The Publican Tavern - O'Hare Airport

If you are a beer geek and you are stuck at O'Hare then you should stop here. Lots of local and European options on draft, but also in bottles/cans. Solid food too. It's a nice place to spend some time while on a layover, or if you checked in too early.

Vibe: I stopped in around 8:30 am on a Thursday morning. The restaurant was mostly full, but was able to find a seat at the bar. The place had a lot of tables that you could sit down at, both inside the restaurant and a "sidewalk-like" area that spilled out into a portion of the concourse. You can see right into the kitchen, which runs lengthwise along the rear of the tavern.

Quality: Beers were served in pint glasses at the proper temperature.

Service: The bartender wasn't overly busy as it was breakfast time and not many people were ordering drinks, so service at the bar was very quick.

Selection: The place had ten craft beers available on-tap, five of which were from breweries in the greater Chicago area (3 Floyds, Half Acre, Metropolitan, Off Color, and Revolution). They also had eight other beers in bottles/cans.

Food: I tried their pub bacon scramble, which was like a hybrid between an omelette and scrambled eggs and was accompanied by home fried potatoes and toast. The food was high quality and tasty.

 

Located in Terminal 3 Concourse K at O'Hare. I specifically targeted this place based on the previous reviews and also because I have a three hour layover. It was a bit of a hike from my original terminal but worth the walk over. If you're passing through the airport this is a recommended beer stop with contemporary decor offering a taste of Chicago.

Current Tap List:

Krombacher Pils
Gone Away IPA (Half Acre)
Gumball Head (3 Floyds)
Bottom Up (Revolution Brewing)
Andechser Weissbier (Andechs)
Allagash Saison
Anchor Steam
Crankshaft (Metropolitan Brewing)
Troublesome (Off Color Brewing)
Double Barrel Ale (Firestone Walker)
Plus (9) bottles ranging from Sierra Nevada to Orval to Westmalle.

Very worthy spot (especially for an airport) if you find yourself with time for a beer or for a meal in Chicago's super large and super busy Ohare airport. Upscale and quite pleasant spot with 10 quality drafts/10 bottle options.

 

O'Hare finally has a quality beer/dining destination. After years of spotty options, finally. Publican Tavern is worth the trek from another terminal, in case you're wondering. I'll be stopping here any time I have a delayed flight for sure. It's a little pricey, but nothing beats an Orval at the airport.

Publican Tavern have a host stand and a large area of tables inside and "outside" in the hall of the airport. I squeezed in at the bar, the last spot next to the service area. Staff were fast and friendly, bartender had some basic beer knowledge. Half Acre on draft and Orval bottles, alright. Beer list was fairly small but well rounded with local craft options from Half Acre, Off Color, Revolution and classic imports like Rodenbach, Westmalle, and Orval.

Food was a step above 99% of the rest of O’Hare, but fairly far behind the original Publican restaurant. The pub burger patty was a bit small and hidden in the bun, but it was pretty tasty and served with ample fries. The menu is pretty abbreviated, but some of the good standards are on there. Edit: 2nd burger I had was better and actually cooked medium rare. Throw some Publican maple braised bacon on there if decadence is your thing. I also had Andechs Weissbier for brunch, it was sublime.

Side note: Tortas Frontera isn’t bad either, but it's mainly just sandwiches under a heat lamp with a Tocayo tap and an a Goose Marisol/Matilda tap. Hopefully they start pouring Cruz Blanca soon. GI's old airport bar was so bad it's not worth mentioning here, and the new one isn’t much better.

Overall this is your beer destination if stuck at O'Hare. Just go.