I happened upon this restaurant after a run along the Lunken Trail. Â I was surprised to see how cute and quaint a restaurant in an airport could be. Â It is a special treat to watch the planes and helicopters land at such a close vantage point. Â
We sat in the bar, which is nothing fancy or special, but the service was good and the drinks were strong. Â The menu is full of simple American fare at reasonable prices. Â The bacon burger looked like the best of the bunch. Â My cheese fries came out very overcooked and were a worthless splurge of calories. Â The heaping mountains of loaded nachos would have been a better choice. Â
All in all, it was a perfectly good experience, but I would never go out of my way to eat here.
One of my co-workers suggested this place for a happy hour, so we decided to go. The best part about the place is the atmosphere. We were seated right by the window, so we could watch the plans land and take off.
The service, was okay. The only impression our server made was that she looked like Katie Holmes.
The food was not bad. I have the caesar salad. I liked how it wasn't drowned in caesar dressing and the chicken was fresh. One of our friend's has a 1 year old, and they got the kid's grilled cheese. It was like something I would have made when I was low on cash in college. I know, it's just a kid's menue, but I would have expected more from a restaurant.
Also, the crowd was in the 50+ range. There is nothing wrong with that, but being 20 something, I felt very out of place.
Sky Galley wins on atmosphere and character. Â The bar area is a great place to unwind, especially if you enjoy watching planes. Â They have good service and a nice beer selection. Â
The food is average at best, and slightly overpriced. I go there for the atmosphere - not the food. Â If they improved the quality and variety of the menu, I would be a full blown fan. Â
Bottom line: Â Fun and unique place to relax, eat/drink, and watch planes land. Â The food is OK but underwhelming.
The history and uniqueness involved in dining inside the the well-preserved and evocative Lunken Airport terminal seem to make promises that the kitchen and staff of Sky Galley can't quite keep.
Sure, most food inside airports is complete dogcrap, and overpriced. Â Once you pass through the TSA's invasive and tedious security measures, airport restaurants and food stands have you over a barrel. Â Ripping you off is too easy.
That's not the case at Sky Galley. Â Parking couldn't be easier, and there are no security goons to worry about. Â You walk right into the handsome terminal building and into the restaurant, and you see the attractive bar and the nice, relaxed dining area with the wonderful widescreen view of the little airfield and the hills of Mt. Washington across the Little Miami River Valley. Â It seems to promise a great experience. Â
What you get is vaguely disappointing. Â The menu is long but it is rather unadventurous, and it seems a little dated. Â It's pretty much average pub grub, with a few entrees thrown in. Â It's not bad food, but it is unexciting. Â The entrees themselves--a handful of fish dishes, baby back ribs, meatloaf, etc.--are probably a bit overpriced for the quality of the food here. Â Sandwiches and burgers, which are pretty all under $10, are the better deal. Â The food generally is conventional enough that much of the clientele seems to be the 55-and-up demographic. Â
Based on a couple of visits, the service seems up-and-down. Â
The beer list is pretty good, with two or three decent draft microbrews in addition to the regular roundup of macrobrews. Â
Don't get me wrong. Â Sky Galley is a pleasant place to drop into, and there's nothing quite like it in the area. Â With just a few menu tweaks and a notch or two of improvement in the food, Sky Galley would be a place I'd want to visit often.
There are the tiniest handful of restaurants where, no matter the quality of the food, you almost have to give the place the benefit of the doubt because its location or atmosphere is so appealing.
Sky Galley is one such place.
It is situated inside the very retro - and nostalgic - Lunken Field, Cincinnati's original airport, built in 1925. The restaurant has a place in aviation history as the first meals ever served on a US commercial airliner were prepared here, back in the halcyon days when air travel was considered a 'luxury'.
The small terminal building is a joy all unto itself, its Art Deco design immediately pleasing to the visual palate. There's a heady aroma too, the mix of architectural wood, iron, leather and steel all merging with that of burned-off aviation fuel to create something which can only serve to take seasoned travelers like myself back in time. My first flights to mainland Europe was from a similarly compact airport in the South of England and I always got a kick out of the experience of walking across the tarmac to my scheduled plane.
The Galley itself appears to occupy one entire end of the terminal, it's large windows allowing most patrons to be able to see all the small private jets taking off and landing on the adjacent runways. If you're lucky you'll get seated 'right up front' where views are the best.
