I Fly More Than 100 Times a Year, and This Is My Favorite Airport Lounge in the World

After taking 119 flights last year, Turkish Airlines Business Lounge at the Istanbul Airport became my favorite place to spend a layover.

Airport lounges are a welcome luxury to just about any traveler. An exclusive enclave boasting free Wi-Fi and cocktails, it can help alleviate the woes of even the most lengthy layovers. What’s not to love? Well, the food, usually. Although you’ll probably see plenty of it — including wilting greens and lukewarm proteins of indeterminant origin — quantity is no substitute for quality. If you’re lucky enough to pass through Istanbul Airport, however, you can be treated to an uncompromising union of both. Make your way to the Turkish Airlines Business Lounge, and your tastebuds will soar to new heights, because this is an airport dining experience like no other.

As its primary hub of operations, Turkish Airlines actually operates two exclusive lounges at IST: the Business Lounge as well as the Miles & Smiles Lounge. Together they unfurl across 103,333 square feet of elevated mezzanine, overlooking the cathedral-like terminal, which opened to passengers in April 2019. And after taking 119 flights last year, Turkish Airlines Business Lounge became my favorite place to spend a layover.

Amble up to either space and you’ll be met with more than a dozen food stations, each one showcasing a different aspect of Turkish cuisine. Chefs in toques stand on the ready, often preparing delicacies to-order, such as manti (a sort of Turkish ravioli), baked simit (sesame bread rings), and börek (savory pastries stuffed with spinach and cheese). At one particularly popular counter, servers push out a ceaseless parade of pide. The Turkish flatbread arrives fresh out of a pizza oven, topped in a variety of vegetarian-friendly and meat-heavy variations. It is slathered with a glistening layer of olive oil and cut into strips as each subsequent diner arrives to collect it.

Behind them is a kiosk containing more than 40 different mezzes amassed from every corner of Turkey. Highlights include marinated olives, seasoned cheeses, and fresh-pressed juices. It won’t be easy saving room for dessert in an environment as dense as this, but you owe it to yourself to try. Warm and flaky baklava, revani, tulumba, and Turkish delight will dull even the sharpest of sweet teeth. And they all pair perfectly alongside sturdy pours of Turkish coffee and cappuccino.

The elaborate nature of this experience didn’t just jumble together overnight. It actually took more than a year to develop, according to Mustafa Can Aydogdu, a chef for Turkish Airlines. “We wanted our selection of food and beverage to be reflective of Turkish culture, giving travelers an opportunity to enjoy some of our traditional dishes,” he tells Travel + Leisure. “We strive to provide a wide variety of options to cater not only to the palates of our many international passengers, but also to accommodate any special dietary restrictions.”

Having it all ready in time for the grand opening of Istanbul Airport was a top priority for the international carrier. The momentous occasion afforded a unique opportunity to showcase the airline’s commitment to food — both on the ground and in the air. Ensuring that latter bit is the Turkish Airlines Flying Chefs program, in which culinary stars native to the country work to prepare in-flight menus. Offerings are constantly changing depending on the season, trends, and route maps. Can Aydoğdu has been an integral part of the process for more than a decade.

“[We] have over 100 menu combinations prepared by our professional chefs, and we never use any additives, canned products, or frozen ingredients,” he says. “But we always strive to offer passengers traditional products which pull from the seven primary regions of the country including homemade jams from the Aegean, honeycomb and milk cream from Central Anatolia, cheeses local to Eastern Anatolia, olives from Marmara, and Trabzon butter from the Black Sea.”

If you’re flying in business class, the cuisine is wheeled out to your tray-table by an actual chef in full regalia, and enjoyed by (faux) candlelight. The meal begins in earnest with a quartet of mezzes. This might include traditional favorites like artichoke braised in olive oil, imam bayildi (stuffed eggplant), and cheese puff pastries known locally as sigara böreği. “On board, we are working as if we are managing our own restaurant, but at over 35,000 feet,” Can Aydoğdu adds.

Back on the ground at Istanbul Airport that same attention to detail — and commitment to quality — is a recipe responsible for what is, in my opinion, the world’s best airport lounge. And you needn’t even be a business-class traveler to experience it. Day pass entry to the space starts at €75 ($82) plus tax. It’s quite the bargain considering that you can indulge endlessly on cuisine which competes favorably against laudable eateries outside the terminal walls. Layovers never tasted so good.

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