A Quick Guide To The Best Restaurants In Chicago's O'Hare Airport

From Da Bears Superfans to "The Bear," from cheezborgers to Jon Stewart's infamous deep-dish pizza take-down, Chicago's greatest culinary hits loom large in popular culture. Just like their hometown, the Windy City's most beloved dishes – from street food to pub grub — are sluiced with boisterous flavors and served in massive portions that forks, knives, and white tablecloths simply won't handle. They proudly fly the hearty yet humble meat-and-bread hallmark of Midwestern fare, the heritage of the city's storied stockyards.

The country's third-largest metropolis comprises 77 neighborhoods, many of which are micro-ethnic enclaves rooted in more than two centuries of immigration, cultivating a myriad of foodways that today feed one of the world's top food cities. From this terroir of taste, celebrity chefs like Rick Bayless and Paul Kahan have risen — tortilla press and cleaver in hand — helping sear Chicago into the global gastronomy pantheon as both a street-food capital and a fine-dining destination.

These days, you won't have to traverse Chicago's most vibrant neighborhoods packed with great eats to savor what the city offers. Whether you're flying into, out of, or laying over at O'Hare International (ORD), America's "most connected airport" to just about anywhere and Food & Wine's Global Tastemakers' No. 2 best U.S. airport for dining, the spread of local must-eats across its four terminals might just nudge you to wish for more (gasp!) time in an airport. Here's a quick guide to the best restaurant you'll find at the hub, where there's something for every epicurean flight of fancy.

Beer flows through Chicago's veins much like its namesake river through the city — the golden liquid that brightens a Chicagoan's winter and cools them in summer. One of the most visible ambassadors of that culture is Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago's oldest brewery and one of the country's earliest crafters of European-style ales. It maintains three outposts at O'Hare International Airport across multiple terminals.

Innovative and influential, Goose Island's hoppy experiments and focus on food pairing helped earn Chicago the moniker "Greatest Drinking City in America." The airport locations pour Goose Island's finest from its taproom in the West Town neighborhood of artistic vibes and culinary excellence, but to taste these with homegrown dishes, you'd have to bar-hop within Terminal 1. That's a great excuse to stretch your legs and experience the city's "third places" spirit of bar stool socializing. As a Yelper recalls during a layover, "the bartender ... was superb. He was super attentive and very personable. I realized it had been many months since I have seen an airport employee smile."

Start near Gate C10 in Terminal 1 for a slab of deep-dish pizza – cheese, pepperoni, sausage, or spinach and feta — stuffed into a monumental buttery crust at Pizzeria Uno, which opened in Chicago in 1943 and claims to have created this style. Have it alongside Goose Island's sunny 312 Wheat Ale, which cuts through the richness of the pie. (The same menu is served close to Gate L10A in Terminal 3.) Finish by Gate B1 for another Chi-Town iconic: Eli's Original Plain Cheesecake, a slow-cultured cream cheese, sour cream, Madagascar vanilla beans, and whole eggs that the Bourbon County Stout, a cult favorite bourbon barrel-aged stout, seems to have been dreamed up for.

Chicago may be the Second City to New York, but when it comes to street food trimmings, it comes out on top. If the Big Apple favors mustard, sauerkraut, and onion relish, the Chicago-Style looks like it's been plowed through a garden of garnishes like tomato slices, pickle spear, sport peppers, chopped onion, and neon green relish. One element is non-negotiable: poppyseed bun. The Wiener Circle, often cited as Chicago's "most notorious hot dog stand" serving an unbelievably tasty version, is a top choice in the city, but at O'Hare, park yourself near Gate L4 in Terminal 3 for Gold Coast Dogs, a long-time institution that's been constructing its Jumbo Dog for decades. 

Chicago really adores its encased meats, and here, you can do a tasting tour of treasured tubulars like the Char Dog, the Polish, Bratwurst, and the Italian. After a Yelp reviewer experienced their first Chicago-style at this location, they declared that "apparently, I've been eating inferior hot dogs my whole life. This was absolutely the best hot dog I've ever had."

And if you've ever wondered what really spices up The Beef, Gold Coast Dogs also slings the Italian Beef, the city's signature sandwich that's now a global phenomenon thanks to the TV show. What gives it its bite is the fiery, piquant giardiniera, powered by serano and red bell peppers, flecked with olives and carrots, confetti'd all over a hulking roll stuffed with thinly shaved beef au jus. To order it like a local, ask for it dipped (or double-dipped if you dare), meaning the entire behemoth is dunked back into the gravy, often with an Italian sausage added. Few souvenirs announce a Chicago layover more clearly than bright yellow mustard and giardiniera oil stamped on your clothes.

The Billy Goat Tavern & Grill's Terminal 1 location, close to Gate C19, is a far cry from its subterranean Michigan Avenue original, but the burgers remain the same: no-filler, super-slim beef patties sizzling on a flat-top grill much as they have for almost a century. It's also one of the deepest dives into Chicago folklore anywhere at O'Hare, from the eponymous mascot — forever etched in infamy as the curse behind the Cubs' 108-year World Series drought — to founder William Sianis' marketing hustle. And you can definitely pitch your own "Cheezborger! Cheezborger!" order, as in the legendary, satirical Saturday Night Live skits inspired by the Billy Goat, starring John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Bill Murray, alums of Second City, the Chicago comedy venue where you're almost guaranteed to see a future SNL cast member.

