Who needs a “Best of” list when you can lower the bar and aim for “solid” instead? That may have been the thinking behind Eater LA’s story yesterday entitled “16 Solid Places to Eat Around Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).” I actually appreciate the honesty in the headline. The food establishments they name wouldn’t really fall into anybody’s “Top ___” list of anything besides the fact that they’re close to the airport. That said, it’s handy to have a list like this because you’ve surely landed at your destination with a growing fire in your belly and a distinct need to grub.

The list covers old chesnuts like Pann’s (not exactly near the airport), Ayara Thai, and In-N-Out (click here for complete Fly&Dine coverage of the LAX In-N-Out) and newer offerings like Humble Potato and the Larry King-owned The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.. They do, however, leave off a few of my favorites, including Aliki’s Greek Taverna and Coni’Seafood. The omission of Aliki’s is kind of whatever, because it’s very middle-of-the-road in terms of quality. Not including Coni, though, is borderline criminal. If Pann’s is close enough to LAX to make the list, then so is Coni’Seafood (4 miles to Pann’s, 5.5 to Coni). It happens to be one of the best Nayarit/Sinaloa-style Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles and repeatedly gets props from LA food God Jonathan Gold. Any list of LAX-area restaurants is incomplete without it. Perhaps they’re saving it for when they do “4 Great Places to Eat Around LAX” or something…

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