Travel delays? These airports and train stations actually have great food

With one of the busiest summer travel seasons of all time already underway—and likely to get more hectic after the Fourth of July—travelers should steel themselves for longer-than-usual delays for flights and trains.

But unplanned waiting time doesn’t have to be wasted time. While many airports and train stations offer run-of-the-mill grub, some transport hubs are blessed with exemplary culinary offerings. From vintage cafés in train stations to fine dining rooms in airports, these places entice passengers to arrive early and dig into meals every bit as good (or even better) than restaurants at their final destinations. Here are 10 not to miss.

Le Train Bleu, Gare de Lyon, Paris

This culinary cathedral is adorned with elaborate carvings, chandeliers, etched glass, and frescoes depicting whimsical holiday scenes throughout France. Located on the mezzanine level of the Gare de Lyon (which serves trains to southern France and other Mediterranean destinations), the brasserie was built in 1900 and unveiled in 1901 to complement the Exposition Universelle, a world’s fair in Paris. Like that event, Le Train Bleu showcased the nation’s extravagant Belle Epoque style and culture.

The menu is just as enticing as the decor, with French classics including roast leg of lamb, steak tartare, Crêpes Suzette, and hazelnut soufflé. Prix-fixe options cater both to passengers in a hurry (a 45-minute traveler’s menu) and those who can linger (a seven-course feast).

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Oyster Bar, Grand Central Terminal, New York City

Like the historic train depot that rumbles above, the Oyster Bar reflects the Big Apple’s coming of age as a global city in the early 20th century. An extensive seafood menu and extraordinary tile-arch ceiling designed by Spanish-born architect and engineer Rafael Guastavino made the restaurant an overnight sensation when it opened in 1913. It continues to dazzle with a menu that features at least 25 types of fish and as many as 30 oyster varieties.

Back in the day, many of the ingredients were harvested in Lower New York Bay. Now the menu is a veritable United Nations of seafood: oysters from Prince Edward Island and the Puget Sound, Icelandic arctic char, and New Zealand king salmon, plus lobster gazpacho and bouillabaisse. Don’t miss the small wood-paneled bar in the back, which pours a signature Habanero Bloody Mary with quite a kick.

Tokyo Station, Tokyo

Half a million passengers make their way through Tokyo’s sprawling main train station each day, catching speedy Shinkansen bullet trains and connectors. When they get hungry, many head to the basement for food courts, such as Ramen Street, First Avenue, Kitchen Street, Nippon Gourmet Road.

Ramen Street is a highlight, with eight noodle soup vendors, including Rokurinsha, which dishes up tsukemen dipping noodles, and Soranoiro Nippon, offering vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free varieties.

Located a 10-minute walk south from the central station, the barbecue skewer stalls of Yakitori Alley are another Tokyo dining institution. Similar to Shinjuku’s famous Omoide Yokocho, the stalls are located beneath the old brick railway arches near Yurakucho Station.

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St. Pancras Bar, St. Pancras International, London

Connecting Eurostar, National Rail, and the Tube, St. Pancras is one of London’s busiest transport hubs. It’s also home to St. Pancras Bar by Searcys, a champagne bar and restaurant situated on the Grand Terrace of the Victorian Gothic railway station built in 1868.

Europe’s longest champagne bar serves its own private label cuvée, a classic Kir Royale, and special bottles like a £2,000 Nebuchadnezzar Taittinger Brut Réserve NV. The heated leather seats provide comfort in the cavernous station, while a “press for champagne” button on every table ensures speedy pours for travelers short on time.

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The adjoining brasserie offers a Railway Express menu and a leisurely afternoon tea, plus British favorites like Scottish smoked salmon, Lake District beef, Gressingham duck salad, and Exmoor Cornish salted caviar.

Rosélys, Gare Centrale, Montreal

This stylish, modern restaurant above Montreal’s underground Gare Centrale replaces the venerable Beaver Club, where John Lennon, Fidel Castro, Nelson Mandela, the Queen of England, and thousands of ordinary folks dined over its half-century lifespan.

A fusion of the city’s French and Anglo food cultures, the New Canadian cuisine here features Quebec cheeses and charcuterie, hot smoked salmon, grilled asparagus with trout caviar, and Canadian prairie steaks. Afternoon tea is served on Saturday, brunch on Sunday, with a daily happy hour between 6 and 8 p.m. revolving around seafood and live jazz.

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Globe@YVR, Vancouver International Airport, Vancouver

Airport hotels don’t normally inspire high gastronomic hopes. But the Vancouver Airport is an asset for the posh Fairmont Globe hotel, where the floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the tarmac backdropped by the snowy peaks north of Vancouver.

Chef Harris Sakalis specializes in Canadian-sourced surf and turf, highlighted in a three-course prix-fixe menu. Standouts include seafood towers, especially the over-the-top “Deep Dive” loaded with oysters, crab, caviar, lobster, and ahi tuna, plus an extensive breakfast menu paired with cocktails from the “Five O’Clock Somewhere” list.

Plane Food, Heathrow Airport, London

Located in Terminal 5, Gordan Ramsay’s eatery roams the globe with dishes like California roll sushi, lamb rogan josh, lobster linguine, and good old British fish and chips with mushy peas and tartar sauce.

The streamlined decor recalls the mid-20th century space age style. Dining options include an express menu promising two courses (including vegan options) in under 25 minutes and a breakfast special with a choice of egg dishes and cocktails. Alternatively, grab a three-course picnic with three main dish options (burgers, pasta) for munching on the plane.

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Tortas Frontera by Rick Bayless, O’Hare International Airport, Chicago

Celebrity chef and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Rick Bayless took a liking to Mexican cuisine while growing up in Oklahoma and relocated to Chicago in 1987. Now, his culinary empire includes three locations of Tortas Frontera in the Windy City’s bustling airport. Although tiny—with just a few tables and limited bar seating—they offer an impressive array of dishes.

Overstuffed tortas like the Cubana, chipotle chicken, and choriqueso are the main attraction. But there’s also a morning yogurt bar that morphs into an afternoon guacamole station. Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options, plus a full bar and aguas frescas round out the menu.

Changi Airport, Singapore

The Lion City is an undisputed cuisine destination, and its sprawling, futuristic airport is one of the best places to grab a bite. The hub has more than 200 food and beverage outlets, many of them tucked beneath the massive glass-and-steel dome of Jewel, a dining, retail, and entertainment complex with an indoor waterfall and a five-story tropical garden.

The culinary collection ranges from Michelin one-star spots like Kam’s Roast with its signature Chinese-style roast duck and Hot Tomato’s American-style steak and seafood, to Michelin-listed Birds of Paradise gelato and Chun Yang bubble tea.

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Airbräu Brauhaus, Munich Airport, Munich

If you missed the Hofbräuhaus München or one of the other famous beer halls in Munich, the Airbräu offers one last chance to try before takeoff. Like every good Munich beer hall, drinks are served with traditional Bavarian dishes like pork knuckles, spaetzle, schnitzel, and pretzels.

Opened in 1999 as the world’s first airport brewery, Airbräu has a cozy indoor dining room and breezy outdoor beer garden, where you can sip golden ambers made on site. Options include the hoppy FliegerQuell, Kumulus wheat beer, the “1918” wort, and four seasonal options.

Besides the main dining room with its copper brewing kettles, the Airbräu offers a cozier dining/drinking area called the Zirbelstube, a tiny 1890s tavern relocated from the Bavarian Alps. If you’ve got time, hop on the brewery tour. In the summer, catch live tunes in the beer garden while you wait for your boarding group to be called.