ORDAirport Guide

Healthy and vegetarian food at O'Hare

Healthy and vegetarian food at O'Hare by gate: the one place marked vegetarian, vegan options, salad and smoothie counters, and 24-hour salad machines.

A fruit display on a lime-green market table in an O'Hare concourse, with oranges, apples, bananas and cut flowers.
Market stalls near Gate G1, Terminal 3

The airport doesn’t publish menus. Its directory describes one place as vegetarian, Carry Out/Carry On near Gate E2 in Terminal 2. Its map text names “Vegan options” at Ciao Gourmet Market in Terminal 1 and a “vegan lentil burger” at Butcher & The Burger in Terminal 5. It also lists falafel and hummus at Urban Olive in Terminal 5. The CIBO Express Gourmet Markets in Terminals 2 and 3 stock organic, vegan, kosher and gluten-free products, the map says. For a salad at any hour, Farmer’s Fridge machines in every terminal are open 24 hours.

Everything else below is a salad, market or smoothie counter. Quoted descriptions are the airport’s map text, and “healthy” in them is the place’s own word, not a rating.

Terminal 1: seven counters

Terminal 1 has the most, and Ciao Gourmet Market at Gate C15 is the one with the vegan mention. Smoothie King at Gate B6 closes at 9 a.m.

Place Near gate Hours What the airport’s map says
Smoothie King B6 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Lists “high quality snacks”
Jamba Juice B7 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Calls itself a leader in “healthy blended beverages, juices, and good-for-you snacks”
Great American Bagel Company B14 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Describes “a healthy breakfast”
Ciao Gourmet Market C15 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Lists “fresh fruit trays, vegetable crudities, yogurt fruit parfaits” and “Vegan options”
Salad Works C19 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Offers “a light, healthy meal”
Fresh Market on the Go C23 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Lists “fresh pre-packaged food” such as pasta salads and chef and cobb salads
CHI Life Market C27 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Lists “fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits and premium bottled water”

Terminal 2: two, and one is marked vegetarian

Neither the map nor the directory says which of Carry Out/Carry On’s items are vegetarian, and it doesn’t name a dish.

Place Near gate Hours What the airport’s map says
CIBO Express Gourmet Market E1 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Says the markets offer “organics, vegan, kosher, all natural, no sugar, gluten-free, heart healthy and other distinctive products”, all pre-packaged
Carry Out/Carry On E2 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Lists “pre-packaged salad, sandwiches, vegetable tray”

Terminal 3: market stalls and a smoothie stand

B-Smooth at Gate K4 is the one place in these tables whose map text says “non-dairy”, for its smoothies.

Place Near gate Hours What the airport’s map says
Farmers Market G1 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Lists “fine chocolates, unique beverages, salads and sandwiches”
Great American Bagel Company G1, H10, K1 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Describes “a healthy breakfast”
Green Market H5 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Lists “sliced fruit cups and veggie trays”
Green Market L3 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Lists “sliced fruit cups and veggie trays”
CIBO Express Gourmet Market H1 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Says the markets offer “organics, vegan, kosher, all natural, no sugar, gluten-free, heart healthy and other distinctive products”, all pre-packaged
B-Smooth, Smoothies & Salads K4 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Lists “healthy non-dairy fresh fruit smoothies, and made to order fresh salads”

Terminal 5: Concourse M, including a falafel counter

Terminal 5 has no walking link to the other terminals, so these are the choices if your gate’s on Concourse M.

Place Near gate Hours What the airport’s map says
CHI Life Market M4 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Lists “fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits and premium bottled water”
Chicago Neighborhood Market & Goods M9 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Lists “pre-packaged sandwiches, salads, snacks, beverages”
Protein Bar and Kitchen M15 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Calls itself “Chicago’s original healthy restaurant” with breakfast, salad and wrap options
Urban Olive M16 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Lists Greek salads, falafel, hummus, and pitas and platters with steak, chicken or vegetables
Protein Bar & Kitchen Kiosk M25 Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Lists “protein-packed wraps, smoothies, coffee, and energizing snacks”
Butcher & The Burger M28 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Lets you “customize your prime beef, turkey or vegan lentil burger”, and lists sandwiches, salads and a breakfast menu

Salads at any hour: Farmer’s Fridge

The map describes the Farmer’s Fridge machines’ “fresh and healthy selection of salads, wraps, and breakfast choices” and doesn’t name one. The table shows each machine’s side of security.

Terminal After security Before security
Terminal 1 Gate B20 None listed
Terminal 2 Gates F1, F3 and F9 Door 2A
Terminal 3 Gates H1, K6 and K15, and one more on the departures level with no gate given Door 3G, and baggage claim near Door 3G
Terminal 5 Gates M8, M21 and M24 Baggage claim

The map also puts two machines in the Multi-Modal Facility before security, one near the rental cars and one with no landmark. The directory lists them near Rental Cars and on Level 1.

Is there anything else before security?

Three places are before security, and none is a salad counter first.

Terminal Place Where Hours What the airport’s map says
Terminal 1 Ciao Gourmet Market Baggage claim 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Same text as the Gate C15 counter, including “Vegan options”
Terminal 5 The Goddess and Grocer Departures level 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Lists “freshly made sandwiches, hot or cold wraps, flatbread pizza, soups and salads”
Hilton Caffe Mercato Lobby level 6 a.m. to midnight Offers Starbucks coffee, breakfast pastries, panini sandwiches, blended drinks and fresh salads

What the airport doesn’t say

The airport gives no calorie counts or allergen details for any place here, and its directory has no gluten-free or dairy-free category. The map text for the CIBO markets does name vegan and gluten-free products, by category and not by item. Ask at the counter before you rely on an ingredient.

Sit-down restaurants serve salads too, and the sit-down restaurants guide has them by gate. The food directory lists every place by terminal.

Sources