New York

All the Actually Good Places to Eat At LaGuardia Airport in NYC

Fill up before boarding.

H&H Bagels
H&H Bagels
H&H Bagels

As the world begins to open up again, your itinerary could reacquaint you with LaGuardia, an airport with a less-than-stellar reputation. The good news? In a bid to improve its underdog ranking, LGA has been undergoing some major renovations, so you might just find yourself pleasantly surprised.

“There’s more innovation as things are reopening,” says Zach Griff, travel analyst at The Points Guy. “In the new LaGuardia Terminal B, they’ve partnered with some of the top names in New York.” 

Those top names include outposts of NYC mini-chains like coffee shop Irving Farm, Dos Toros Taqueria, the old-school bakery Zaro’s, and more. While other terminals might still leave some culinary choices to be desired (we’re looking at you, Terminal A), the updated LaGuardia has come a long way from when Biden called it a “third world country.” 

Even with LGA’s updates and eased COVID restrictions-dining in NYC is currently back at 100% capacity-you might find yourself needing the same level of pre-pandemic patience for the unloved but highly-trafficked airport.

“For a lot of fliers who are coming back to travel for the first time, who have heard the stories of deserted airports, they’re not going to experience that when they’re back in the air,” says Griff. “Airports, especially dining establishments, are crowded.”

Restaurants across the country, including in airports, are having trouble staffing their kitchens and dining rooms, so try to be gracious and understanding when faced with long waits, crowded tables, and even closed restaurants. 

As travel continues to change daily, we’re making it as easy as possible to find a good meal in LGA. We’ve done our best to keep our lists up to date, but please be aware that changing precautions and airport staffing concerns will continue to affect airport dining day to day.

H&H bagel
H&H bagel
H&H bagel

Terminal A (JetBlue, Spirit)

Salotto

Departure Gates
Terminal A, the Art Deco Marine Air Terminal built in 1939, doesn’t offer much in the way of dining options. It does, however, have Italian restaurant, Salotto, where you can grab a sandwich, a serviceable pizza, or an H&H bagel. Most importantly, they’ve got a wide selection of cocktails, which you’re gonna need when you find yourself face-to-face with thousands of strangers after 18 months spent inside your apartment.

Junior's Restaurant & Cheesecake
Junior’s Restaurant & Cheesecake
Junior’s Restaurant & Cheesecake

Terminal B (Air Canada, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United)

Junior’s

Level 4
Is Junior’s for tourists? Yes. Do they still make a pretty good slice of New York cheesecake? Also yes! While in Rome, they say, do as the Romans do, so while in the airport, you might as well eat like a tourist. Order a deli sandwich for the plane or just sip a cup of coffee while making your way through a giant portion of their famous cheesecake. A slice of the classic cake is luscious, on the sweeter side, and travels surprisingly well, so you can save the other half for when you get hungry halfway over America. 

Irving Farm

Gates 40-59
New York mini-chain Irving Farm has a location in LGA for those mornings when you have to grab a cab at 4 am to make your flight. Sure, you can get caffeinated at Starbucks, but Irving Farm has a pretty stellar iced coffee. Most of the microwaved menu items would probably be better to skip, but the premade pastries are surprisingly good. Bonus-they’re big enough to hold you over if you’re still not emotionally prepared to eat on the plane. 

Zaro’s

Level 4
Zaro’s began as a Kosher bakery in the Bronx all the way back in 1927-and 94 years later, it’s a New York commuter mainstay, with locations in Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station, Port Authority, and right here in LaGuardia. The grab-and-go deli counter has bagels, pastries, and even a solid version of the black and white cookie. Order a selection to snack on, because a delayed flight is much more palatable with a bag of sweets. 

Beecher’s

Gates 24-30
Is a belly full of fancy cheese before a flight a good idea? We’ll let you decide that for yourself (although your seat neighbor might have a different opinion…). Beecher’s new outpost, an extension of their Flatiron flagship, is now open for all your pre- or post-flight dairy needs. Order a sandwich, shop a selection of their handmade options, and enjoy some of NYC’s cheesiest food. 

