just landed at ord and honestly, its always a bit of a crapshoot with airport food no matter where you go but chicago can be especially tricky cause you have this idea of amazing chicago food like deep dish and italian beef and then you get to the airport and its just a bunch of sad looking chain places but sometimes you find a gem and its totally worth it so i wanted to share my thoughts cause maybe itll help someone else avoid a truly awful airport meal cause seriously its already expensive enough to travel let alone pay like 20 bucks for a soggy sandwich and feel ripped off and depressed before your next flight.
where to eat (and where to skip)
so listen, you gotta be strategic about this and its not always easy but basically terminal 1 has some decent spots like that stella artois place its kinda overpriced but you can get a beer and a pretty good burger and then theres the italian place i forget the name but it has decent pasta if youre really craving that and youre stuck and its better than some other choices and terminal 2 is usually just a quick stop for me and honestly i dont even bother trying to find anything good there its mostly just coffee and some pre-made stuff so i usually skip that entirely if i can and terminal 3 its where the action is sometimes and i usually find myself there but you gotta be careful cause its also where some of the worst offenders are but i did have a surprisingly good giordanos slice once and i know its not the *real* giordanos experience but its better than nothing if you absolutely need deep dish and then terminal 5 for international its a whole different vibe and honestly some of the best options are actually over there if you have the time and the inclination to actually go through security again if youre just connecting and you literally have hours its worth a look cause ive had some surprisingly authentic asian food there and its a total game changer compared to the usual airport fare.
grab-and-go vs. a real meal
this is the eternal airport dilemma right cause sometimes you just need to grab a sad sandwich and sprint to your gate cause youre already late and you just want to get on the plane and sleep and sometimes you have a long layover and you genuinely want to sit down and eat a proper meal and i think its important to know the difference and plan accordingly cause if you try to get a real meal at a grab-and-go place youre gonna be disappointed and if you try to grab-and-go at a sit-down place youre gonna feel rushed and bother everyone and basically its all about managing expectations and knowing what each terminal offers so for grab-and-go literally any of the hudson news places will have stuff but its gonna be overpriced and meh but the starbucks are usually reliable for a pastry or a fruit cup and there are usually a few specific cafes that have better sandwiches or salads that are already pre-packaged but check the date and honestly dont expect miracles and for a real meal thats where you gotta do a bit more research and its usually the pubs or the sit-down restaurants that are the best bet but again be prepared to pay like 20-30 bucks for an entree and a drink and a tip cause thats just how airport economics work these days its literally insane.
the terminal trap is a real thing too and its why i always always always try to eat before security if the gate options look depressing or if i know my gate is going to be in a super remote part of the terminal and its a simple enough concept but its so easy to forget when youre rushing.
- you get through security and you think “oh ill find something on the other side” and then you get there and its literally just a vending machine and a closed starbucks cause its like 9pm.
- the options after security are often far more limited especially in smaller concourses or at odd hours and its a total gut punch when youre starving.
- sometimes the best or most diverse food options are in the main food courts before you go through the individual security checkpoints for certain terminals.
- if you know your gate is in like concourse g and you look at the map and see theres only one small cafe there then just eat something in the main terminal area first cause its just not worth the risk.
- basically, pre-security eating gives you more choices and usually better quality for the same price point and its less stressful than trying to hunt down food when youre already gate-side and panicking.
so yeah thats my rant about ord food honestly its not the worst airport but its definitely not the best either and a little planning goes a long way cause nobody wants a bad airport meal before a long flight.