HOUSTON — For a third straight year, the diversity and quality of dining choices for travelers coming to the airports in Houston have been recognized and nominated in five categories for the annual USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice travel award contest.

Nominees in the online poll were all from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, selected in categories for Best Airport Sitdown Dining, Best Airport Local/Regional Dining, Best Airport for Dining, Best Airport Bar/Restaurant Atmosphere, and Best Airport Bar. USA Today 10Best readers have until noon Feb. 19, 2018, to vote daily for their favorites. Each person participating can vote for each category once every 24 hours until the voting deadline passes.

The Bush Airport nominees are:

• Best Airport for Dining: Recognized by multiple industry experts as one of the top airports in the U.S. and the world for dining quality and options, Bush Airport’s diverse lineup of restaurants provide an expansive menu of choices that are healthy, affordable and stocked full of local flavor. Among its mix of fast casual and high-end choices are Texas-based chain restaurants, such as Whataburger and Bullritos, as well as notable options like Houston chef Bryan Caswell's 3rd Bar Eating House, Vietnamese-Cajun favorite Bam Bam, a new Hard Rock Café, Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar, The Breakfast Klub and Landry’s Seafood. To vote, go to this link.
• Best Airport Local/Regional Dining: Situated in Terminal A, Hubcap Grill serves some of Houston's favorite burgers and hand-spun boozy milkshakes to travelers flying out of Bush Airport. Hubcap Grill has been voted “Houston’s Best Burger” and Texas Monthly Magazine voted the Philly-Cheesesteak Burger the 5th best burger in the state. The restaurant also has local and national beers on tap and a full bar. To vote, go to this link.
• Best Airport Sitdown Dining: Hugo's Cocina in Terminal D serves up fresh and flavorful dishes from several regions of Mexico, all made from scratch. Featuring the work of Executive Chef Hugo Ortega, the menu items include migas, Baja fish tacos, pozole and slow-cooked carnitas. To vote, go to this link.
• Best Airport Bar/Restaurant Atmosphere: Situated in Terminal C, Bam Bam brings Houston's unique Vietnamese-Cajun flavors to passengers looking for a comfortable spot to pass some time. Ample seating makes for excellent terminal people watching, and the menu and recipes created by Chef Nguyen of Cajun Kitchen fame include grilled and raw oysters, including Cajun Kitchen’s famous oyster nachos, Vietnamese-Cajun boils and Po-boys all perfectly paired with a selection of rotating local and regional beers. To vote, go to this link.
• Best Airport Bar: Ember, located near Gate C12, visitors enjoy Texas-inspired tavern, and find a menu representative of the rich flavors of Houston from one of the area’s most celebrated butchers and chefs, Chef Chris Shepherd, recipient of the James Beard ‘Best Chef: Southwest’ award and recognized as Food & Wine’s ‘Best Chef in America’ and owner of Houston-favorite Underbelly. To vote, go to this link.

Nominees for all categories were chosen by a panel of experts which include a combination of editors from USA Today and 10Best.com, as well as expert contributors. Airport Revenue News worked with industry experts to vet and nominate 15 finalists in each category. All the categories and nominations can be seen at this link.

Final results of the polling will be announced at noon March 16, 2018.

In the 2017 poll, Bush Airport finished sixth in voting for Best Airport Dining. Pink’s Pizza at Bush Airport finished second and Pappasito's Cantina at William P. Hobby Airport was fourth in voting for the Best Airport Local/Regional Dining category. Hubcap Grill finished fourth in the voting for Best Airport Local/Regional Dining. Also, in the Best Airport Newsstand/Travel Essentials category, Texas Monthly News at Bush Airport finished ninth and Pappasito’s Cantina at Hobby Airport finished No. 10 in the voting for Best Airport Bar.

Two years ago, Ruby’s Diner at Bush Airport finished first in the polling for the “Best Airport Sitdown Dining” category in the poll, and Bush Airport finished sixth in the voting for “Best Airport for Dining” overall.