Santa Gloria

Gate side at NAT, Santa Gloria covers the pastry gap

Right in Alicante’s NAT terminal, Santa Gloria shows up as the safer bet for a quick coffee-and-pastry stop before security stress kicks in. You’ll usually spot it on the main departures level, close enough to walk from most Schengen gates in under 5 minutes, so you don’t have to camp at your gate with a sad vending-machine snack.

Pricing lands in typical Spanish-airport territory: expect around €2–3 for an espresso or café con leche and roughly €2.50–4.50 for croissants, sweet pastries, or a slice of cake. That’s higher than downtown Alicante, but still cheaper than many full-service sit-down spots inside NAT, and it lets you keep a coffee stop under €8 if you skip extras.

Food is bakery-café style: think croissants, napolitanas, muffins, sandwiches, and cakes rather than hot plated meals. Most sandwiches run in the €4.50–7 bracket depending on fillings, and you’ll usually see a couple of cold options in a glass case so you can just point and pay. If you’re boarding a Ryanair or easyJet flight and want something more substantial than buy-on-board, a sandwich and water combo here travels fine.

Coffee quality is better than the generic machine stuff at some NAT bars, but it’s still airport chain-level. Order a straight espresso or café con leche; anything fancier than a basic latte drifts into hit-or-miss territory. If you’re catching a 06:00–08:00 departure, factor in a 5–10 minute queue, as early-morning Schengen flights through ALC push most people toward the same few counters.

Final tip: pay at the till and stay standing at the counter if you’re tight on time. In NAT, table service and card payments can easily add 5 extra minutes that you don’t have when boarding for gate B starts 30 minutes before departure.