Best Restaurants at LAX Airport, by Terminal (2026)
Where to eat in every LAX terminal, from Native by Nyesha and Kogi to Randy's Donuts
New to RoamRecs? Save these places to your own map in one tap, find them again on your phone, and share lists with friends. It’s free.
Run a business in this guide, or want yours added? Get in touch. Or get featured.
LAX has a handful of genuinely good airport meals, but quality swings so much by terminal that wandering without a plan can end with an expensive sandwich next to your gate. This guide covers the restaurants worth choosing in every operating terminal, plus what to grab when boarding is close.
The short version: Native by Nyesha in Terminal 3 is the best restaurant at LAX, Ludacris' Chicken + Beer next door is the comfort-food pick, and CAVA is the most dependable fast meal. Terminal 1 has the most LA personality, with Urth Caffé, Kogi BBQ and Nipsey Hussle's Marathon Burger. In the international terminal, go to Beecher's or ink.sack in the main hall, or Santouka Ramen if you're flying from the West Gates. United flyers in Terminal 7 get Randy's Donuts.
Terminal 3 has the strongest lineup overall, and Terminal 6 is better than people expect. Terminal 4 is thin while it's being rebuilt, and Terminals 7 and 8 are more useful than exciting once you've had your donut.
Every operating terminal connects after security, but the full post-security walk from Terminal 1 to Terminal 8 is about two miles. With under an hour before boarding, stay near your gate. With more time, the easy hops are Terminal 2 to Terminal 3, Terminal 4 to the Terminal B main hall, and Terminals 7 and 8 to Terminal 6. Terminal 5 is closed for reconstruction, with reopening expected in 2028. Have time before the airport? Three Weavers, Common Space and the rest of the Inglewood cluster are in our guide to the best breweries in Los Angeles, and Tomat's plane-spotting roof in Westchester is in our rooftop bars guide.
Save all 34 LAX restaurants to your map
New to RoamRecs? Save these places to your own map in one tap, find them again on your phone and share the list with friends. It's free.
The Best LAX Restaurants at a Glance
| Restaurant | Terminal | Best for | Why choose it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native by Nyesha | T3 | Best overall | Chef-driven menu, a real dining room and cocktails |
| Ludacris' Chicken + Beer | T3 | Comfort food | Chicken 'n waffle, shrimp and grits, rotating beer list |
| CAVA | T3 | Fast and lighter | Build-your-own bowls and pitas |
| Urth Caffé & Bar | T1 | Breakfast and coffee | Early opener with bowls, salads and sandwiches |
| Kogi BBQ | T1 | Most LA quick bite | Korean barbecue tacos from LA's original food-truck star |
| Marathon Burger | T1 | Burger | Smash burgers from Nipsey Hussle's Marathon brand |
| Rock & Brews | T1 | Groups | Full bar, broad menu, room to spread out |
| Slapfish | T2 | Seafood | Fish tacos, chowder and seafood sandwiches |
| Barney's Beanery | T2 | Pub meal | Burgers, chili, beer and TVs |
| SeaLegs Wine Bar | T2 | Wine | Long wine list and shared plates |
| Beecher's Handmade Cheese | Terminal B main hall | Comfort food | Grilled cheese, mac and tomato soup |
| ink.sack | Terminal B main hall | Plane sandwich | Compact sandwiches that travel well |
| Santa Monica Brew Works | Terminal B main hall | Local beer | The brewery's own taps near Gate 134 |
| P.F. Chang's | Terminal B main hall | Full service | Table service on the mezzanine |
| Santouka Ramen | Terminal B West Gates | West Gates meal | Ramen before a long-haul flight |
| Crowns LAX | T4 | Pub and breakfast | Inglewood brewery's airport pub |
| Point The Way Cafe | T6 | Sit-down | Golden Road Brewing's pub |
| Wahoo's Fish Taco | T6 | Quick meal | Tacos, bowls and burritos |
| Randy's Donuts and Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen | T7 | Donuts and coffee | LA's famous donuts plus local coffee |
| B Grill by BOA Steakhouse | T7 | Sit-down | The best table service in T7 and T8 |
These are first choices by terminal, not a one-through-20 ranking. Each terminal section below adds coffee, grab-and-go and fallback options.
Where to Eat at LAX Based on How Much Time You Have
| Time before boarding | The move |
|---|---|
| Under 20 minutes | Stay in your terminal and grab something packaged or pre-ordered. Don't start a sit-down meal. |
| 20–40 minutes | Counter service: Kogi, Marathon, CAVA, Homeboy, Slapfish, Beecher's, ink.sack, Wahoo's or Loteria, depending on terminal. |
| 45–75 minutes | A sit-down meal near your gate: Native, Chicken + Beer, Urth, Barney's, Crowns, Point The Way or B Grill. |
| 90 minutes or more | Consider one neighboring terminal, counting the walk both ways. |
| Long layover | Everything connects after security, but crossing the full two-mile path is rarely worth it for food. |
LAX Shop + Dine takes advance pickup orders at participating restaurants. Prep times are estimates and stretch during busy departure waves.
