, like scrambles and sandwiches sans raw fish. In addition to the larger space in Concourse D, there's a second satellite location in the otherwise sparse Concourse E. Daily 6am–10:30pm; gate D-29; and daily noon-8pm; concourse E satellite.

With nearby locations in MiMo and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Half Moon makes its empanadas from scratch, branding each cute little half circle of baked goodness with its logo. Grab a bacon, egg and cheese for breakfast or take on board a cheesy gaucho (ground beef, onions, peppers, corn, bacon and cheeses) to make your plane-mates jealous. Daily 7:30am-7pm; gate D-29.

Your favorite Calle Ocho ventanita pops up five times across three terminals, slinging cafecito, pastelitos, croquetas, ready-made Cubanos and more Little Havana specialties. If you spot a long line and a warmer filled with pastries, you know you’ve reached Versailles. Daily 5am–9pm; gates D-5, D-44, D-20, and concourse E satellite and concourse F.

Like a cool Florida Keys fish shack, this place serves baskets of fried seafood, grilled fish sandwiches and more island-style dishes. The laid-back spot also features burgers, Jamaican jerk chicken and even a Cuban-style palomilla steak to complement the assortment of cocktails, craft beers and wine on the menu. Daily 6am–9:30pm; gate D-4.

If someone blindfolded you and brought you here, you might not think this Irish pub was located in a busy terminal. But it is, and it serves truffle fries! Fancy potatoes aside, there are also soups, burgers and sandwiches. There are a number of TVs throughout, making this a popular spot for catching a game and washing away your sorrows if you’re a Marlins fan. Daily 6am–9:30pm; gate D-30.

Cuban food dominates the restaurant scene at MIA, and here’s yet another option for Cubanos, arroz con pollo and the like. It’s more expensive than Versailles or La Carreta—breakfast will run you about $20 per person—but Ku-Va features a greater selection of entrees, like masitas de cerdo and ropa vieja, and will not turn you away for ordering rice and beans before an early morning flight. The abuela dummy near the hostess stand is especially creepy after a few mojitos, which you can get here too. Daily 7am–9pm; concourse D.

Pretend for a minute that you’re still sprawled out under an umbrella in South Beach. Now snap back to reality and get yourself one of those giant Corona margaritas you had on Ocean Drive before leaving paradise. This casual spot serves its namesake beer, frozen cocktails and a variety of Baja-style eats—think tacos, flautas, guac and more. Daily 6:30pm–10pm; gate D-23; and 7am-9pm; gate J-11.

Regional farmers are put front and center at this concourse E spot. It’s nestled on the 7th floor of the airport’s hotel, with panoramic vistas of planes taking off on the tarmac. And, no, you don’t have to be a hotel guest to enjoy the restaurant. As for its menu, opt for a steak cut or a flatbread that’s finalized in the wood-fired oven on-site. Daily noon–10pm; concourse E.