Where to eat at O'Hare before you go through security
Food at O'Hare before security by terminal and gate: Café Descartes, Ciao, Sports Edition Bar, The Goddess and Grocer, the Hilton and 24-hour machines.
Baggage claim holds most of O’Hare’s pre-security food, which suits you if you’re waiting for an arriving passenger. Terminal 5 has four places, Terminal 1 has three, Terminal 3 has one, and Terminal 2 has one bar that doesn’t open until 2 p.m. The Hilton adds three more.
The airport’s directory prints each place’s terminal, nearest gate and hours, and its map marks which side of security each one is on.
Places before security, by terminal
Only Brioche Dorée in Terminal 1 and The Goddess and Grocer in Terminal 5 are on the departures level. The rest are at baggage claim, or in the Hilton’s lobby.
| Terminal | Place | Where | Hours | What the airport’s map says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 | Brioche Dorée | Departures / Check-In level | 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. | Lists “European-style sandwiches, rich espresso, and freshly baked pastries” |
| Terminal 1 | Café Descartes | Baggage claim | 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Calls it a “Chicago favorite coffee and pastry café” |
| Terminal 1 | Ciao Gourmet Market | Baggage claim | 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. | Lists “pre-packaged gourmet pasta salads, specialty sandwiches” and fruit trays |
| Terminal 2 | Sports Edition Bar | Baggage claim level | 2 p.m. to midnight | “A dozen 50-inch panel HDTVs show all the games simultaneously” |
| Terminal 3 | Café Descartes | Baggage claim | 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Calls it a “Chicago favorite coffee and pastry café” |
| Terminal 5 | Baskin Robbins & Dunkin’ | Baggage claim | Open 24 hours | Lists “freshly brewed coffee, espresso drinks, donuts, breakfast sandwiches” and ice cream |
| Terminal 5 | McDonald’s | Baggage claim | 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Lists burgers, fries and breakfast |
| Terminal 5 | Nuts on Clark | Baggage claim | 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Sells “chocolate, confections, nut and popcorn products” |
| 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 | Andiamo | Lobby level | 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Features “comfortable oversized booths” and “an extensive wine list” |
| Hilton | Caffe Mercato | Lobby level | 6 a.m. to midnight | Lists “Starbucks coffee, breakfast pastries, panini sandwiches, blended drinks, and fresh salads” |
| Hilton | Gaslight Club | Lobby level | 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. | Lists “fine dining” and “live music” |
Our bars guide covers the Sports Edition Bar and the Hilton’s Gaslight Club. Our Hilton guide has the walkways to the hotel from each terminal.
Which machines are before security?
The airport’s directory lists these machines as open 24 hours, except Terminal 1’s Door 1F machines, which print no hours. Its map places them all before security.
| Near | Machines |
|---|---|
| Terminal 2, Door 2A | Windy City Mart snacks and cold drinks, and Farmer’s Fridge |
| Terminal 1, Door 1C | Nuts on Clark chocolate and nut machine |
| Terminal 1, Door 1F | Canteen and Pepsi |
| Terminal 2, Door 2C | Starbucks, Canteen and Pepsi |
| Terminal 3, Door 3G | Starbucks, Farmer’s Fridge, Canteen and Pepsi |
| Terminal 5, baggage claim | Farmer’s Fridge |
| Multi-Modal Facility, rental cars | Windy City Mart, Farmer’s Fridge, Canteen and Pepsi |
The map describes the Starbucks machines as “Coffee offering drinks, snacks, and to-go items” and Farmer’s Fridge as “fresh and healthy selection of salads, wraps, and breakfast choices”. The Canteen and Pepsi machines sell cold drinks, and the Canteen ones add snacks.
Arriving early for a flight
Before 5 a.m., Baskin Robbins & Dunkin’ in Terminal 5 is the only place in the table above that’s open. Terminal 5’s Checkpoint 10 is also the one checkpoint open 24 hours. In Terminals 1, 2 and 3, only the machines are open before 5 a.m. Terminal 3’s first checkpoints open at 3:30 a.m., and its only counter before security, Café Descartes, opens at 6 a.m.
Our late-night food guide covers what’s open after dark, and our before 6 a.m. guide covers the early counters on both sides of security.
Where do you wait for a passenger?
Wait on the airport’s Arrivals / Baggage Claim level, where every place marked baggage claim in the table is. If you’d rather wait in your car, our curbs and cell phone lot guide has the pickup rules and our cell phone lot page has the lot.
Sources
- ORD Airport Guide: Food and shops directory, Security checkpoints, Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, Terminal 5, and the venue pages linked in the tables
- Chicago Department of Aviation: Eat directory, and the airport’s interactive map for the descriptions