LAX Terminal 1 Restaurants: The Most LA Personality
Terminal 1's food court just got a local upgrade, with Kogi BBQ and Marathon Burger taking over the old taco and burger counters. Urth Caffé anchors the terminal for coffee and breakfast.
Urth Caffé & Bar
1 World Wy Terminal 1, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Coffee and a proper breakfast before a dawn flight, or a salad, bowl or sandwich later in the day when you want something that isn't fried. Pastries, egg dishes and plant-based plates make it easy for a group that can't agree, and it's one of the earliest openers in the airport.
Kogi BBQ
1 World Way, Terminal 1, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Roy Choi's truck kicked off LA's Korean-Mexican food-truck wave in 2008, and the short rib taco is still the order: caramelized Korean barbecue on griddled corn tortillas with salsa roja and slaw. Kogi ran a truck in Terminal 4 a decade ago, so this counter is a homecoming. It's the most distinctly LA quick meal at LAX, with no table service to wait on.
Marathon Burger
100 World Wy #150, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Nipsey Hussle's brother, Blacc Sam, built Marathon Burger out of the late rapper's Marathon brand, starting with a smash-burger shop on Melrose. The LAX counter opened in October 2026. Get the namesake Marathon Burger, and come hungry.
Rock & Brews
1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
The rock-themed bar and grill from KISS's Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley has a full bar, a big American menu and a lively room where a family or a group of coworkers can sit down together. Come for the beer and the space more than the food.
Email me this guide
All 34 places with map links, in your inbox. No account needed.
Also useful: Einstein Bros. Bagels for a fast breakfast, California Pizza Kitchen for something familiar, Reilly's Irish Pub for a pint and Panda Express for speed. Chick-fil-A is closed for renovation through late November 2026.
LAX Terminal 2 Restaurants: Seafood, Wine and a Real Pub
Terminal 2 is small but covers the basics, and Terminal 3, the best food terminal at LAX, is a short walk away.
Slapfish
Level LAX Airport, 200 World Wy Terminal 2 Departures, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Huntington Beach's seafood shack is the best break from burgers and pizza at this end of the airport. Fish tacos, chowder, seafood sandwiches and fried fish come out fast enough for a tight connection.
Barney's Beanery
200 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
The airport outpost of the old West Hollywood roadhouse is where you grab a table, order a beer and stop refreshing the departure board. Burgers, chili, breakfast and pub standards cover everyone in a mixed group.
SeaLegs Wine Bar
200 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
A quieter, grown-up alternative to Barney's, with a long wine list, craft beer and shared plates like flatbreads and burgers. It suits a couple or a solo traveler with time to sit. On a tight connection, grab Slapfish or Jersey Mike's instead.
Also useful: Jersey Mike's for a sub to carry on, BUILT Custom Burgers, Fresh Brothers for pizza and sandwiches and Pick Up Stix. With extra time, walk over to Terminal 3.
LAX Terminal 3 Restaurants: The Best Terminal for Food
If you're flying out of Terminal 3, you don't need to go anywhere else. It has the airport's best restaurant, its best comfort food, a dependable fast-casual counter, local coffee and a grab-and-go bakery with a mission.
Native by Nyesha
1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Top Chef alum Nyesha Arrington's restaurant feels like a real dining room that happens to be in an airport. The fried chicken sandwich with hot curry mustard is the crowd-pleaser, a miso Caesar or salmon rice bowl works before a long flight, and the Korean-style wings and green curry corn chowder show what the kitchen can do. Breakfast is just as good: a fried chicken biscuit, a breakfast burger melt or the curry cauliflower potato hash. This is the meal worth arriving early for.
Ludacris' Chicken + Beer
1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Ludacris' Southern comfort-food restaurant is where to go when a grain bowl feels like surrender. Order the chicken 'n waffle, a fried chicken plate with mac 'n cheese and collards, or shrimp and grits, and pick from a beer list that rotates on draft and in cans. It's loud, casual and a good way to ride out an afternoon delay.
CAVA
Los Angeles International Airport, Terminal 3, LAX, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
The smartest fast meal at LAX: grain bowls and pitas with dips, vegetables and protein that fill you up without weighing you down. It's tucked behind Yakumi and Fat Sal's, and lines build during Delta's departure waves, so order ahead on LAX Shop + Dine when you can.
Homeboy Cafe
1 World Wy Terminal 3, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Sandwiches, wraps and pastries to carry to the gate, from the cafe arm of Homeboy Industries, the LA gang intervention and reentry program. Pick up a breakfast sandwich and coffee here and you're doing a little good on the way out of town.