Other options in Terminal B: 
Bar 212, District Market, Dos Toros Taqueria, Dunkin Donuts, Green Leaf’s, Shake Shack, Starbucks, Tap & Pour, Tony & Benny’s, Wendy’s

Artichoke Basille's Pizza
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza

Terminal C (Delta, Frontier Airlines, Spirit, WestJet)

Artichoke Pizza 

Gates C28-C29
You’ll find Artichoke on a lot of lists of must-try NYC pizzas-and you don’t even have to leave the airport to get a taste. The slices are saucy, stacked with stuff, and not strictly a traditional NY bite, but they taste pretty darn good. They’re the perfect choice for a meal eaten while rushing to your gate. Just fold it in half, eat it over a paper plate, and rush to your destination like a real New Yorker. 

Custom Burgers

Gates C28-C29
This burger spot with a Pat LaFrieda meat blend faces some stiff competition from the Shake Shack at Terminal B. Here, you can build your own burger while sipping a $19 beer (hey, you’re at the airport!) or a house-made milkshake, which certainly stands up against the Shack’s options. If you’re saving your big meals for when you arrive at your destination, they’ve got a serious selection of salads, too. 

Other options in Terminal C: 
Cotto, World Bean

Roman Zaiets/Shutterstock
Roman Zaiets/Shutterstock
Roman Zaiets/Shutterstock

Terminal D (Delta)

H&H Bagels

Gates 92-98
If you’ve got an early flight out of LGA, a good bagel and schmear will almost make up for that extremely expensive Uber. Originally open since 1972, H&H bagels has a long and storied history in NYC, making it a crucial bite on any New York tasting tour. Whether you’re on your way out of the city or back in, a stop here is the perfect first or last part to your NYC experience.

Flatiron Tavern & Provisions

Gates 92-98
Sometimes, you just need to sip a vodka soda alone at an airport bar. When you’re anxious about traveling or simply want to congratulate yourself for making it through another encounter with the TSA, Flatiron Tavern & Provisions is the perfect spot to soak your liver in liquor. The food is straightforward American fare, but you’re not here for the burgers-you’re here to make that Old Fashioned a double.  

Rossi Pizzeria

Gates 92-98
This thin-crust spot was opened with an early assist from Mark Iacono, the brains behind the Carroll Gardens classic (and Beyoncé-fave) pizzeria Lucali. Is the pizza as good as Lucali? Well, no, but you’re at LaGuardia, so we’ll take what we can get. It’s a perfectly serviceable slice to eat while you listen to a podcast and watch the wonders of airport behavior unfold from other travelers.

Other options in Terminal D: 
Cibo

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Rachel Pelz is a contributor for Thrillist.

New York

Scavenge for Peeps Cookies and More Fun Treats in NYC This Easter

The best Easter desserts in NYC this spring include Easter Bunny Churros and Carrot Cake Macarons.

Photo courtesy of Funny Face Bakery
Photo courtesy of Funny Face Bakery
Photo courtesy of Funny Face Bakery

As spring makes its way through New York City, not only do we get to enjoy beautiful weather, stunning cherry blossoms, and cool activities priced at $Free.99, but it’s also the perfect time for some limited-edition desserts.

With Easter fast approaching, bakeries are filling their shops with tons of chocolate eggs, carrot cake-flavoured everything and all types of flavours that offer both nostalgia and innovation within the city’s dessert landscape. After you’ve picked up a cake from the city’s best new bakeries, from Easter Bunny Churros to Carrot Cake Macarons, here are 8 Easter desserts to try in NYC right now.

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Bakery
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Bakery
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Bakery

Magnolia Bakery

Throughout April
Various locations
There’s great news for devotees of Magnolia Bakery’s Classic Banana Pudding: For Easter, the spot is mixing up the iconic dessert’s vanilla pudding with some carrot cake. The Carrot Cake Pudding is filled with freshly grated carrots, coconuts, pineapples, raisins, and walnuts. And if both bananas and carrots aren’t your thing, they’ll be offering their Classic Vanilla Cupcakes in pastel colours with a Cadbury chocolate egg hidden inside.

