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Airport food often elicits thoughts of stale sandwiches and fast food. Over the past few years, this has started to change with outposts of popular, local eateries popping up at airports across the country. This has been especially evident when a new terminal opens, like New York LaGuardia (LGA). For the fourth year in a row, Global Traveler’s annual Trazee Awards named Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) as the “Favorite Airport Dining” experience.
O’Hare has long had one of my favorite spots to grab lunch: Tortas Frontera. Rick Bayless’ hand-crafted tortas and fresh-made guacamole are delicious and worth stopping for if you’re traveling through Terminal 1 (Gate B11), Terminal 3 (Gate K4), and Terminal 5 (Gate M18).
Several Chicago restaurants are now at the airport. These include:
- Billy Goat Tavern & Grill (Gate C19)
- Garrett Popcorn Shops (Gates B8, H2, M7, M18)
- The Goddess and Grocer (Pre-Security Terminal 5)
- Goose Island Beer Company (Gates B1, C10, L10)
- Hub 51 (Gate M16)
- Nuts on Clark (Gates C19, E4, H8, T5 Arrivals)
- Publican Tavern (Gate K1)
- R.J. Grunts Burger & Fries (Gate M16)
- Stanley’s Blackhawks Kitchen & Tap (Gate E5)
- Summer House Santa Monica (T2 Main Hall) (review of one of its locations here)
The Dearborn Tavern and The Hampton Social will be opening in the next few months. I love The Hampton Social and can’t wait for it to open at the airport. O’Hare has over 132 eateries throughout the terminals, which is impressive and offers choices for every taste and budget. The full list can be found here.
CDA Commissioner, Jamie Rhee, said in a statement:
All of us at the (Chicago Department of Aviation) are honored that Global Traveler and Trazee readers continue to recognize the world-class flavors of Chicago that are available at the diverse concessions locations throughout O’Hare International Airport.”
Anthony’s Take: I love that local restaurants are joining and in some cases replacing fast food and other, gross airport food venues (looking at you, Chili’s Too). Hopefully, other airports will continue to follow suit and add hometown tastes for travelers passing through.
Anthony’s Credit Card Pick: When I’m dining out, I want to maximize my points earned. My card of choice for restaurants and food delivery is the American Express® Gold Card. With it, I earn four Membership Rewards® Points for each dollar spent at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases). It also includes up to $120 annual credit (up to $10 per month given in statement credits) for Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and Shake Shack. Plus, up to another $120 annually (up to $10 per month) in Uber Cash that I can use for Uber Eats. When I’m hungry, this is the card I choose. (Terms apply and enrollment required for select benefits.) Learn more.
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3 comments
A bit early for the April Fools Day posts…
Clearly Sam has no idea what he’s talking about. Trash anything else about O’Hare, and i probably won’t argue, but Tortas Fronteras alone would be enough to win this. No other restaurant is in the conversation for best airport food in the US.
Grew up in Philly with frequent visits in New York. Chitown has the highest concentration of foodies, so it’s no surprise that ORD is a favorite airport for foodies. Agree that Tortas Frontera is one of the best airport eats.