Alfred Coffee
1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
The LA coffee shop is Terminal 3's dedicated coffee stop and opens early. Get your drink here, then pick food from Homeboy, CAVA or Native depending on how much time you have.
Also useful: Fat Sal's for an oversized sandwich, Yakumi for sushi, Jamba for smoothies, and Pizza Please and Starbucks as fallbacks.
Tom Bradley International (Terminal B) Restaurants: Two Separate Dining Zones
Tom Bradley International Terminal has the biggest selection at LAX, but treat it as two places: the main terminal around the Great Hall, and the West Gates, a separate concourse at the end of a long underground connector. Eat near your departure gate.
Main terminal (Great Hall)
Beecher's Handmade Cheese
1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
The safest bet in the main terminal: grilled cheese, mac and cheese and tomato soup from the Seattle cheesemaker. It's comforting, quick and easy to carry, and a small mac is a sensible meal before a long-haul flight.
ink.sack
1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Compact sandwiches built to survive the walk to the gate and a few hours in a seat-back pocket. The Club Turkey works for lunch and the BAE, with bacon, egg, cheddar and arugula, works for breakfast.
Santa Monica Brew Works
1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Santa Monica's own craft brewery pours its beer at a U-shaped bar near Gate 134, with some tables looking out at the airfield. Have a local pint before you leave LA. The food is enough to make it a meal.
P.F. Chang's
1 World Way, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Not the most original pick, but it's a full dining room with table service on the mezzanine overlooking the Great Hall. Before a long international flight with family or a group, that counts for a lot.
Chaya Brasserie
1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Sushi and lighter plates for when a burger before a 12-hour flight sounds like a mistake.
West Gates
Santouka Ramen
West Gates at Tom Bradley International, 1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
The best meal at the West Gates. A hot bowl from the Hokkaido ramen chain beats most of the fast food around it and is worth sitting down for when your gate is already out here. Don't make the trip from the main terminal on a tight boarding window.
Chicken Guy
1 World Wy Spc M52, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Tenders and dipping sauces. It doesn't beat Santouka, but it keeps you from retracing the connector.
Playa Cafe
West Gates at Tom Bradley International, 1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Coffee, salads and café food, a practical stop when your gate is already at the West Gates.
Also useful: In the main terminal, Border Grill for Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken's modern Mexican, plus LAMILL Coffee, Pret A Manger, 800 Degrees Pizza, Umami Burger, Vanilla Bake Shop, Panda Express and KFC. At the West Gates, Navarre and Harvest Market.
LAX Terminal 4 Restaurants: Thin While It's Rebuilt
Terminal 4 is mid-renovation and down to three spots: Crowns LAX, Sammy's Woodfired Pizza and Starbucks. With time, walk the connector to the Terminal B main hall.
Crowns LAX
1 World Wy Terminal 4, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
The airport pub from Crowns & Hops, the Black-owned Inglewood brewery, is the best seat in Terminal 4. Expect breakfast sandwiches and avocado toast in the morning, flatbreads and salads later, beer, wine and cocktails all day, and enough TVs to catch a game. It's near Gate 46B.
Sammy's Woodfired Pizza
Terminal 4, 1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Wood-fired pizza and salads at a sit-down spot that turns tables faster than most. It's predictable and filling, and it saves you the walk.
Using the Terminal B connector: A post-security hallway links Terminal 4 to Tom Bradley, where Beecher's, ink.sack and Santa Monica Brew Works open up your options. Skip it on a short American Airlines connection.
LAX Terminal 5: Closed for Reconstruction
Terminal 5 is closed for reconstruction, with reopening expected in 2028. Older lists that send you to Terminal 5 restaurants are out of date. If your airline used to fly from Terminal 5, check the gate in your airline's app.
LAX Terminal 6 Restaurants: Better Than You'd Expect
Terminal 6 has no destination restaurant, but it covers pub food, tacos, burgers, pizza, coffee and smoothies well. With time, it's worth the walk from Terminals 7 and 8.
Point The Way Cafe
1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
LA's Golden Road Brewing is behind this pub, so you get the brewery's beer on tap alongside salads, sandwiches and burgers. It's the best sit-down meal in Terminal 6 and a comfortable place to wait out a delay.
Wahoo's Fish Taco
600 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Fish tacos, rice bowls and burritos from the SoCal surf-shack chain, lighter than the pizza and burgers nearby. Twenty or thirty minutes is enough.
The Habit Burger Grill
600 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Charbroiled burgers, fries and sandwiches from the California chain, faster and simpler than turning a burger craving into a sit-down meal. Good for families who need a dependable order.
The Marketplace by Wolfgang Puck
380 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
The Kitchen, The Wine Bar and WPizza share one space, so it can be a quick slice or a glass of wine and a proper plate.
Earthbar
1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Smoothies, juices and raw and vegan options, the reset after a few days of travel food.
