Subway

6-inch subs start around €5 at this NAT terminal Subway

On the public side of Alicante’s NAT terminal, Subway is the safest bet if you just want something familiar before security. Expect the standard lineup: Italian B.M.T., tuna, veggie, meatball, and chicken tikka on demand, all built in front of you with the usual toppings and sauces.

Most 15 cm sandwiches come in around €4.50–€6, with 30 cm subs closer to €8–€10 depending on fillings. Meal deals with a drink and a small bag of crisps usually sit in the €9–€11 range, cheaper than many sit-down spots in NAT. It’s one of the few places where you can predict the bill before you queue.

Drinks run the usual airport markup: bottled water at about €2–€2.50 and soft drinks a bit more. The cookie tray is the same as downtown Subways, and grabbing three cookies for a couple of euros is often the cheapest sweet snack you’ll find in this landside area of Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport.

Staff generally move quickly during morning departures between 06:00 and 09:00, but lines at NAT can stack up fast around those first UK flights. If you want a customized sub with extra toasting or lots of salad add-ons, build in a 10–15 minute buffer from joining the queue to walking away with your bag.

For something that holds up on the flight, skip anything heavy on sauce and go for turkey or ham with cheese on Italian or wheat, toasted. If you’re headed through security soon, ask them to cut a 30 cm sub into two wrapped halves; that turns into an easy mid-flight snack without trashing your tray table.

Tip: Flying out of NAT with a tight schedule? Grab a footlong, bottle of water, and cookies here landside, then walk straight to security; airside options later in the morning can have longer waits and higher prices.