Fleck

Thanks for the run down. Only have ever used ORD, but have no qualms with giving MDW a try at some point.

Lagunitas IPA, as far as beers go, my personal opinion is that stuff is fit only to fill balloons to throw at tea-toddlers during a warrior dash.

nineworldseries

Well, it ain't great, but compared to the common offerings at airport bars at MDW and others like Budweiser, Bud Light, Miller Lite, Stella Artois, Blue Moon, etc. it's the nectar of the Gods.

Actually, one of the smaller, more upstart local Chicago breweries would do really well to start a small tap room at MDW. I'm thinking Revolution, Breakroom, Half Acre, etc.

tusphotog

Add my vote for the C gates bathroom and seating area. That's where I always end up if I need some quiet space. The international gates can be quiet too if there aren't any flights.

I haven't been to Chicago since the Uber/Lyft pickups started at the airport, but I highly recommend going over to the L station, going downstairs to the CTA park and ride area and having the driver get you there. There's a lot less traffic over there.

It's an eight minute walk from B24 to A21 if you hustle. Plan for 15 minutes if you don't walk at a fast pace.

Not to throw this too OT, but where is this Rick Bayless restaurant at ORD? I've been searching for good food at ORD for ages. It's an awful airport for food (at least in the domestic terminals).

rove312

http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/tortas-frontera/

toomanybooks

T3 is the one I know. Tortas Frontera. Good but they are not shy about pricing.

toomanybooks

They serve Starbucks coffee in Potbelly's. Not sure if it counts as a full-fledged Starbucks; maybe more like one you might see in a hotel lobby.

Bluesman62

I always enjoyed the Illinois Bar and Grill in the food court. The little dining room is usually too crowded to get a seat, but they have a side service window onto the court seating area where the service is good, and you can grab a seat and watch the ramp work down below. Good burgers and fries, but pretty weak selection of brews. And of course the hidden restroom just down the service hall.

A little OT, but an interesting MDW food story: One time I had a LO of 2+ hours, so I called ahead to the Giordano's just off the property at Cicero and 63rd and ordered a half-bake pie to be ready 30 minutes after scheduled arrival. After landing I exited security and strolled down Cicero to Giordano's, enjoyed a cold frosty while my pie finished up, and then carried that delicious treat back to MDW. Took lots of ribbing from TSA and the GA and FAs, but it was well worth it.

chuckworth

Not a coffee drinker but pretty sure Potbelly stopped serving Starbucks in favor of Intelligentsia about a year or two ago.

toomanybooks

OK, thanks. If you Google "MDW and Starbucks," there comes up a link that says it is still there. But it has been a while since I looked in person.

glg

While I agree with the principle of no ketchup on a dog. The rest of the toppings on a drug-through-the-garden Chicago dog work well together. Adding ketchup to the mix throws it off, it's too overpowering, drowns out everything else.

That said, to each his own (though I'd still probably give an adult I knew crap for it ). There are some places that go overboard, taking pride in not even having ketchup, which is just silly, because even the average ketchup-on-dogs-hater will agree on two things. 1. ketchup on fries is just fine and 2. kids can do what they want. if a 4 year old is going to be happy eating a dog dipping it in ketchup, great.

I like Greek food and it's terrible.

It's okay. It's like a half step up from having a Chipotle or Qdoba. Local chain, nothing you'd go out of your way for, but if a burrito sounds good at the airport, it'll suffice.

This is definitely a Chicago thing. You gotta get Chicago mix (caramel and cheese). As mentioned, Garrett's is better, but that's not in MDW.

how does one avoid a gate? it's not like you get to choose...

The thing to know is that there is very little once you turn off the main A concourse. There is a shop at the corner before the long hallway and a tiny foodstand about halfway down and that's it (or is there a small bar at the gate?). If you're at one of those gates, make sure you get whatever you need food/drink/snack/magazines/etc before you start down that way. There are bathrooms.

glg

Let me use this space to complain about the city's placement of the pickup area. WHY IS IT AT THE BEGINNING OF DEPARTURES INSTEAD OF THE END?!?!

People have a tendency to stop as soon as they possibly can anyway, so blocking off space at the beginning just means that at busy times the uber/lyfts have to fight to get out of the pickup point. Prior to the pickup point, that spot by door 1 was busy. door 4 has never been busy. Put the pickup point down at the end by door 4, then the uber/lyfts can stay in the left lane down to door 3 or so, then dive inside when everyone else is already out.

glg

It's probably close to impossible given the way concessions at the airport are run. FYI, Breakroom closed last month.

toomanybooks

Problem to be solved soon.

City Council about to approve fingerprinting and other requirements for Uber/Lyft. The latter has announced it will leave Chicago if the vote goes through.

feysul

i fly out of MDW every week. Here are some of my comments:

Restroom at C Concourse are the best, not the ones in front of TSA but inside the Concourse C. Very quiet.

Also restroom on departure level between Parking Garage and Terminal are very good too.

UBER: if you want to save 5 bucks instead of getting picked up or dropped off at the airport designated areas, get dropped off at the CTA Orange Line Station, you will have to walk maybe 3 minutes but you save around 5.00. Thats the airport tax.

Harry Carays: Breakfast, you can order a BUILD YOUR OWN OMELETTE for 8.95, that is cheap. and the breakfast is excellent.

If there was a lounge, i would gladly pay for a QUIET area, Fast WIFI, and comfortable seating. i would price it so that it limits the type of people to business people.

RWPrincess

I was at MDW last week.

There are little charging rooms sponsored by the CTA set up throughout the terminal. Each one has about 4-6 seats with desks in it. Every one I walked by last week had at least one open seat. I used the one closest to the food court area. I find that the black armchairs at the gates are hit or miss as to whether the outlets work.

I actually like Harry Caray's for a sit down meal if I have a longer layover. I've had breakfast and dinner there. But I've also eaten at the original one downtown so maybe I'm just a fan of the ambiance.

The Hudson Booksellers over by the food court has a lot of chargers reasonably priced. I bought a Star Wars Stormtrooper one last week for $20.