The food is best described as "GFS fayre with a difference". It's (sadly IMHO) the usual traditional mix of burgers, sandwiches, salads & fried food, every so often throwing a culinary bone (like a tasty pasta linguine) in your general direction.
The one thing I will heartily recommend is anything that comes with fries, mainly because those fries appear to be from fresh, hand cut potatoes rather than from a pastiche bag in the freezer cabinet. Extremely tasty indeed, if somewhat let down by - in my case - the chewy chicken grill sandwich they came with. My wife opted for the pasta salad which she described as having a nice flavor but somewhat over salted.
Service was adequate, our young server respectful and friendly, and the atmosphere is conducive to having a good time. The small bar area was packed with people - many of them appearing to be 'flying types' - and for a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon the entire restaurant was healthily busy, suggesting the place is far more popular than the food gives it credit for.
Please give it a try. The busier it gets the more likelihood there is that the food choice will expand and improve, maybe offering a few more specialty menu items in the future and thus becoming a gastronomic destination all by itself.
When is Yelp going to allow  half stars? I think this place is a solid 3.5, but I'm rounding up, and here's why.
If you ever eat at small airports, you have definitely had some crummy food or been relegated to the vending machine.
The restaurant is nice - the bar is clean and well stocked and the service was polite, if not very friendly. The clientele was so friendly it made up for the quiet service. Local, old-timers who like planes and like to chat, and they're very fun.
The food is actually really good! I expected mediocre, and while it didn't blow my mind, for what it was (food in a little airport) I was quite pleased. I had french onion soup - a little on the sweet side, but pretty good, and a caesar salad with blackened chicken. The chicken was of a good quality, the blackening seasoning lacked heat but had a good flavor, and the caesar dressing was tasty. My bloody mary tasted like garbage, and I couldn't even finish it. That's never happened before. It tasted like a goldfish had been swimming in the mix. Yuck.
This restaurant is located inside Lunken Airport, a 1930's airport with a ton of cool history behind it and displayed through out the airport.
The outside is fairly well preserved and very interesting (though some of the side buildings are pretty sketchy).
Oh, and check out the bathrooms - if you've ever conjured up a vision of a bathroom in a 50's mental institution (who would imagine such a thing?), this has got to be what you envisioned.
Anyway, if you're in the area, looking for a little local history and a decent bite, this is a good place to stop. But do yourself a favor and order a draft.
I think the most appealing attribute of Sky Galley isn't the food or the service, its the history and the character of this place! It's located just inside Lunken Airport- which I learned upon my visit- used to be the original main airport for Cincinnati!
The restaurant looks out on to the runways so you can watch the planes take off and land-which is one of my favorite things to do. Patrons consist of pilots, local business people, senior ladies still sitting around dishing gossip and those who just love to try new places.
I'm hooked. I love little mom and pop hidden gems like this. The menu is pretty standard cafe/diner fare. Soups, sandwiches, your daily specials of roast beef and mashed potatoes. There's something healthy if you want it and something for your grandpa and big brother too.
I would love to come back over the summer. I'm told the patio is open then and it sits right up on the runway.
The bar looks fun too. It was more packed than the restaurant at lunch time. I'd love to go there for happy hour with a few friends. It's always fun trying something new.
Parking isn't a problem. The service was great and attentive and my creamy chicken noodle soup was simple but didn't disappoint.
My father is in the aviation industry, so naturally he wanted to check out Lunken Airport when he visited. Â We were surprised to find this restaurant tucked away in the terminal. Â
Relaxed atmosphere including a bar (good beer selection) and dining area with large windows looking out over the flight operations. Â Cool just to kick back and watch the planes taking off and landing. Â My 3 year old daughter loves it. Â Also some neat historical stuff to look at (pictures, etc.). Â
The food is tasty, though I can only comment on lunch type foods - soups, sandwiches, etc. Â Let me tell you, though, the hot wings are the best I've ever had. Â Fried and then grilled to perfection. Â My mouth is salivating just thinking of them, and it's not even 10am (don't judge me, it's my only food vice). Â
The service is spotty at times - some of the servers are high school kids who just don't have it down quite yet. Â
Actually, the atmosphere and food remind me of a lot of the clubhouses at golf courses I've been to. Â Go in with a relaxed attitude, and you'll enjoy it.
