Ah, Dulles Airport. Supposedly the international hub for D.C., those of you who have ever had to take a $50 cab ride into the city know that it is not actually near D.C. at all. False advertising if you ask me. But if you haven’t wised up and discovered Reagan, the smaller, cheaper, closer airport…or if you are headed elsewhere in or out of the country, you might be interested in Dulles for its vast array of eating establishments. Unless you’re cheap and take the red eyes like me when nothing’s open. Nevertheless, below is an entire list of what Dulles Airport has to offer. Short on time? Scroll down to the bottom for my personal recommendations.
First we’ll start with the quick eateries. You know, for when you discover you flew into Concourse B and your connecting flight is over in Concourse D. That’s a tram ride away, my friend. Better hurry up. Along the way you’ll find:
Dunkin’ Donuts (Concourse B, Concourse D): Really need an explanation?
Famous Famiglia (Concourse A): Pizza, Italian
Five Guys (Concourse A, Concourse B): Burgers, fries, heaven (see enthusiastic recommendation below).
Gaslight Bakery (Concourse B): Well, it’s a bakery.
Green Leaf’s (Gate B73): Salads
Guava & Java (Baggage Claim): I’m venturing to guess coffee and smoothies
Matsutake (Concourse B): Sushi
Maui Wowi (2 locations, Concourse C): People who travel really love Coffee and
Smoothies
Mayorga Coffee (Concourse A): More coffee
Potbelly Sandwich Works (Concourse B, Concourse C): Sub sandwiches, tasty milkshakes.
Starbucks (Main terminal, Concourse B, 2 locations Concourse C, Concourse D): If I need to explain this one, you obviously don’t live on Earth and shouldn’t be using our transportation system.
Wendy’s (Concourse C): Burgers, fast food, those beloved baked potatoes with cheese sauce, etc.
And for those unlucky folks who got stuck with a cancelled flight, 5 hour delay, or were just too stingy to pay for the direct flight and are now regretting it, the below are options for those of you in it for the long haul. And here’s more good news: Dulles has plenty of drinking establishments, most of which offer food too so you can drag the kiddies along and swear to passerby’s that you didn’t just drag your 5-year-old into a bar
Firkin & Fox (Concourse C): British pub with standard British pub food. Fish and chips, burgers, assorted comfort food dishes, but also salads. Word to the wise, if you choose to visit the web site while at work, turn down the volume. A little British man talks to you when you enter the site and says “firkin” a lot. I had to learn the hard way.
Gaslight Bakery and Café (Concourse B): Also suspiciously listed under “eateries” (is that fair?) there is no website but I assume this is a quick café for sandwiches and the like.
Gordon Biersch (Concourse D): Brewery, burgers, lots of other options. Yum.
Harry’s Tap Room (Main Terminal, Concourse B) A tap room for those with a more elegant palate. Harry’s is delicious, though more expensive than some of your other options, which is why I think it’s elegant…but when it comes down to it, it’s still in an airport.
Max & Erma’s (Concourse B): More burgers, more standard American restaurant food (See Harry’s, Gordon Biersch, etc.)
Moe’s Grill and Bar (Concourse D): It appears to be a Canadian chain, noted for it’s famous “montreal sandwiches.” What that is, I do not know. But it also has more standard bar/restaurant food. Quite a few pizza options.
Old Dominion Brewing Company (Concourse B): Old Dominion has delicious beer, for those of you who are picky about that sorta thing. But also, the food is pretty good, the prices fair. Standard brewery food.
Jose Cuervo Tequileria (Concourse B): Mexican food, and you guessed it…tequila.
Tidewater Landing (Concourse C): Also labeled a bar and grill, some online research tells me this place serves a pretty good crab cake sandwich (and various other seafood dishes). Reviewers were not crazy about the prices.
Vino Volvo (Concourse C): A surprisingly delightful wine bar right in the middle of the airport. Food looks pretty good too, and the prices seem to be on the cheap side.
My recommendations:
For a quick burger, hands down go to Five Guys. No question about it. For those of you not familiar with the rapidly growing chain, the first restaurant originated in right here in Arlington Virginia in 1986, and over the past 5 years they seem to be cropping up all over the place. With good reason too. Five guys serves fresh burgers straight from the grill with pretty much any topping you could ask for. Their fries are made fresh from bags of Idaho potatoes that are readily apparent on the premises, and portions are more than generous. With two Five Guys locations in the airport, there is absolutely no other reason to go anywhere else.
If you’re not feeling a burger, California Tortilla is another good option. Think Chipotle with a different name. Always delicious and easy on your wallet.
Potbelly’s has tasty sandwiches, but I find the same problem here that I do at Subway sandwich shops. No matter what you order, peanut butter and jelly or turkey and ham, the sandwiches taste exactly the same. That’s not to say they’re not good, because they are. And for less than $5, you won’t be disappointed if you’re looking for a quick carry-on-the-plane dinner. They also offer a wide array of homemade shakes and smoothies. And they put cookies on the straw, which never hurts.
If you have some time to kill, I definitely recommend Old Dominion Brewing Company, especially for those beer connoisseurs out there. I might be biased as I am from the glorious Old Dominion state, but I don’t take my beer lightly. And for $10-$15 an entrée, I’ve never had a disappointing meal.
Gordon Biersch is another good brewery option, but a word of caution: they serve everything with a side of overly powerful garlic fries. If you have a long flight ahead of you, your seat neighbor might not like you too much.
Harry’s Tap Room does have delicious food, though the price is a little bit higher than I would like. But if you’re feeling fancy, this is the place.
I have never personally been to Vino Volo, but the reviews online are all very positive. It seems like a great place to go relax with a flight of wine if you have a longer layover. They also will open a bottle for a small corking fee. People were astounded by the cheap prices, but many complained they generally had to wait a while for a table.
