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Publican Tavern ~ Chicago, Illinois


O'Hare Airport (Terminal 3)

Latest visit: Nov 2022

First visit: May 2018

On the final day in Chicago we were back to 20 some odd folks in the meeting. The plan was to have a catered breakfast and then most of us flew home that late afternoon / early evening. The breakfast was very good, but the caterer remained a mystery, so I can't include in the RJG. Perfectly cooked scrambled eggs - rare to find eggs cooked well in a large setting. They also had bacon, potatoes, pastries, fruit, etc...

Now to the airport, which took forever and a day to get to. No one works it seems but the freeways are still mobbed. After the security check, it was time to eat and drink. I flew United this time, and I haven't really explored Terminal 2. Ya know, for an airport the size of O'Hare, and their main terminal is #2 which houses their flagship United, one would think the eateries would be endless. Nope. Plenty of fast options from the food court or other awful looking places. There are a couple of exceptions, but those were packed to the rafters. This terminal needs way more full service sit down restaurants and bars. Fast food is fine for lunch, but that sucks for dinner. Even The Berghoff is a quick service counter serve place. Well my flight was delayed (of course it was) and I was early to begin with, so I took the long (very long as it turns out) walk to Terminal 3 which I'm more familiar with. This terminal houses American, and they used to fly to ORD from COS, but no more. And a few times I flew through Chicago instead of DFW to get to Baltimore from here. For 1) I'm a million miler on American, and I belong to the Admirals Club. So I figured I'd take advantage of that. But the other is my favorite restaurant at O'Hare (that I know of): Publican Tavern.

And sure enough, this restaurant remains very popular, but somehow comfortable. I was seated promptly. They have a great selection of craft beers from the area, including a couple I didn't get in the city. I also ordered their cheeseburger which came out perfect. The accompanying fries were super hot temperature (hooray). The menu is not extensive, mainly just sandwiches and burgers, but it's diverse enough for most travelers I would think. If I fly to O'Hare again, I may find myself taking the long haul over. I just need to make sure I have enough time.

The primary Publican restaurant sits in the West Loop of Chicago and has a much more extensive menu.

5/17/18; 11/4/22 (new entry)

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