Le Pan Kobe Kitano, Itami Airport, Osaka, Tokyo

Le Pan Kobe Kitano in Itami airport is an extension of the original location within Hotel La Suite Kobe Harborland.

The long road back from Intex in Osaka Bay, nothing is short when it comes to travel in Japan, although everything does move quickly and efficiently. I arrived at Itami International Airport, which strangely enough only serves the domestic market, with 30 minutes before my boarding time.

What else to do besides hit up the Sakura Lounge for some beer and food?

Low and behold the business class lounge had no food. This was a first for me! I asked one of the people working there to confirm my observation, and they directed me to the rice crackers. Indeed I was correct.

I wandered back into the food court, which had ample selections to choose from. I grabbed an iced matcha and perused my options with an open mind and empty stomach, sipping on my green beverage.

I didn’t need more sushi, I didn’t need more soba, I didn’t need more ramen… I wasn’t totally opposed to Japanese food in the moment, but I needed something to simply sit and enjoy while I cranked through emails prior to departure.

While I was not familiar with Hotel La Suite Kobe Harborland, Google told me it was an extremely expensive 5 star hotel, and Le Pan was a bakery offering sweety and breaded goods for its guests. This instilled faith in me that I wasn’t making a poor airport-food decision, and I grabbed their club sandwich. At $6.50 (converting yen to dollar), the value this sandwich was about to provide me was beyond anything I have come across in an airport, and a price point I could afford to make a mistake on if it came to that.

Absolutely delicious chicken thighs that were enhanced by a thin sliver of smokey and salty bacon. In fact, the chicken was so good, mind-blowing for a $6.50 airport meal, that I had to double-back to the counter to understand exactly where this ingredient came from. To my shock, it was as special as it tasted: Banshu Hyakuchidori chicken, which I was told “won the top prize in the national chicken and branded chicken contest.”

Moments like these just make me admire Japan that much more.

The tomato was super thick cut– I loved that. They weren’t shy about showing off how their fruit would enhance their proteins, and the egg salad added a touch of texture and taste that bonded well with the chicken.  The bread was as fluffy as you’d hope for, and I also appreciated the quartering job on the sandwich itself, which gave way to easy holdability. Well executed on that decision.

Unfortunately the large amount of mayonnaise smothered through every ingredient in the club sandwich, was not only unnecessary, it was a distraction and a poor choice of ingredient. There’s no way anyone wanted all of that mayonnaise on their club.

And I get it – the sandwich itself doesn’t look so pretty, but please don’t let that detract from it’s overall taste!

I was full, content, and ready to board my flight to Narita. An excellent experience in Osaka, and a great experience at Itami, off to the next airport.

Location