Dining at ORD
 

I am sure this has been addressed before either here or in another forum, but as search is down, here goes:

Having been through ORD a number of times and going to continue to do so, I am desperately seeking a decent place to have dinner.

I usually transit to/from Terminal 5. Terminal 5 is a dead end as to restaurants (only fast food there).

The best I have managed so far is to go to the Hilton - is that my only option around?

Wolfgang Puck's in Terminal 1 is a pretty decent place for a meal. If you're in T5 though, I don't know how you would be able to gain access to T1....

Perfect - thanks haveric. As I normally transit in ORD to/from CPH I connect to UA, AA or AC - so access to T1 should be no problem. I will try to Wolfgang Puck's tonight.

The Chili's in the B concourse and the F (United Express) concourse is pretty good. Stay away from the FOX Sports bar or whatever it's called. It's terrible.

I've got a related question: thanks to some AA schedule changes, I've got a couple of 2 hour dinnertime layovers at Terminal 3 coming up. Any place to get a quick "taste of Chicago," or could anyone recommend any other commendable place to eat? Also, in general, how is concession pricing at ORD -- will I be fleeced or pleased?

Thanks!

I don't think the prices at ORD are too terrible...many others like
LAX and MSP are worse. You really have your choice of what you
want to eat. Various fast food places and a some sit down places
like Chilis and Wolfgang Puck, so take your pick. If you have time
and want to walk to Terminal 1 (United), try the Billy Goat Tavern
in the C Gate Food Court near C18. I also recommend the
Sky Bridge Restaurant by the United Express gates in F.

Thanks -- unfortunately, I got your reply too late. From what I experienced, food priced at ORD are OK, although by the time you pay the 10% sales tax, you're probably looking at a 30% mark-up over non-airport prices. (I agree with you that prices are worse at LAX!). I didn't make it over to the UA area, and the selection in the AA concourse was mediocre. I had my family with me and probably would have bought a deep dish pizza for my crowd, but alas they were only selling individual pizzas at Reggios and Pizzeria Uno, and I must say they looked pretty bad and pretty expensive ($6). Everyone was lining up for a burrito at Burrito Beach so I tried it, but I thought it was pretty mediocre and somewhat overpriced. I did notice that the food court on the walkway to the UA terminal was MUCH less crowded than the "main" food court between the H and K concourses, and seemed to have some local style options at slightly better prices. Overall, my outbound "culinary experience" at ORD was such that I brought some cheese and french bread for my return flight and fed the kids at McDonalds.

Speaking of kids, there's a great play area just inside the UA terminal that is also accessible from the AA terminal without having to pass through security (if you're already on the air-side part). A great way to keep the little ones occupied on a longish layover. It worked for us!

Quick note, the play area is in Terminal 2, which isn't actually the "UA terminal", though UA does use a bunch of the gates. It's the "everyone else" terminal. UA is in Terminal 1.

As you said, one can get between 1, 2, and 3 airside (if you'd have kept going past the play area, you'd end up in Terminal 1.