Where to Eat and Drink at Boston Logan International Airport

From the area’s most iconic burger and other fast-casual picks to seafood restaurants showcasing the best of New England.

Vacation starts the minute you get through airport security. And if you’re anything like us, you treat airport meals as your first celebration of freedom. Once upon a time, for Bostonians, that meant convenience store snacks and coffee from Dunkin’, but Logan Airport has seriously upped its dining game in recent years. From quick places to grab a bite to outposts of some of the city’s best restaurants, here are all of the best dining options at Logan Airport.

Terminal A

Legal Test Kitchen
Legal Test Kitchen

There is actually a Legal Sea Foods in every terminal, but the test kitchen has the most interesting menu: classics like grilled scallops and fried whole-belly clams, surprises like the salmon BLT, and rotating experimental dishes like a sesame-crusted yellowfin tuna. The full bar makes this a place to linger, although there are also grab-and-go options. There’s also a full breakfast menu—though for better or worse, it’s not seafood-oriented.

Here’s a little secret: One of the very few Friendly’s left in Massachusetts is actually at Logan, which means you still have an opportunity to get your grilled tuna melt with a vanilla milkshake or fudge brownie sundae to seal the deal. It may not be gourmet cuisine, but the nostalgia factor is off the charts.

Once upon a time, Alta Strada was just an intimate suburban Italian restaurant from famed chef Michael Schlow. Now it’s an East Coast mini-chain, but the quality endures. This is the spot to get an epic serving of chicken parm and some crusty garlic bread while raising a glass of red to zero flight delays.

Terminal B

Trade
Trade

This restaurant offers a tried-and-true sampling from Jody Adam’s Seaport restaurant of the same name. The Mediterranean menu features flatbreads, a hummus platter, an eggplant sandwich, plus steak frites and baked shrimp as entrees. More good news: The divine Trade burger is on this menu as well, harissa aioli, brioche bun and all. And like all good sit-down airport restaurants, there’s a full bar.

It’s a beloved New England pizza chain that never fails to deliver, and it certainly beats Sbarro. The thin crusted slices are all reheated before delivery, and the toppings go well beyond the standard fare: now’s as good a time as any to try the mashed potato, bacon, and scallion pizza.

Another pleasant airport surprise, the menu is smaller than at the flagship North End restaurants, but the pastas are still homemade and prepared impeccably. Rigatoni, pappardelle bolognese, and baked orecchiette are the mainstays; there’s also a lobster gnocchi appetizer for those truly looking to indulge. Paninis, salads, and snacks like deviled eggs and garlic bread make this an easy choice.

Terminal C

Shōjō Boston
Shōjō Boston

This is one of the most pleasant surprises of Terminal C: a second outpost of the beloved but tiny Chinatown restaurant from Brian Moy. There are classics available from the original menu, including the duck fat fries and pork belly bao, but there are also new dishes like congee and morning offerings like the hash brown sandwich.

Our beloved Italian steakhouse chain did not cut corners with its Logan entry: You can still enjoy everything from housemade potato gnocchi to braised beef short ribs to, yes, a 55-day prime aged ribeye with your choice of sauce. This is a true all-day affair: Cocktails flow day and night, the breakfast menu is robust, and the restaurant opens at 5:30 am and closes a half-hour before the final flight of the day.

This 6,000-square-foot offshoot of our downtown market has many different options all in one place. Offerings include local faves like Mother Juice, Red’s Best, and Beantown Pastrami, plus a large bar area where you can get cocktails, beer, and wine. If you don’t have time for a proper nosh, you can grab one of the market’s elevated to-go offerings.

Terminal E

Monica's Mercato
Monica's Mercato

The North End mainstay is a market, yes, but it made its name with glorious sandwiches, especially its Italian and meatball subs. Those favorites are recreated here, but that said, this is more of a sit-down spot with a full bar and tables where you can also enjoy pizzas and dinner entrees like baked ziti and chicken Parmesan.

At the Stephanie’s on Newbury or Tremont, people can easily spend an hour or two at the bar, savoring a drink and salad while chatting with fellow patrons. In other words, this is where you go when you have a flight delay and potentially even want to socialize. The menu includes everything from calamari to a lobster roll to the aforementioned salads. To sweeten the deal just a little bit: The full cocktail menu includes a build-your-own Bloody Mary for those rough morning flights.

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Meaghan Agnew is a contributor to Thrillist.