Food at Cyril E. King Airport is limited, and all of it is run by one company. Concessions International holds the food and beverage concession for the whole terminal, which means a single cafe, a couple of bars and a handful of counters rather than anything resembling a food court.
There are no chain restaurants at this airport and no table service anywhere in it. Everything is counter service or grab and go.
That matters more here than at most airports. Departing passengers clear U.S. Customs before they reach security and the standing advice is to arrive three hours early, so you will be airside for a while with these options and no others.
What Is Open, and Which Side of Security
The Port Authority divides the terminal into three areas, and every outlet sits in one of them.
Past security, in the Domestic Passenger Lounge where departing passengers wait:
- Hibiscus Cafe and Bar
- The Airport Bar and Rum Room
- The Galley Sandwich Bar
- Island Grind VI
- Island Grind VI Pizza, at Gate 2
- Buddha Sushi
Before security, in the Domestic Baggage Claim where arriving passengers collect their bags:
- Cruzan Landing Bar
At the Commuter Inter-Island Gates, numbered 10 and 11, which handle the short regional services: a single Concessions International counter.
The only outlet before security is the one at baggage claim. If you are seeing someone off, there is nowhere landside on the departures side to sit down afterwards. The terminal guide sets out how the three areas relate to each other.
The Outlets
Hibiscus Cafe and Bar
The main food operation and the one most passengers end up at. Counter service, mostly grab and go with some items made to order.
Breakfast is the strongest meal here: omelettes are built to order and the portions are large. The rest of the day runs to sandwiches, wraps, salads, soup, burgers and fries, with ice cream and smoothies alongside. Local dishes appear on the menu, including a johnny cake sandwich. Local beer from St. John Brewers is usually on.
The recurring complaint is the queue rather than the food. At a peak departure bank it runs long enough to threaten a boarding call, and it is the only substantial hot food airside. Eat early in your wait rather than leaving it until the gate is called.
The Airport Bar and Rum Room
Cocktails, local rums and beer, airside. The rum selection is the point, and it is a reasonable place to try something before deciding what to carry home from the duty free counters.
Island Grind VI
Coffee, espresso, pastries and packaged food to take to the gate. The quickest option if the Hibiscus queue has built.
Island Grind VI Pizza
Slices and whole pizzas, at Gate 2. Worth knowing about if you are waiting at that end of the concourse, because walking the length of the departure area for a slice is the sort of thing people do twice.
The Galley Sandwich Bar
Sandwiches and wraps, counter service.
Buddha Sushi
Sushi and rolls, airside.
Cruzan Landing Bar
On the arrivals side, at baggage claim. The first and last bar of a St. Thomas trip depending on which way you are travelling.
Opening Hours
The terminal operates from 06:00 to 23:00 and most outlets work inside those hours.
Individual hours follow the flight schedule rather than the clock. Counters open for the morning departure bank and close when the day’s traffic thins, which means a late evening departure can find most of them shut.
The bar inside Hibiscus opens at 11:00. Before that, cold beer is available from the cooler.
Plan around a late flight rather than assuming something will be open. Eating before you reach the airport is the safer choice for an evening departure, and the same applies if you are travelling with anyone fussy. See check-in for how long you are likely to be in the building.
Drinking at the Airport
Arriving passengers of legal drinking age are commonly offered a complimentary sample of Cruzan rum, distilled on St. Croix, in the baggage claim area. It is a long-standing island welcome rather than a promotion tied to any airline.
Cruzan Landing Bar sits in the same area. Because it is before security, nothing stops you buying a drink and carrying it out of the building, which is not true at most U.S. airports.
Anything bought before the checkpoint cannot go through it, so spirits picked up landside travel in checked baggage or not at all.
Special Diets
Options here are limited and none of the outlets is set up for allergen-specific catering. There is no dedicated gluten-free, vegan or allergen-free provision at this airport, and with one concessionaire running everything there is no second counter to try.
Ask at the counter rather than assuming from a menu description. Shared fryers make any fried item unreliable for someone avoiding gluten regardless of what goes into it.
Anyone with a serious allergy or a strict dietary requirement should bring their own food. For a terminal this size that is the honest answer rather than a precaution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only one. Cruzan Landing Bar sits in the baggage claim area on the arrivals side. Everything else, including the main Hibiscus Cafe and Bar, is past the security checkpoint in the departure area. Anyone seeing a passenger off has nowhere landside to wait with a coffee afterwards.
Most work within the terminal’s hours of 06:00 to 23:00, but individual counters follow the flight schedule rather than the clock. They open for the morning departures and close as traffic thins, so a late evening flight may find most of them shut. The bar inside Hibiscus opens at 11:00.
Two. The Airport Bar and Rum Room is past security in the departure area, with cocktails and local rums. Cruzan Landing Bar is before security at baggage claim. Hibiscus Cafe also has a bar that opens at 11:00, with cold beer available from the cooler before then.
Arriving passengers of legal drinking age are commonly offered a complimentary sample of Cruzan rum near baggage claim, distilled on St. Croix. It is a long-running island welcome rather than a guaranteed service, so treat it as a pleasant surprise rather than something to plan around.