The LAX Restaurant With The Worst Possible Rating, According To Yelp

The city of Los Angeles is known for many things, including its chef-led Thai Town food crawls and numerous Keith Lee-approved restaurants; however, great airport food is not one of them, aside from a handful of acceptable eateries. While dining at the airport always leaves something to be desired, if you're passing through LAX, there's one restaurant you probably want to steer clear of, according to Yelp: Urban Market. Located in Terminal 1 of LAX, the restaurant has a one-star Yelp rating and some very disappointing reviews.

Yelp reviews indicate that the restaurant serves a selection of Mexican-inspired items and has a bar where customers can order alcoholic beverages. However, diners have a lot to say about the food, and none of it is good, starting with Urban Market's quesadilla. While generally considered an easy dish that's hard to mess up, according to one Yelp review, it's "a low-quality chicken quesadilla that didn't have enough cheese to even be considered a quesadilla."

Customers also aren't fans of its smoky tomato soup, which they describe as "like drinking from an ashtray," or the microwaved food. As one review said, "I normally wouldn't have an issue with microwave food, especially in an airport setting. ... But my burrito was still cold in the middle," and dry to boot.

If you think grabbing a drink at the bar will make your meal more bearable, think again. Customers were not enthused about the bar service –- or lack thereof –- and the foul odors. One Yelp review wrote, "We sat at the bar and were immediately met with a vomit smell that attracted at least 30 bar/fruit flies." This is likely caused by spilled sugary drinks and decomposing food or gunk in drains, mops, and garbage bins — all of which are unappetizing to consider.

While Urban Market's reviews are enough to turn any diner off, it's not the only restaurant worth avoiding at LAX. Rolling Stone Bar and Grill has the next-lowest rating on Yelp, at two stars, though reviews are mixed. While some say it's an okay place to grab a drink before a flight, the food also leaves much to be desired — including its quesadilla. One Yelp user said it was a waste of money: "It was just cheese and chicken with a very vinegar-y avocado sauce, and very watery pico de gallo." Another Yelp review described Rolling Stone Bar and Grill as, "Perhaps the single worst airport dining experience I have ever been to." They went on to explain that their bacon, eggs, and toast were noticeably undercooked — yikes.

So, where should you eat instead if you find yourself at LAX? According to Yelp, if you're looking for affordable and tasty airport food, you might want to consider dining at Osteria by Fabio Viviani, which has a three-star rating (3.0) and is praised for its stuffed French Toast, or Native by Nyesha, which also has three stars (2.9) and serves tender, flavorful pork belly tacos. Farmers Market scores a 3.2 and is in Terminal 5. While, sure, it's airport food, reviewers note that it provides a solid meal of surprisingly decent quality — just keep an eye on the prices as they creep up.

When all else fails, airport food isn't the only answer. If you know you're going to have limited options, consider packing a meal in your personal item or making a "snackle box," which is essentially a charcuterie board that you bring on the plane, so you don't ever have to eat overpriced, soggy fries or a lacklustre quesadilla next time you fly through LAX.