In true city of big appetites fashion, pile on the patties for a double ("It's Friday, doublecheez for everybody! It's payday!"), a triple ("Triplecheez for the big guy!"), or swing for the "double double" home run. The ambrosial, juicy beef is stacked between American cheese slices, crowned with kosher dill pickles, and nestled between kaiser rolls that are Julia Child's favorite part of the burger, all reasons why a Tripadvisor user calls it "an oasis of airport food."  Although it's "no fries — CHEEPS!" at the original, zhuzsh things up with fries or cheese fries here. And it's not just "No Pepsi — COKE!" but quenchers from all sorts of soda, juices, and beverages, to beers (including its own pilsner) and wines. For travelers hankering for straight-up counter classics, the menu also offers omelets, steak and eggs, hash browns, toast and jelly. and sandwiches like ribeye, corned beef, and grilled ham and cheese.

With the fifth largest Mexican population in the U.S. — accounting for roughly one-fifth of Chicago's demographic – the most exuberant specialties of every south of the border state fuels and zests the city's daily life, from the Little Village neighborhood known as "Mexico of the Midwest" full of diverse dining to Mexican grocery stores and eateries across the metropolis. At celebrity chef Rick Bayless' Chi-town empire of casual Frontera Grill, Michelin-starred Topolobampo, fast-casual XOCO, and mezcal speakeasy Bar Sótano, these complex flavors are vividly showcased through daily fare to upscale contemporary interpretations. To dine at the Top Chef Master's table is to experience Mexican cuisine interpreted from his years spent traveling through the country and learning regional culinary crafts, while paying respect to its hallowed place in Chicago ethnology.

At O'Hare, the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle recipient's Tortas Frontera lands on "top 10 airport restaurants" lists for its thoughtful, hand-crafted takes on street food. Each of its three airport locations offers a different menu, while prioritizing local ingredients whenever possible. One Tripadvisor reviewer noted that "it's not surprising that he [Bayless] knows how to deliver when it comes to translating his recipes and techniques into a fast casual concept." 

Concourse M near Gate M18 plies Mexico City-reminiscent sandwiches filled with chipotle-roasted chicken, chile-rubbed cauliflower, and chicken milanesa, alongside tortilla soup and a guacamole Cobb salad. Terminal 1 by Gate B10's more-ish menu beckons with plates featuring pork carnitas, Mexican blue shrimp, garlic mojo, and roasted red chiles, plus chilaquiles and a wider variety of tortas. And if you're craving quesadillas and tacos, head to Terminal 3, near Gate K4, where the beef quesabirria torta is a cheeky nod to the Italian Beef.

The Publican is the epitome of the modern Chicago gastropub. Building on the city's stockyard legacy and Midwestern sensibilities, Paul Kahan, one of the most influential figures in Chicago's chef culture and a former Bayless apprentice, transforms world-class meats from heartland cattle, along with breads and charcuterie produced in-house, into revered dishes. Since opening in 2008, Chicagoans have gathered at these communal tables just west of the Loop, the heart of Chicago with diverse dining, for venerated stalwarts like pork country ribs, grilled farm chicken on Belgian-cut fries, and ham chop in hay, and the eatery's popular brunch and happy hour. 

The walnut wood furnishings, brass fixtures, exposed brick, and open kitchen at Publican Tavern, its O'Hare offshoot in Terminal 3 by Gate K1, echo much of the flagship's European beer hall ambiance, a USA Today Travel's 10 Best Readers' Choice winner for best airport restaurant/bar for atmosphere. A Yelp user verifies that "the vibe overall is pristine," and calls out the "great tunes" and "red brick and creative lighting." The menu here is a more conventional interpretation, but the farm-to-table essence remains evident in dishes such as farm Amish chicken and bone-in pork chop. The kitchen's meat-curing and bread-making prowess also comes through in items like jackfruit and maitake rillettes, coppa tartine, burgers, and sandwiches. You'll see the provenance of every dish's main ingredients, like the vaunted sixth-generation Slagel Family Farm 100 miles south of Chicago, and others from Michigan to Pennsylvania. The drinks selection is an earnest representation of the city's finest craft beers, and wines pay homage to the Old World.

Drawing on extensive familiarity with Chicago and regular travel through both the international and domestic terminals at O'Hare International Airport, we based these selections on personal experience, while ensuring each recommendation is also a treasured Chi-Town eating institution. This approach allows readers to get the full flavor of the city's storied and highly respected culinary heritage. 

To further vet each pick, we cross-referenced our choices with vaunted listings and awards like those of Time Out, Food & Wine, USA Today, James Beard, and Top Chef, as well as reviews from Yelp and Tripadvisor. Finally, dotting the forks and crossing the knives, we also thoroughly researched each eatery's menu offerings, ambiance, backgrounds, and airport-unique amenities to provide the most complete narrative. Being a big and busy airport, we also made sure that these options are well spread out across various terminals for traveler convenience.