I recently enjoyed a tasty lunch at Bobby Van’s Steakhouse and Grill in Terminal 8 at JFK Airport. The Priority Pass restaurant offers a tremendous filet mignon and a nice menu of steak and chops.
Bobby Van’s Steakhouse JFK – A Review
I arrived at JFK early for my flight to Los Angeles, having skipped lunch. Instead of heading to Terminal 7 where my United flight would depart, I traveled to Terminal 8 and had no trouble clearing security.
Just past the checkpoint to the right is Bobby Van’s, an old-school steakhouse that is part of the Priority Pass restaurant network.
If you have a Priority Pass card issued by Chase (not American Express), your benefits include not just lounges but select airport restaurants around the world. At New York JFK, that includes Bobbys Van’s.
A word of warning – your $28 credit per-person will not get you far. Any entree plus drink will likely exceed that. Furthermore, you are limited to just one guest even though Chase theoretically allows two complimentary Priority Pass guests.
Here’s the menu:
I could have ordered a hamburger and stayed under the limit (and the hamburgers do look tasty), but wanted to try a steak at a steakhouse. My 10 oz. filet, which included one side, was $48. That’s not a bad price for a nice steakhouse, so I was not offended. I chose asparagus as my side and stuck with water to drink to keep the bill down (a glass of wine would have set me back another $15-20).
When the waiter brought the food he brought a bottle of A1 steak sauce as well. I looked at him and said, “I hope this doesn’t need steak sauce or else I’m going to be quite upset.” He laughed. I laughed too…but I was serious.
Thankfully, the steak was perfect. A high-quality filet needs only salt and pepper and this really hit the spot. The asparagus was also delicious.
The total came to $24.26 after the $28 credit was applied. I also left a generous tip.
CONCLUSION
Compared to the Priority Pass lounge offerings at JFK, Bobby Van’s is the clear winner. You can enjoy a nice lunch or dinner here before your flight and I can guarantee you the food will be much better than anything served onboard virtually any airline serving JFK.
It’s been so long since I’ve traveled that I forgot about this benefit. Which cards offer PP restaurants?
@Christian, basically anything that’s not an Amex. Citi Prestige and Chase Sapphire Reserve come to mind. I think US Bank has a card as well, but that only offers a few free visits each year.
Thanks for the reply. My pricey credit cards with that benefit are all Amex so I figured I’d ask to see if there was some $100 or less annually card that might have the benefit that I’d perhaps overlooked.
They must have opened within the last month. It was closed both times I passed in July.
Your boarding pass was for a flight (and airline) that departs only from Terminal 7, yet you had no trouble clearing security to enter Terminal 8 – is that something that is commonly permitted?
I’ve done this at other airports (LAX, SFO) just to access a lounge located close to my departing gate. The TSA people will give you a puzzled look but let you go once you explain what you intend to do.
I clear security in T4 at JFK all the time in order to get to the Centurion lounge, though I’m generally flying out of T8. If anybody tries to direct you to another terminal, just explain why you’re there. T1, however, is a bit more difficult, and in my experience, I’ve been flatly turned away there.
“I can guarantee you the food will be much better than anything served onboard virtually any airline serving JFK.”
Air France First Class laughs at that statement.
Key word, “virtually”! 😉
But I will say this filet was better than the filet I had in AF First. Of course dining in La Premiere is about so much more than the main course.
For those of us who don’t live in NYC maybe your post could list the airlines that depart from terminal 8 and an estimate as to how much time it would take to return to T7 for a United flight (and the other terminals)
Or you can look it up yourself. He is not obligating you to read this article, nor are you paying him for the info you requested.
That’s true, but Boraxo’s question is fair and I’m happy to provide the info.
The Air Train takes five minutes, security (PreCheck, no Clear) took five minutes.
The restaurant is just past security to the right.
From the time I left the restaurant to the time I arrived at the UA gate (T7 also now has PreCheck) was 15 minutes. Five minutes to walk to Air Train, five minutes on Air Train (including wait for a train), and five minutes to clear security.
Wasn’t Bobby Van that actor who was often seen on game shows back in the 1970’s? Never knew he opened a steak house.
I remember him and wife Elaine Joyce on Tattletales in the 70’s. I believe he died of brain cancer.
@AngryFlier and @Dave Edwards – apparently a different Bobby Van than the game show guy. He started the restaurant in the 40s in Manhattan.
These wine prices look insane to me- the cheapest bottle of red is $65! Is that the going rate in/around N. York- becauee of local taxes or something?
It’s an aiport.. captive audience. $18 cocktails are pretty insane too.
the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten, but be careful it’s huge
i’m a little late here….do you know if this restaurant accepts the digital / app version of the card? Or do I need my plastic one?
Digital version is fine.