You can never get good pizza in the airport, or deli, or burritos, or Chinese. But I just ate yet another satisfying airport meat-and-two-sides, this one at the Speedway Grill in Charlotte-Douglas, where we’re paused on our long way home from Thanksgiving. It was good enough that CJ, to my great surprise, demanded more than his share of green beans; and it was only the second best airport BBQ I’ve had this month. (Brookwood Farms BBQ in Raleigh-Durham takes the crown here.)
Why does barbecue translate so well to the airport setting?
It could just be that you’re in North Carolina, where the best BBQ in the country resides anyway.
Is that possible? I’ve always been led to believe that the best Barbecue in the world is Arthur Bryant’s BBQ in Kansas city!
I had passable BBQ in the Memphis airport last spring. Perhaps BBQ is good in the airport because it doesn’t matter how long the food sits in the steam tray before you eat it.
Don’t worry, Emmanuel, Brookwood is only the champ of the airport barbecue division! ABBBQ still holds the overall title.
Them’s fightin’ words, and spoken like people who have never had Texas barbecue! :)
FYI, there’s a Salt Lick in the Austin airport.
RDU? Really? I don’t actually recall finding much there, but then again I’m rarely looking for a meal there at the right time. I guess Brookwood is in the new terminal.
I had some really spiffy ribs when we were waiting for a flight back from Memphis in October.
I had some good BBQ in an airport in Houston (Hobby?). I also had some very good Chinese once in an airport . . . Pudong airport in Shanghai (I guess that doesn’t count).
I double-checked. The BBQ I had was at Harlon’s in George Bush Airport in Houston.
I eat at Harlon’s too! Here’s my list of airports where I’ve had good barbecue: Austin (I seem to remember two BBQs there; I bought from the one that’s on your left after you pass security), Houston, Dallas, Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte. Atlanta (Paschal’s, outside security) if you count smoked sausage as barbecue.
Madison gets an honorable mention here: the very worthwhile rib house Smoky Jon’s isn’t exactly IN the airport, but it’s across the street, very convenient for takeout on the way to your flight.