Birjand International Airport

Birjand International Airport is a compact, single-terminal facility, and its dining scene reflects that intimate scale rather than the sprawling food courts you'd find in Tehran or Mashhad. The main terminal café sits just past the security checkpoint, offering a rotating selection of freshly brewed Persian tea, strong saffron-laced coffee, and warm sangak flatbread served with local butter and date syrup — a deeply satisfying combination that feels genuinely South Khorasan rather than generic airport fare.

The airport's small snack counter leans hard into the region's identity, and that's exactly where you should spend your rials. Look for zereshk — dried barberries sold in little cellophane packets — alongside roasted pistachios and saffron rock candy, all produced in the surrounding South Khorasan province. On busier travel days you'll occasionally find a vendor selling ash reshteh, a hearty herb-and-noodle soup that locals swear by as travel fuel, ladled out from a large pot with generous portions of kashk drizzled on top.

Don't arrive at Birjand airport expecting a sit-down restaurant with a full menu — that's simply not the nature of this place. Instead, treat the terminal café as a warm prelude or a fond farewell to one of Iran's most underrated culinary regions. Stock up on saffron packets and local dried fruits before boarding; the quality here, sourced directly from nearby farms, is genuinely superior to what you'll find resold in big-city bazaars. Think of it as edible souvenir shopping with a cup of tea in hand.