Airport dining doesn't have to be terminal. A new wave of airport restaurants is elevating airport cuisine above the level of greasy burgers and wilting sushi, as celebrity chefs and regional food heroes bring their magic to the one-time culinary wasteland of the airport.

Many of the chefs involved are Michelin-starred, and their offerings rate alongside the finest restaurants in their cities.

The better restaurants that are located in the public areas of their respective airports, such as Hong Kong's Hung's Delicacies and La Moraga in Malaga, Spain, have become magnets for non-traveling locals, achieving the hitherto unthinkable by turning the airport into a foodie destination.

Read - Air fare: The world's best airport restaurants

Previously - Airport food: the sumptuous and the scary and "Private" dining in the Denver airport and ABQ > LAX > SEA: a guide to layover eating