A Restaurant Revival at LAX

by Nichol Nelson, Posted Apr 16th 2010 @ 2:00PM

As far as airports go, LAX has a lot going for it: the parking is cheap, weather delays are rare, and hey, everyone likes palm trees. But for a city that prides itself on culinary diversity, the terminals are woefully underserved. Starbucks? Generic "bar and grill" chains? Ugh. Where's the local flavor?

Thankfully, change is on the horizon. A host of concession contracts have been submitted to Los Angeles airports commissioners and the City Counsel, and if they're approved, passengers will finally get a glimpse of culinary diversity Los Angeles has to offer. Outposts of Park's Bar-B-Q (Korean barbecue), La Serenata de Garibaldi, (traditional Mexican), and Bertha's Soul Food (the fried chicken is legendary) are all part of the plans, according to the Los Angeles Times.

But why stop there? Also in the works are restaurants from high-profile LA chefs Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken, and Nancy Silverton. The concept from Feniger and Milliken (former hosts of the Food Network's "Two Hot Tamales") is an offshoot of their Santa Monica hotspot Border Grill, where they emphasize fresh, local ingredients and sustainable seafood. Silverton, who co-owns the astronomically successful Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza with Mario Batali, has plans for an casual Italian spot to be called Spuntino. Menu plans include house-made foccacia, pizza (of course), and fresh mozzarella and burrata.

For all the burger snobs out there comes 25 Degrees, an outpost of Tim and Liza Goodell's burger palace in Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel. Their application has been recommended for approval, so get ready to devour their "number one" burger, piled high with caramelized onions, bacon, arugula and thousand island dressing. The next time you're flying through the City of Angeles, arrive early. You're going to want the extra time to eat your way across the terminal.

Filed Under: Restaurants, News
Tags: featured, LAX, los angeles, los angeles airport, restaurants

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

4-21-2010 @2:44AM Nati Jay said... I was at LAX not too long ago and I can recall a few of the food places available to travelers. In comparison to my hometown airport (Philly) it has ALOT MORE to offer, but I was also surprised that LAX didn't have more.

This is awesome that they're offering new and more vast varieties of food to travelers. Airports should learn a lesson or two from the awesome food trucks that can be found throughout LA and most of California. Keeping things simple and straight to the point can really make for some awesome food yo!
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