Is there anything better than a good bar?  

Just give us 200 calories of healthy goodness, and we're all set. They're convenient, they're affordable, and, to borrow a word from Will Ferrell’s portrayal of James Lipton, they’re... scrumtralescent. 

Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad bars roaming around out there. It’s not that the snack makers are ill-intentioned. More likely, they're anchoring on priorities other than using the cleanest, simplest whole-food ingredients. That often results in unhealthy options or things that taste somewhere between chalk and sand. 

That’s why just for you, our airfare faithfuls, we went on a North American bar hunt to find the best in the business. It took us all the way from San Jose, Costa Rica to Manasquan, New Jersey and from San Diego, California to New York City.

To remind anyone asleep in the flight deck, bars on this list must meet some strict ingredient requirements. Across our 50+ snacks, we’re sticklers for these agreements. Every bar on this list has:

• No added sugar or sweetener. This includes honey, even if the "nectar" is organic.
• No added oils. We're not claiming that all oils are bad. Instead, we believe there is no need for them in our snacks. We get our fats from whole-food ingredients. Speaking of.…
• Only whole-food ingredients. Every ingredient in an airfare snack is an actual food. No xanthan gums, syrups, protein isolates or "natural flavors," all of which play starring roles in many popular bars.
• 100% plant ingredients. 95% of the US population doesn’t consume enough fiber, and everyone can benefit from more plants in their bodies. So we're not condemning animal foods. Instead, we're focusing on the expert-agreed nutrients that most Americans lack.   
• Scrumtralescent taste. You get it; they're good AF. We know because airfare customers rate them, and if any snack averages below a 4 on a 5-point scale, they get scrapped. Not sorry.

Okay, are you getting hungry? Let’s get down to bar-ness. 

WIDEST VARIETY

Thunderbird (Austin, TX)

Ingredients (Chocolate Almond Butter Sea Salt): dates, almonds cashews, cacao, Himalayan sea salt

When we first encountered Thunderbird in 2016 we knew only some of the top flavors—the phenomenal Chocolate Sea Salt Almond Butter, ridiculous Cashew Carrot Fig and super-legit Pecan Goji Pistachio. Over the last few years, we’ve tried all the flavors, like the Chocolate Raspberry Espresso and the Cherry Hemp Turmeric. It’s hard to miss with Thunderbird, and there's a flavor for everyone. Check ‘em out. 

MOST TASTE-LEAST CALORIE COMBO

Nunu (San Jose, Costa Rica)

Ingredients (Apple Pie): cranberries, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, organic cinnamon, sea salt 

We were hooked as soon as we tasted a sample of these bars, sent by a friend who's sister runs Nunu out of Costa Rica. After our first bite, we flipped the package and noticed the calorie count...around 100!  Both the Wild Berry and Apple Pie flavors are under 150 calories, perfect for a little boost. 

MOST UNIQUE FLAVORS

Bazaar Bars (San Diego, CA)

Ingredients (Apricot Sumac): dates, almonds, unsulphured apricots, unsulphured coconut, sumac 

Even for someone who dislikes strong flavors like black licorice, Bazaar Bars’s anise flavor is delicious. The wonderful surprises continued when we tasted the Pistachio Marshmallow Root flavor, so we immediately purchased a box for ourselves. These are some of the best bars we've had this year. 

BEST SAVORY BAR

Bear Bar (San Diego, CA)

Ingredients: organic red bell pepper, organic cashews, organic kale, organic chia seeds, organic lemon juice, sea salt

Turns out, San Diego is a hot spot for great snacks. Bear Bar differs from others in the bar category because of it's flavor profile—not sweet! It combines kale, red pepper and chia seeds into a bar that is not only #actuallyhealthy, but actually...addicting.

Pro tip: Something to watch out for is keeping these babies safe. If turbulence strikes, they can crumble, so do what we do: 1) rip package open, 2) tilt head back, 3) pour into mouth, 4) try not to pass out from deliciousness overload. 

HIGHEST IN PROTEIN AND FIBER

Lupii (New York, NY)

Ingredients (Almond Butter Cinnamon Raisin): dates, lupini beans, almond butter, raisins, almonds, cinnamon

One of our cofounders (Justin) took a ride across country in the COVID winter of 2020. For much of the drive through the middle of this great nation, his food choices were limited to gas stations and random roadside diners with strong "No Country for Old Men" vibes. Instead, Justin was saved by a personal stash of Lupii bars. He switched off flavors between Almond Butter Cinnamon Raisin and Peanut Butter Cacao Nib, both of which were true saviors clocking in with 8 grams of fiber, 9 grams protein and 200 calories.

Pro tip: Warm these up (toaster is best), and then throw a scoop of Kite Hill almond yogurt on top. Healthy oatmeal raisin cookie for the win. 

MOST FILLING

Shakti (Orange County, CA)

Ingredients (Flax Peanut): organic peanuts, organic dates, organic raisins, organic coconut, organic flax seeds, Himalayan salt

Every time we eat one of these, especially the Flax Peanut or Yellow Root, we’re not hungry again for...hours. They don't have significantly more calories than other options (~200), nor are the ingredients overly complicated, but they are dense little things. It’s probably the use of legumes and seeds—particularly flax seeds—that fills the tank. They are delicious and might be all you need during a sit or layover. 

GREENEST (EXPERTS ONLY)

 GoPal's Health Foods GreenGo Rawker (Sidney, TX)

Ingredients: organic broccoli sprouts, organic red clover sprouts, organic pumpkin seed sprouts, organic flax seed sprouts, organic buckwheat sprouts, organic broccoli, organic daikon radish, organic sunflower seed sprouts, organic sesame seed sprouts, organic lemon juice, 2000mg greens (organic spirulina, organic chlorella, organic barley grass powder, organic wheat grass powder, organic alfalfa leaf powder, organic rye grass powder), organic herbs, organic spices, stone ground Himalayan crystal salt

This one is for the health freaks. If you gag over the sight of kale chips, aren’t a regular green smoothie drinker, or don’t dream about steamed brussels spouts, these may not be for you. But for the clean, green crazies like us,  you'll love this bar. 

It’s packs 360 calories, so it’s definitely a big snack, including 11 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber. It also includes some rarely-eaten veggies like red clover sprouts, yet it's surprisingly tasty. Come to the green side...if you dare.

BEST NEW BAR

Coming soon...

Oh dear, we didn’t just…yes, we did. We pulled a Ryan Seacrest, and you'll have to stick around to see who won.

In fairness, we promised seven of the best bars, and this would have been number eight. Own up to it...you got greedy. 😁

We'll be introducing our newest snack available to add to your next shipment in next Friday's post. One hint: it’s made in, appropriately, the Garden State. 

So that’s the list. So grab a pouch, add some bars, and snack on.

Health and hugs, 
Justin, Geremy and the airfare team