Combo meals under R$40 make Girafas Express the budget call
Girafas Express sits airside in Terminal 1 at SSA, on the domestic side, and runs typical mall-style fast food hours that roughly match the main departure bank from 05:00 to 22:00. It’s a quick option once you’re through security and don’t want to gamble on inflight snacks on a 2–3 hour hop up or down the coast.
Menu is straight Brazilian fast food: grilled chicken plates, burgers, and the classic “prato feito” style combos with rice, beans, salad, and fries. Expect most combo plates to land in the R$30–R$40 range, with simple hamburgers and cheeseburgers a bit cheaper around R$20–R$25. Portions track what you see at city branches of Girafas, so one plate feeds a normal adult without needing add-ons.
Service works like any counter chain: order and pay first, grab a number, then wait a few minutes for your tray. In off-peak times, you can be in and out in under 15 minutes; right before morning flights around 06:00–07:00, that can stretch to 20 minutes as crews and families line up together. Seating is shared food-court style with neighboring outlets, and tables are usually within a 30–60 second walk of the counter.
Strongest bet for real food is the grilled chicken or beef “grelhado” plates with rice and beans; they hold up better than the burgers, especially if you’re about to sit on a plane for a 1–2 hour leg to GRU or GIG. Soft drinks and bottled water run around R$6–R$10, and you’ll see the usual up-sell to combo sizes on the overhead boards.
Plan one thing: if your boarding time is inside 25 minutes and your gate is at the far end of Terminal 1, grab something to go rather than sitting down, so you’re not jogging to the last call announcement with a full tray.