My husband and I had a late lunch, early dinner on Saturday. Â There were a few tables occupied. Â We scored a 4 top by the window. Â Nice to watch the planes land and take off.
Nice, varied menu. Â Lots of choices.
I had the chicken livers.  I was surprised they were lightly breaded, the menu description lead me to believe they wouldn't be.  They were described as: "Fresh chicken livers lightly seasoned, sautéed in olive oil and tossed with steamed onions. Topped with crisp smoked bacon".  Nonetheless, they were good.  Not so good for ya, but good.
My hubby had the pulled pork. Â Nice sized portion and very moist and tasty. Â It tasted smokey, I liked it. Â He did try my chicken livers to realize he still doesn't like liver.
He had a draft beer and I had a soda. Â We split the Bonbonnerie Opera cream cake. Â It was heavenly. Â The server brought my husband a glass of water with lemon when he served the dessert. Â Very nice touch.
We had a great meal and the ambiance was just right.
The bar had a nice crowd of regulars when we walked out after dining. Â It looked like a good place to stop for a cold one.
The Sky Galley is the kinda restaurant I just don't buy into.
Sure, it's located in the historic Lunken airport. Before sitting down to eat, you can take a wonderful little stroll through the quaint little lobby and deco-esque style of the building, but the actual meat-and-guts of the restaurant struck me more of the paying for atmosphere type eatery, rather than one focused on the actual food.
And while what I ordered came on time, without fuss from the staff, and with good quality, it just didn't spark me as having anything unique. It seems like the whole establishment speaks more to the building around it than the actual food, which is what I'm there for.
If you're into the hundred-dollar-hamburger, go nuts.
One of my favorite $100 Hamburgers. Sky Galley is a great destination for pilots looking for a bite to eat. It is also a great destination for those that love aviation. Walk through Lunken's historic terminal and enjoy a good meal while sitting on their patio and watching the flight operations at Lunken Airport.
Review Source:"We will always have the Sky Galley," Â years ago this was their come on. Â A neat place, good food and drinks. Â The restaurant occupies about half of the Lunken Airfield Terminal, once Cincinnati's main airport. Â Art deco bldg with wonderful mosaics and a vintage Aeronca two cylinder airplane overhead in the lobby, ca 1930. Â Easy parking right in front.
 Surprise your date and just drop in.
I always choose Sky Galley for nights out with my husband. It's a nice change of pace. Their food is good, though I can't say it's my favorite
No, what I love about this place is that it's like stepping back in time. I love stepping into the lobby and looking around. It's fun to watch the planes on the runway. I just feel good when I'm there.
I usually get chicken or pasta, which is usually a safe bet and very good. I like going in late. No offense to those with kids, but I like the quiet of adult conversation so I can enjoy the atmosphere. I love when they have live music, which usually causes us to stay for dessert (Bonbonnerie!) and maybe a drink.
Fun place - never busy - good food with some interesting choices. I like the turkey burger - it's very tasty! The view is nice and it would be great to sit outside.
My friend and I walk the track at Lunken and then hit the Galley for a light lunch on a regular basis.
It's definitely a hidden treasure!
The Sky Galley used to make the in-flight meals for the American Airlines planes leaving from Lunken Airport. At some point (possibly when a bigger airport was built) they decided to start serving food instead. The restaurant is often frequented by pilots and passengers from the airport's small commercial and private planes.
Located inside an old art deco entrance building to the airport, the Sky Galley offers a unique experience in dining. The lobby features a little plane hanging from the ceiling and two beautiful murals on the walls. The architecture is just gorgeous. There are signs above two hallways that say "Planes" that guided people to the planes back in Lunken's heyday.
The food is excellent. The menu offers various appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, and entrees. The last time I ate here I had the salmon fettuccine alfredo which was excellent. The pasta came with a giant piece of grilled salmon on top and a large cup of parmesan cheese. The alfredo sauce is complete with some perfectly cooked mushrooms. The wings they serve as an appetizer are great. They are baked instead of fried and the outer skin is perfectly crispy!
If you are planning on eating at the Sky Galley I would recommend calling ahead and reserving a table next to the window. You don't need a reservation to get in on a normal day, but you may not get a window seat as they are the popular ones! At the windows you can see planes landing and taking off on the runways and it's just so much fun!
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