The new Paris Café At JFK Airport in New York has left my palate wanting more. I am still dreaming about the deliciousness I experienced and want to tell you all about it.
The new Paris Café is located in the revamped TWA Hotel at Terminal 5 at JFK Airport. The renovated hotel is much more than a convenient place to sleep. It’s a time capsule of 1960s air travel glamour. Remember the movie Catch Me if You Can? TWA Hotel brings that whole travel nostalgia back to life.
The food at Paris Café
World-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten oversees the restaurant. Vongerichten has been awarded Michelin stars for 14 years and operates 36 restaurants. Some of which include ABC Kitchen in Manhattan, Mercato in Shanghai and Simply Chicken in NYC’s Madison Square Garden.
He partnered with Tastes on the Fly to create Paris Café, a leading boutique airport restaurateur with more than 20 locations coast to coast.
The Paris Café restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desserts. The restaurant accepts reservations, which are highly recommended. Walk-ins are accepted based on availability.
Located on the mezzanine level of the historic building, the 200-seat restaurant takes over the footprint of the terminal’s original Paris Café and Lisbon Lounge, which shuttered in 2001 when the terminal closed.
The restaurant is beautiful, and has both dining tables and counter seating.
Ambiance: Lunch in style
I was the first to arrive for my lunch date with Michael Levine, CEO, and Co-Founder of Tastes on the Fly.
While I waited at the counter, I asked for a coffee. The server asked me if I wanted my coffee with milk, I said yes. She then asked me how I wanted my milk, “Cold, warm or hot?”
These are the sort of New York City details that locals love and tourists look for.
What I ate for lunch at Paris Café at the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport
The first thing you might notice is the presentation of these meals.
One of the highlights of my meal, delicious delicate and fresh.
I also sampled an heirloom tomato and basil salad and some corn soup.
It’s worth mentioning that Paris Cafe boasts an adjoining bar, called The Lisbon Lounge. The Lisbon Lounge offers a full bar and serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desserts too. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis and reservations are not accepted. The Lisbon Lounge serves food until 10 pm and cocktails until 11 pm every night.
Verdict
Honestly, I approached my airport lunch with skepticism. After all airport food has a bad reputation. However, after tasting every dish, I am a loyal follower. The meals at Paris Café left me wanting more. I wish I had another excuse to fly to New York to eat there again! It was that delicious.
The flashy room design is a dose of New York grand charm, where power meetings or the reunion of friends happen. If you are looking for a high-end New York experience and superior food for your palate, you will find it that the Paris Cafe.
Follow our airport food adventures to find out how airport food is changing for the better.
