Where to eat in Terminal 3 at O'Hare

Concourse H has the most places to eat in Terminal 3, and Concourse K has the most bars and restaurants. Everything below is past security except Café Descartes and the Hudson in baggage claim, and the vending machines at Door 3G and ID Badging.

All four checkpoints, 6, 7, 7A and 8, reach every concourse, so food doesn’t decide which one to use. The Terminal 3 page covers the checkpoints, and the food and shops page lists every place by terminal.

The airport publishes no menus or prices and doesn’t say which places have table service, so a bar or restaurant is the nearest sign of a sit-down stop. For a quick sandwich, the airport’s markets are:

• Farmers Market at G1
• CIBO Express Gourmet Market at H1
• Green Market at H5 and L3
• BJ’s Gourmet Market at K18

Concourse G: nearly everything is at the Rotunda by Gate G1

Concourse G runs to Gate G21, but the airport lists no food past Gate G10. If your gate’s in the teens or higher, eat before you walk.

Half Moon Empanadas is open only 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., the shortest hours at the Rotunda.

Concourse H: Gate H5 has the biggest block, and Gate H14 has a second

Concourse H has two blocks of food, at Gates H1 to H5 and at Gate H14, with single counters between them. The concourse runs to Gate H18, and nothing is listed past H14.

Fulton Street Cafe, La Tapenade and Rush Street Bar are the only places listed past Gate H10, so they’re the answer for a gate at the far end.

Concourse K: bars and restaurants from Gate K1 to Gate K15

Concourse K’s bars cluster at Gates K1 to K4, with Publican Tavern, Macaroni Grill, The Bronze Tap and Tortas Frontera, and the others sit at Gates K9, K12 and K15.

BJ’s Gourmet Market at K18 is the last food stop on the concourse, and it closes earlier than any other place listed in the terminal.

Concourse L: a few at the front, then Burger Federation at L20

Concourse L runs to Gate L28, but the airport lists nothing past Gate L20.

Before security, one café and a Hudson are listed in baggage claim

Dunkin’ at H5 and Starbucks at K4 are the all-night counters

Checkpoints 7 and 7A open at 3:30 a.m., Checkpoint 6 at 3:45 a.m. and Checkpoint 8 at 4 a.m. The Dunkin’ at H5 and the Starbucks at K4 are the only restaurants or counters listed open at 3:30 a.m., and the only ones listed open after 10 p.m.

Checkpoints 6 and 7 close at 8 p.m. and Checkpoint 8 at 8:30 p.m. Checkpoint 7A is then the only one open to every passenger after 8:30 p.m. It’s open until 10:30 p.m., half an hour after the McDonald’s counters and both Green Market counters close. The airport’s page also lists a Checkpoint 7 TSA PreCheck lane open from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The before 6 a.m. guide and late night guide cover the whole airport at those hours.

Vending machines fill the gaps, and one has no hours

The directory names Terminal 3’s vending machines separately from its restaurants, and lists all but one as open 24 hours. It doesn’t say which side of security each machine is on, but the airport’s map files the ones at Door 3G and ID Badging before security and the ones at gates after it.

Windy City Mart Drinks and Travel Essentials are also on the Departures / Check-In level. The airport doesn’t give either a gate or hours.

With more time, or a specific craving

Terminal 3 connects on foot past security to Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, so you aren’t limited to the food above. The Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 food guides list theirs by gate, and the walking guide covers the walk between terminals.

For a long layover, the sit-down restaurants guide compares restaurants across terminals. For one craving, the pizza, hot dog, coffee and bars guides each compare Terminal 3 with the other terminals.

Sources

• Our pages: Terminal 3, Food and shops, Security checkpoints, Burger Federation, Wolfgang Puck Express, O’Briens Restaurant & Bar
• Chicago Department of Aviation: dining directory and terminal map