I never thought I’d say this, but I had a great time at the airport…had the best ribeye in recent memory, too. Located on the second floor of the Albert Whitted Airport, 107 8th Ave SE, St. Pete, The Hangar Restaurant and Lounge doesn’t serve typical airport food. You know what I mean—overpriced and prepackaged, where the word “food” must be wrapped in quotation marks. Instead, the Hangar is reminiscent of the Golden Age of air travel: fine-fare set among caroming planes.
The huge mural across the airfield more or less encapsulates the vibe. A child sporting vintage aviator cap, goggles, and jacket, vrooms a toy-plane. The Hangar excites you about aviation, not to mention food. The aforementioned ribeye is smothered in blue cheese herb butter and served on top of grilled asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. Matt Smith has added decadent dishes like this since he bought the business in 2022.
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Upgrade to first class with these eats
Enjoy similarly lux eats like the olive oil poached shrimp, and the Reuben sandwich (the corned beef is brined and cooked in-house). The fish tacos and BLT are popular favorites among regulars and visitors alike. While these are mostly lunch staples, the Hangar features a whopping breakfast menu, which they serve all day, along with lunch and dinner items. So no matter the time, you can appease your hankerings.
Being the kind of mensch I am, I get breakfast for dessert: The Hangar waffle, covered in vanilla bean ice cream, drizzled in chocolate sauce, bananas and berries, and a few cool dabs of whipped-cream. Peruse the full menu here.
On Monday nights, The Hangar features live jazz music. On Thursdays, blues and BBQ, featuring oak-smoked spare ribs with a mezcal agave glaze.
“We don’t even make money on the ribs…it’s just fun to do,” says Matt. Before acquiring The Hanger, Matt was the head chef here since 2014, and has spent an accumulative 25 years in the restaurant industry. And his experience shows in the care and dedication The Hangar makes toward the food and the service.
Check out The Hangar’s Instagram and Facebook.
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