Photo courtesy of Funny Face Bakery
Photo courtesy of Funny Face Bakery
Photo courtesy of Funny Face Bakery

Funny Face Bakery

Through Easter Sunday
NoHo and Seaport
Known for their celebrity face and meme-worthy decorated cookies, fans of Funny Face Bakery know that a new fun design is always just around the corner. For Easter, they’ve created the adorable Hoppy Easter decorated cookie that resembles a classic box of marshmallow Peeps. Along with that, they also have the return of their fan-favourite Caramel Pretzel Chip cookie flavour, plus a set of three mini-decorated cookies perfect for gifting.

The Doughnut Project

Friday, April 7 through Easter Sunday
West Village
With the ever-changing flavours at The Doughnut Project, it’s super easy to miss out on trying out a new debut. But this Easter weekend, there will be two new flavours available. One is of course, a carrot cake doughnut topped with a cream cheese glaze, and the other is known as the Doughnut Nest-a French cruller “nest” with a cream-filled doughnut hole “egg” in the centre.

Photo by Cole Saladino, courtesy of The Fragile Flour
Photo by Cole Saladino, courtesy of The Fragile Flour
Photo by Cole Saladino, courtesy of The Fragile Flour

The Fragile Flour

Wednesday, April 5 through Easter Sunday
East Village
For stellar vegan desserts this holiday, head to The Fragile Flour, a plant-based bakery and dessert wine bar. They’re known for going all out for each holiday with a variety of new pastry options that you can pair perfectly with a glass of wine. This Easter, they’ll have a whole dessert menu that’s both delicious and gorgeous for posting on IG. The menu includes Stuffed Carrot Cake Cookies, a Lemon Cake (whole or by the slice), some festive cupcakes, and specialty macarons.

Photo courtesy of Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate
Photo courtesy of Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate
Photo courtesy of Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate

Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate

Through mid April
Midtown
For a luxurious take on Easter chocolates, browse the selections available at Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate. You can even pick the Easter Signature Chef’s Selection for a special box curated by award-winning chefs. For something other than chocolate, choose between the Carrot Cake Macarons or the cake flavored Easter Marshmallow Trio, both of which are almost too cute to eat.

La Churreria

Throughout April
Nolita
This churro-centric spot is putting the cutest Easter spin on their crispy cinnamon churros by twisting them up into bunnies and bunny ears. At Churreria, choose from a Bunny Churro Lollipop topped with your choice of chocolate or dulce de leche and sprinkles, or the bunny ear churros in the Ube and Matcha ice cream sundae or the Ube Milkshake, both of which are made with ice cream from il laboratorio del gelato.

Photo by Briana Balducci
Photo by Briana Balducci
Photo by Briana Balducci

Lafayette

Throughout April
NoHo
You’ve surely seen this croissant tons of times while scrolling through IG or TikTok, whether it’s the Pain au Chocolat one or the latest of the month. Known as Suprêmes, these filled croissants went viral and continue to live up to the hype each time a new flavour comes out. April’s flavour-sour cherry amaretto with a Luxardo custard and toasted almonds. While you’ll have to be super early and wait in line during one of their three drops of the day to get a taste, we promise you it’ll be worth it.

Photo courtesy of Levain
Photo courtesy of Levain
Photo courtesy of Levain

Levain

Seasonal
Various locations
We all know the iconic cookies from Levain-they’re gigantic, perfectly crispy and chewy, and well worth the long lines. For spring, the shop is launching a new flavour: Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip. Filled with gooey caramel chips, fresh shredded coconut, and melty dark chocolate, it’s one you’ve got to try while it’s still around. To further celebrate the new season, all of Levain’s storefronts will be decked out in spring floral displays, serving as the perfect backdrop for pictures.

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Alaina Cintron is an Editorial Assistant at Thrillist. Her work can also be found in Westchester Magazine, Girls’ Life, and Spoon University. When she’s not at her desk typing away, you can find her exploring a local coffee shop or baking a new recipe.

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