Just For Fun: Will fly for food

Aside from one colleague who can subsist on an apple and a granola bar, most of us seek out good food, good service, and a good atmosphere when we’re looking for a place to land and dine. Here’s a list of great airport restaurants from AOPA’s pilots. Email your favorites to [email protected] with the subject line “100 hamburger.”

Enrique’s, Ponca City Regional Airport (PNC), Oklahoma. AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines and Senior Photographer Mike Fizer both give this Mexican restaurant high marks; Haines says this family-owned restaurant, which opened in 1983, is “an institution in Midwest aviation.”

Pyper Kub Café, Williston Municipal Airport (X60), Florida. AOPA President Mark Baker and You Can Fly Ambassador Jamie Beckett both recommend this stop in North Central Florida. “The interior wears a particularly weird shade of green on the walls, which are festooned with photos of pilots, and airplanes, and military tributes,” says Beckett. “The food is good, the prices are reasonable, and the atmosphere is totally unique.” Baker adds: “Cheap gas, too!”

Mesa Grill, Sedona Airport (SEZ), Arizona. Senior Vice President Katie Pribyl and Senior Photographer Chris Rose voted for this gorgeously situated restaurant. “Mostly for its spectacular views, but really good food,” says Pribyl. “Did I mention the view?” And Rose opines, “Their breakfast burrito should be its own food group.”

Waypoint Café, Camarillo Airport (CMA), California. Longtime AOPA columnist Barry Schiff joins all of us who have had the pleasure of eating at this great eatery north of Los Angeles in voting this his favorite. The chocolate-dipped milkshake is truly spectacular.

Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant, Harris Ranch Airport (3O8), Coalinga, California. Schiff also recommends the steak sandwiches at Harris Ranch. There’s a small private airstrip next to the restaurant serving steaks from their own ranch, according to AOPA You Can Fly Director Steve Bateman.

Airport Diner, Gillespie County Airport (T82), Texas. Senior Editor Jill W. Tallman recommends this 1950s-diner-themed spot for good food. “If you’re finished flying for the day you can stay at the Hangar Hotel,” she advises.

Westside Lilo’s Café, Seligman Airport (P23), Arizona. Aviation Event Operations Senior Manager Dave Roy left Arizona to join AOPA in Maryland, but he hasn’t forgotten the “amazing burritos” at Lilo’s, a German-inspired restaurant one-quarter mile from the airport on historic Route 66.

Spruce Goose Café, Jefferson County International Airport (0S9), Washington. You Can Fly Director Les Smith left Seattle behind to join AOPA but hasn’t forgotten the pie at Spruce Goose. “If you fly for pie, you can’t miss this,” says Smith.

Downwind Café, Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK), Atlanta, Georgia. Associate Editor David Tulis will never lose his Southern roots, and says PDK’s Downwind Café offers “great salads, burgers, spaghetti with a Greek touch, and live music on Friday nights.”

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