Also useful: Club 42 Tequila Bar & Bites, California Pizza Kitchen and Peet's Coffee.
LAX Terminals 7 and 8 Restaurants: Randy's, Then the Basics
United's terminals have enough to keep you fed and one genuine LA icon. For a bigger meal with time to spare, Terminal 6 is next door.
Randy's Donuts and Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen
6100 94th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Randy's giant rooftop donut in Inglewood is visible from planes landing at LAX, and since 2023 there's been a Randy's case inside Terminal 7. It shares a counter with Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen, the LA coffee shop that counts Issa Rae among its owners. Look for it near Gate 74, toward the end of the concourse. The donuts are baked off-site, so go early for the best selection.
B Grill by BOA Steakhouse
1 World Wy Terminal 7, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
The strongest full-service option in Terminals 7 and 8. Crab cakes Benedict or steak and eggs in the morning, and burgers, sandwiches and steak later. Think of it as an airport outpost rather than the full BOA experience.
Ashland Hill
700 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
The airport version of the Santa Monica gastropub keeps things casual: coffee, avocado toast, grilled cheese and grab-and-go cases for the plane.
Loteria
1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
The quick pick in the Terminal 7 food court. Tacos, burritos and bowls from the Farmers Market favorite are a better fit for a short window than a full-service order.
BLD
1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
American breakfast, lunch and dinner plates in the Terminal 7 food court, and an easy fallback when Loteria's line is long.
Rolling Stone Bar & Grill
800 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Come for a game and a beer. The sports-bar setting is the draw, and the food is secondary.
Klatch Coffee
1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
The Southern California roaster is the better coffee stop on the Terminal 7 departures level.
Also useful: The Counter, Wolfgang Puck Express, Panda Express, Carl's Jr., Engine Co. No. 28 and Stella Bar.
The Best Bars at LAX
| Bar or restaurant | Where | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Ludacris' Chicken + Beer | T3 | Beer with a real meal |
| Native by Nyesha | T3 | Cocktails and the best food in the airport |
| Rock & Brews | T1 | Groups and a lively room |
| SeaLegs Wine Bar | T2 | Wine somewhere quieter |
| Santa Monica Brew Works | Terminal B main hall | Local craft beer |
| Crowns LAX | T4 | Inglewood brewery pub, breakfast drinks and sports |
| Point The Way Cafe | T6 | Golden Road beer with a pub meal |
| Rolling Stone Bar & Grill | T7 | Watching a game |
| B Grill by BOA Steakhouse | T7 | A slower drink with food |
For beer and a full meal, go to Chicken + Beer. For wine, SeaLegs. For a local pint before a long flight, Santa Monica Brew Works in Terminal B, Point The Way in Terminal 6 or Crowns LAX in Terminal 4.
Where to Eat at LAX Before Security
Don't plan a real meal before security, because nearly every restaurant worth choosing at LAX is airside. Pre-security options are limited to a few coffee and convenience stops, like WPizza and a Coffee Bean in Terminal B and a Dunkin' on the Terminal 7 arrivals level. If you're picking someone up, eat before you enter the airport loop. Pann's, the Googie diner a few minutes from the terminals, is the classic choice and sits in our guide to the best old-school Hollywood restaurants.
Email me this guide
All 34 places with map links, in your inbox. No account needed.
Own or run a place in this guide? Update your info. Want your business included? Get in touch. Own a restaurant or bar here? Become a featured partner on this guide →
Frequently asked questions
What's the best restaurant at LAX?
Which LAX terminal has the best food?
What's the most LA food at LAX?
Can I eat in a different terminal at LAX?
What's the best breakfast at LAX?
What's the healthiest option at LAX?
What's the best quick meal at LAX?
Where should I eat in the international terminal at LAX?
What should I bring onto the plane?
Can I order ahead at LAX?
Is LAX Terminal 5 open?
How much time do I need for a sit-down meal at LAX?
Related guides
Best Beach Bars in Los Angeles (2026)
Best Breweries in Los Angeles (2026)
Best Cozy Bars in Los Angeles (2026)
Best First-Date Bars in Los Angeles (2026)
Best Happy Hours in Los Angeles (2026)
Best Late-Night Food in Los Angeles (2026)
Best Old-School Hollywood Restaurants in Los Angeles (2026)
Best Rooftop Bars in Los Angeles (2026)
Best NFL Bars in Los Angeles for Every Team (2026)
Best Restaurants at DFW Airport, by Terminal (2026)
Best Restaurants at Dallas Love Field Airport (2026)
Best Restaurants and Bars at Atlanta Airport (2026)
More in Los Angeles
About the creator
Your guide to eating, drinking & exploring Los Angeles 🌴 Neighborhood favorites, date spots, beach bars & seasonal plans. Find your next spot ↓
View profile →