It may not come as a surprise that you have seen some of your local favorite restaurants popping up at Sky Harbor Airport. Beginning in January 2012 renovations of Terminal 4 brought on the idea of placing some of the city’s best local food fare into the Airport. Waiting for your flight just got a whole lot tastier! Take a look at the list below:
Before Security: Chelsea’s Kitchen, Sauce, America’s Taco Shop, Cheuvront Restaurant &Wine Bar, Joe’s Real BBQ, Lola Coffe with Tammy Coe Cakes, Lo-Lo’s Chicken and Waffles, Smashburger, Wildflower Bread Company.
Gates A1 – A14: Dilly’s Deli, Blanco, Modern Burger, Olive & Ivy Marketplace, Wildflower Bread Company.
Gates A15 – A30: Tammie Coe Sandwiches, Salads & Pastries, Delux Burger, Four Peaks Brewing Company, Humble Pie.
Gates B1 – B14: NYPD Pizza, Press Coffee, El Bravo, Matt’s Big Breakfast, MidCity Kitchen, Sweet Republic.
Gates B15 – B28: Cowboy Ciao, La Madeleine
Gates C11 – C20: cartel Coffee Lab, Sir Veza’s Taco Garage, Zinc Brasserie.
Gates D1 – D8: Barrio Café, La Grande Orange, Peet’s Coffee with Tamie Coe Cakes.
On a recent trip to the airport I loved indulging in Cowboy Ciao’s famous Stetson Chopped Salad before I boarded a long flight. I usually avoid eating at the airport or grab some Cheez-its for the flight, but having the option of one of my favorite salads right there was awesome! But, did it take some of the magic out of it? Planning a meal out and actually sitting at Cowboy Ciao is half the fun.
As I ate my salad a man next to me asked what I had ordered. I not only told him the name of the salad but then bragged that it was so famous it had it’s own Facebook page. Turns out he had an hour to kill between flights and happened to wander into “this restaurant.” Little did he know he was experiencing a salad I dream about and take trips to Old Town Scottsdale to devour.
So it brings up a question… Are travelers getting the best of AZ without actually venturing out of the airport?
I do have to say I was thrilled to hear Cheuvront’s was being resurrected in Terminal 4. After closing their only location in Phoenix a few months ago I thought that was the end of an era. With 40 million travelers through Sky Harbor it would be hard for Cheuvront’s to be nothing short of a home run. I don’t predict their terminal 4 doors closing any time soon.
Another good thing about this renovation is getting to try restaurants that are out of your ‘hood. Some of these AZ favorites you may never think of trying because the drive is just too far. Well now they are centrally located at Sky Harbor and if you are a flyer they are much easier to access. I usually drive 45 minutes for Joe’s Real BBQ, now I’ll just give myself a little extra time when headed to the airport.
No matter what your thoughts are, we have to agree that we have some pretty amazing restaurants in AZ and if it’s there, I’m eating it. Grabbing some Sweet Republic Ice Cream, Tammy Coe treats and Cartel Coffee for a flight kicks any vacation off to a great start!