This is what $50 gets you at the Des Moines airport
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Linh Ta/Axios
Linh here. Typically, my culinary joys at Des Moines International Airport are Cheetos and gummy bears, but during a four-hour delay heading to Orange County, I grabbed breakfast at Portermill, the only full-service restaurant at the airport.
State of play: The restaurant, operated by Minneapolis-based Aero Service Group, offers breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The menu: My partner and I got three entrees with sides: an egg white sandwich ($14), hashbrown bowl ($16), biscuits and gravy ($12), and two coffees ($2.95 each).
What I liked: The price wasn't bad for airport food. A ham sandwich in the cooler case next door was $12, so a hot meal for the same price (sans tip) seemed reasonable.
- Most entrees came with a side of hashbrowns, but you could substitute fruit, toast, etc.
- Our server was very nice.
What I didn't like: All the food was just OK! The coffee was watery.
The bottom line: Not every airport is fancy enough for a Chili's. For the ease and convenience of the Des Moines airport, I'm OK with that.
