Runway Bar and Grill

People keep mixing this up with The Anchor Bar & Grill

Runway Bar and Grill sits inside Owen Roberts International Airport’s T1, but half the online chatter still calls the main sit-down spot “the old restaurant” or “Anchor,” so Runway barely shows up in recent trip reports. The official airport listings put it airside in the small departures area, so you’re looking at a walk of maybe two minutes from any GCM gate. Functionally, this is the primary bar-and-grill option once you clear security, not a separate landside pub hidden in the car park.

The current terminal rebuild opened in stages between 2018 and 2019, and several locals in Cayman Facebook groups say the new airport food is “awful” compared with the restaurant that existed pre-rebuild. They don’t name Runway Bar and Grill directly, but context suggests the old full-service spot was replaced or rebranded when T1 was upgraded. Take the shiny 5.0 rating with a pinch of salt until you see a recent menu and check that the Runway name is actually posted above the bar.

Figure on resort-airport pricing: burgers and sandwiches in the US$15–20 range, basic cocktails above US$10, and a beer or soft drink costing more here than at a George Town supermarket 3 km away. With GCM’s small footprint, you’re never more than 50–60 meters from your gate, so you can linger over a plate and still board on time. If you spot local fish or jerk chicken on the menu, lean that way; skip generic frozen-leaning pasta or anything that sounds like it came from a US chain.

Service hours typically mirror flight banks, so it’s more reliable 10:00–17:00 than at 06:00 or on a late evening departure when only a couple of regional flights remain. The airport’s public complaints date to 2019–2021 and mention “awful food,” so check the date on any glowing review before trusting it as current. Practical tip: eat a real meal in town before arrival and treat Runway Bar and Grill as a backup drink-and-snack stop once you’re through T1 security.