Abadan Ayatollah Jami International Airport

Abadan Ayatollah Jami International Airport is a modest regional hub, and its dining scene reflects that honest, unpretentious character. The main terminal café — essentially the only sit-down spot airside — serves hot tea in the classic Persian style, alongside freshly baked nan and simple egg dishes in the morning. Don't expect a food court buzzing with options, but do expect genuine warmth from the staff and food that tastes like someone's grandmother made it with real care.

The local specialty you absolutely shouldn't miss, if you spot it on the menu board, is ghalieh mahi — a tangy, herb-rich fish stew that defines Khuzestan cooking. Abadan sits right on the Shatt al-Arab waterway, and the surrounding region's love of freshwater and sea fish runs deep in every dish. Some mornings a small counter also offers falafel wraps with pickled vegetables, a nod to the area's Arab-Persian culinary blend that you simply won't find at airports elsewhere in Iran.

For anything beyond tea, pastries, and light snacks, the airport's options thin out quickly, so seasoned travelers recommend eating a proper meal in the city before heading airside. The nearby Abadan bazaar district has excellent ash reshteh and grilled fish that will more than make up for the terminal's limited spread. Think of the airport café not as a dining destination but as a quiet, tea-scented pause — a gentle farewell to one of Iran's most historically layered cities.