Hartsfield-Jackson top U.S. airport for foodies, analysis finds

Busiest airport in the world served more than 93,000,000 passengers from 120 restaurants featuring 38 cuisines

There are many reasons to get to the airport early, not the least of which is so you don’t miss your flight. But at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, there are also shops, art installations and, according to a new analysis, the best food choices in the nation and the second best in the world.

The ranking was determined by the airport catering index by Betway based on the number of cuisines, restaurants, Instagram tags and average Google review scores.

According to Betway, Hartsfield-Jackson served more than 93,000,000 passengers in 2022, flying in and out of Atlanta. Those travelers have 120 restaurants to choose from across 38 cuisines.

The only airport worldwide to top Hartsfield-Jackson was Singapore Changi, famous for having the world’s largest indoor waterfall and a 10-story lifestyle hub. It also boasts 200 restaurants featuring 64 types of cuisine.

Hartsfield-Jackson is moving forward with a contracting process for new restaurants and shops across the airport, more than a decade after the last airport-wide refresh of concessions, Kelly Yamanouchi reported in December for the AJC’s Atlanta Airport Blog.

Plans to revamp food and retail outlets were delayed for years by contracting issues and a federal corruption investigation at Atlanta City Hall, then put on hold again during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Top 20 airports for foodies, according to Betway, were:

  1. Singapore Changi
  2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
  3. Tokyo Haneda Airport
  4. O’Hare International
  5. Orlando International
  6. Dallas Fort Worth International
  7. San Francisco International
  8. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
  9. Denver International
  10. Harry Reid International
  11. John F. Kennedy International
  12. Hong Kong International
  13. Soekarno-Hatta International
  14. Los Angeles International
  15. Heathrow Airport
  16. Taiwan Taoyuan International
  17. Narita International
  18. Newark Liberty International
  19. El Dorado International
  20. Charlotte Douglas International