Best places for Grab-and-Go at DIA

Courtesy Denver International Airport

What's the best grab-and-go option on Concourse B?

If you're one of the over one million people passing through zoo-like Denver International Airport this weekend, chances are good that you're going to underestimate how long it takes you to get to security and find yourself calculating whether you can stop for a snack before your hours-long flight -- or if you're doomed to sprint to your gate and ask for an extra packet of pretzels on board.

You need this grab-and-go suggestion list.

Concourse A
If you've got time to run up to the mezzanine level, Mesa Verde Grill is a good option (and the subject of our Cafe review this week). The to-go window features a burrito bar, where you can craft lunch (or dinner) for yourself. Down near Gate A46, Schlotzky's Deli proffers a better sandwich than most of your other options. In the center core of the concourse, your best bet is to skip the savory food for sweet, picking up a sizeable scoop of Ben & Jerry's ice cream to tide you over.

Concourse B
Concourse B is happily replete with take-out options. On the mezzanine level, pick up a salad or sandwich at Wolfgang Puck (and if you've got even a couple of extra minutes, they can whip up a decent pizza pretty quickly). If we were after a more deli-style lunch, we'd go across the hall to Paradise Bakery. We'd skip that, though, if we happened to be catching a flight in the Gate B80-95 range, where a Heidi's Brooklyn Deli outpost makes fat, meaty subs. Toward the other end of the concourse, near gate B24, we'd have to make do with Quizno's.

Concourse C
On this small concourse, we usually head straight to the center core Einstein's for take out, knowing we'll be able to stomach a bagel with cream cheese on board our flight. Otherwise, we succumb to a coffee and pastry at Caribou, near gate C32, or Dazbog, near gate C47.