Where to Eat at Denver International Airport

The best meal of your entire life was most likely not at an airport and it will likely not be at the Denver International Airport either. However airports can make for good eating with a little help from your friends at Eater. Back again in time for winter travel, it's the Eater Denver guide to dining at DIA. Whether you are on your way out of town during the hectic holiday travel season or in need of a bite to eat on your layover in Denver, we've got you covered.

DIA, the country's largest airport that spans 52 square miles has several options that satisfy travelers with a a quick bite, a good drink, a Colorado brew, or just a place to chill and kill time. Travelers at DIA should check out these venues and those who are not traveling quite yet can get excited for several restaurants planned to open at DIA in the next year, including a version of LoHi's RootDown and Cherry Creek's Elway's.

Denver's 3 Standouts

Boulder Beer Tap House: With more than 170 craft breweries, Colorado might just be the beer state. Why not have a brew from the state's very first microbrewery? Created in 1979 by two professors at the University of Colorado, Boulder Beer Tap House received the 43rd brewing license issued in the United States and was Colorado's First Microbrewery. In 2008, the DIA location opened featuring many of the micro brewery's award-winning regular and seasonal brews. A small pub fare menu is available to compliment your drink of choice. Both grab-in-go options and a license to chill are available here. (Jeppesen Terminal, West Side, Level 5)

New Belgium Hub and Spoke: Traveling through DIA got a whole lot better when the state's largest craft brewery set up shop serving beer and pub grub at Hub in Concourse B. The Hub is offering a selection of award-winning micro brews, as well as a small menu of tasty sandwiches and entrees and the kitchen here is open until 9:30, later than most other places at the airport. And just when passengers thought it couldn't get any better, in the fall of 2011, New Belgium added Spoke to Concourse A. Spoke is a café-style joint that serves Vail Mountain Coffee & Tea, in case you're a little sleepy after your pint(s).

Lounge 5280 Wine Bar: This swanky wine and cocktail bar doesn't quite fit the rest of the vibe at DIA; it's more like a venue you'd experience in one of Europe's metropolitan airports, a refreshing change from DIA's casual dining and hustle bustle. The wine list features an international selection of by-the-glass selections wines Kabinett Riesling, Falanghina, and several Rhone blends. And if you want to buy a bottle, you can choose to splurge and pick from wines as renowned as fancy as Opus One and Silver Oak, which are offered among many other comparable options.

Jeppesen Terminal

· Boulder Beer Tap House · Beers from Colorado's first microbrewery and a selection of small plates (West Side, Level 5)
· Cantina Grill · Budget burritos, tacos and salads (East Side, Level 6)
· Caribou Coffee· coffee, pastries, bottled drinks (West Side, Level 6)
· Pour La France! · Sit down for a French-inspired dining experience, or stop by the grab-n-go line for a taste of it on the plane. (West Side, Level 6)
· Red Rocks Bar & BBQ · Colorado craft beer and award-winning BBQ sauce (East Side, Level 5)
· CofTea Shop · coffee and tea, of course, and organic and gluten-free snack bars and baked goods (East Side, Level 5)
· Vertical Mile Market· Grab-n-go snacks (East Side, Level 5)

Other Options
· Burger King
· Aviator’s Club Smoking Lounge
· Domino’s Pizza
· Panda Express
· Seattle’s Best Coffee
· Taco Bell

Concourse A

· Chef Jimmy's Bistro & Spirits· Full menu of American breakfast, lunch and dinner; grab-and-go sandwiches (center core at the top of the escalators from the terminal train)
· Denver Chop House · Gourmet American bar food and craft beer (center core at the top of the escalators from terminal train)
· Lefty's Colorado Trail Grille · Quick sandwiches, pub food and a full bar (near Gate A46)
· New Belgium Spoke · Pre-packaged snacks, gourmet coffee and Colorado's most noteworthy microbrews (near Gate A61)
· Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream · many ice cream flavors, center core at the top of the escalators from the terminal train)
· Caribou Coffee · Another location of the coffee shop set at the center core at the top of the escalators from the terminal train.
· Hope's Country Fresh Cookies · All-natural desserts (center core at the top of the escalators from the terminal train)
· Mesa Verde Smoking Lounge· Colorado-style, Southwestern comfort food (Mezzanine level)

Other Options
· KFC Express/Pizza Hut Express
· McDonald’s
· Panda Express
· Quiznos Sub
· Schlotzsky’s

Concourse B

· Cantina Grill · Budget burritos, tacos and salads (mezzanine level)
· Colorado Sports Bar Pub food and local brews. Go Broncos! (near Gate B30)
· Lounge 5280 · Signature cocktails and a worldly wine list (Mezzanine level)
· Candy Shoppe · Stock up on sweet tooth-satisfiers before you get on the plane (near Gate B29)
· Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli · Sandwiches and cookies (near Gate B87)
· Pour La France! · Sit down for a French-inspired dining experience, or stop by the grab-n-go line for a taste of it on the plane.
· Que Bueno! Mexican Grille · One of DIA's only vegan-friendly venues, serving Mexican classics alongside a killer tequila list (near Gate B52)
· Wolfgang Puck · Pizza, rotisserie chicken, and other American fare (Mezzanine level)
· Itza Wrap! Itza Bowl! · Asian-inspired sandwiches and noodle bowls (center core at the top of the escalators from the terminal train)
· Woody Creek Bakery & Café· Savory soups and salads, and freshly baked pastries (Mezzanine level)

Other Options
· Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
· Caribou Coffee
· Starbuck’s Coffee
· Coffee Beanery
· Columbo Frozen Yogurt
· Domino’s Pizza
· Hixon’s Popcorn
· Jamba Juice
· McDonald’s
· Pizza Hut Express/Haagen Daz
· Aviator’s Club Smoking Lounge
· Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
· Steak Escape
· TCBY

Concourse C

· Lefty’s Mile High Bar & Grill · Classic pub food (near Gate C48)
· Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurant & Brewery· American grub and micro brews (near Gate C32)
· Tamales by La Casita · A branch of Denver's classic Mexican restaurant (center core at the top of the escalators from the terminal train)
· Timberline Steaks & Grille · Log cabin-atmosphere and juicy Colorado steaks (center core at the top of the escalators from the terminal train)
· Villa Pizza · Pizza, calzones and salads on the fly (center core at the top of the escalators from the terminal train)
· Dazbog Coffee · Russian-inspired specialty coffee house (near Gate C47)

Other Options
· Caribou Coffee
· Einstein Bros. Bagels
· McDonald’s
· Sky Snax
· Smokin’ Bear Lodge Smoking Lounge
· TCBY
· Villa Pizza Pizza, calzones and salads on the fly (center core at the top of the escalators from the terminal train)
· Woody Creek Bakery & Café

Next year, DIA travelers can get an even better taste of Colorado with the addition of Elway's, an upscale surf n' turf restaurant with locations in Denver and Vail, RootDown, the vegetarian-forward LoHi eatery, and Udi's Café, a Denver-based gluten free bread baker and sandwich maker. Visitors will be able to imbibe in style at Crú A Wine Bar, where the menu will feature specialty wine and cheese pairings, and at Vino Volo, another wine bar that will give customers the opportunity to shop for wine-related merchandise while they enjoy a glass from the internationally sourced list.

— Airport Guide by Emily Hutto