You might not think about lingering in an airport when you are travelling to New York, but when it comes to JFK, you should reconsider. The sprawling airport is packed with lounges, shops, and eateries that range from street-food vans all the way up to international standard cordon bleu cuisine. Spending a few hours taking it all in is a great way to pass a few hours, perhaps grabbing a meal while you arrange your JFK limo service from Bergenlimo to get you to your meeting on time and refreshed. Here are six of the best places to try.
JikJi Café
This Korean and Japanese restaurant offers a great range of meals that are both healthy and tasty. They offer wonderful fruit and fresh salads alongside authentic Korean and Japanese staples like ramen, sushi and various soups and broths. As if that wasn’t enough, the staff are all friendly and welcoming too! For more reviews, visit Yelp.
The Local
This restaurant can become very crowded but it offers good hot food and claims that everything is as locally and sustainably sourced as possible, which is always a win. Enjoy a range of traditional good American food – burgers, sandwiches and so on, but, if you can, get the brisket, either over fries or on a sandwich. Fans of the dish claim the brisket is the main draw to this restaurant and return whenever they can to indulge themselves.
Mi Casa Cantina and Restaurant
If you fancy tacos or burritos before you return home and haven’t yet managed it, this airport restaurant is the place to go. You can enjoy fast and cheerful service with your looming flight departure in mind – you can order your food to go if you like; or, if you have more time on your hands, you can enjoy the full cantina experience. The staff is welcoming and friendly and if you need a drink to take the edge off your nerves before flying home, the bar makes some of the best cocktails you’ll ever try!
The Palm Bar and Grill
Experience an American steakhouse ambiance with an airport-friendly twist. The fabled Palm Restaurant can’t fully transform itself into a rapid service high-quality eatery when the patrons are almost all in a rush to make their flights, but this outlet gives it a good go and pulls it off.
As with all airport restaurants, there can be busy times when food will take a little longer to arrive, but in general, service is prompt and the food is a decided step up from the fast-food, snacky options that used to be all that an airport had to offer its weary, stressed and jet-lagged passengers!
La Vie
One of the hidden secrets of JFK, if a small restaurant in plain sight can be said to be a secret, La Vie offers everything from wine to three-course meals to light bites, all French style. The food is fresh and tasty, delivered promptly and – perhaps best of all – the staff will advise you on the best dishes to order if your time is limited, so you don’t have to race off with your French onion soup cooling sadly behind you!
Despite its out there location – right next door to Deep Blue – people tend to rush past the small La Vie, which means that, while it is always busy enough with regulars, you can usually get a table there at all but the busiest times.
Finally, watch this video for some more tips:
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
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Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram