Planalto Serrano Regional Airport

Planalto Serrano Regional Airport is a small, intimate facility, and its dining options reflect that honest, unhurried character perfectly. Don't come expecting a sprawling food court with a dozen competing counters — instead, you'll find a compact café-style snack bar inside the terminal that punches well above its weight. The staff are genuinely friendly, and the coffee, made from beans grown in the surrounding Santa Catarina highlands, is remarkably good. It's the kind of place where a short layover feels almost like a pleasure.

The real treat here is how closely the airport kitchen tracks local culinary traditions from the Planalto Serrano region. Look for pinhão — the earthy, starchy pine nut harvested from the Araucária trees that define this highland landscape — served warm and salted as a snack, especially during the cooler months. You might also find cuca, a soft German-Brazilian sweet bread with a crumbly topping, reflecting the deep European immigrant heritage of Santa Catarina. These aren't tourist gimmicks; they're the same things locals eat at roadside stops throughout the Serra Catarinense.

Because the terminal is small, the menu rotates and availability can vary by time of day and season, so arrive a little hungry and stay flexible. Hot savory pastéis, grilled cheese sandwiches on thick artisan bread, and warming broths appear depending on the weather and what's fresh. If you're traveling through during winter — and the Planalto Serrano winters can be genuinely cold — a steaming cup of chimarrão or a bowl of caldo verde feels like an act of regional hospitality you didn't know you needed.