Will have a couple hours there.
Where can I find great food and handcrafted beer?
5 Rabbit Cerveceria is about 4 miles away from Midway. It doesn’t look like they serve food there but they do have Taco Thursdays.
6398 74th St, Bedford Park, IL 60638
There are restaurants nearby Midway, Google maps shows a Giordano’s just south of the airport if you want a Chicago deep dish pizza.
It’s been a while since I flew out of Midway, but IIRC the in-airport choices actually include some good non-chain local options, including Greek. I love 5 Rabbit, but it’s in a rather industrial area and not really a place to hang out.
This article is handy. I am a fan of Pegasus.
I think a key question as to what we can recommend is this (and it wasn’t clear from the OP): are you planning to / willing to leave the airport? Doing so certainly widens your choices, but it also means having to come back through the TSA checkpoint.
I like 5 Rabbit too but I haven’t been to their brewery. It does look like an industrial area without much else to offer beyond the brewery itself.
If time is available, maybe the OP can stop by to pick up a 6 pack.
If the Gold Coast Dogs in MDW is up to the standards of the regular restaurants in town, you’ll get a very good Chicago dog or Italian beef. (I’ve yet to sample the wares at the airport.)
I can’t imagine the choices at the bars in there will be Earth-shattering, but hey, you have a couple hours to give them a shot. Maybe you’ll chance upon a Half Acre can or two:
https://www.flychicago.com/midway/eatshopmore/eat/pages/default.aspx
Huh. Are Manny’s and Illinois Bar and Grill both gone now? Manny’s would have been my recommendation if you’re into a gut-busting pastrami sandwich or Illinois Bar and Grill for a burger or breakfast.
It looks like Harry Caray’s is gone as well. And Midway continues to be one of the few major airports in the world without a Starbucks. There isn’t a Starbucks at Pyongyang Airport either.
There was a Superdawg there that apparently closed a few years ago. By all accounts, it was dreadful but I never got a chance to try it.
Wiki link: Superdawg - Wikipedia
Their website appears down at the moment but here’s a link: http://www.superdawg.com/
Thanks for all the replies.
Looks like I will have a Chicago dog at Gold Coast.
No ketchup, right?
Just say ‘Everything, hot’ if you want sport peppers and you do. That should be tomato, onion, pickle relish, yellow mustard, dill pickle spear, celery salt and the sport peppers.
Thank you. I now speak Chicagoan! Everything hot!
I scored the Chicago style jumbo char dog at Gold Coast.
There was a huge line. I figured it must be good. Wrong. The dogs were not hot. Sitting too long. Served on a cold bun.
Maybe it was the exception. Less than warm dog and cold bun. But, I wasn’t impressed. Condiments were a nice touch.
However, I now know what is the Chicago style hot dog. Just don’t need another.
Please don’t write off Chicago dogs based on a single clunker from airport concessions. Also, a traditional dog is steamed, not charred and, if too jumbo, the proportions get thrown off.
Yeah, the standard is steamed, although char dogs can be pretty good. But if you want your bog standard Chicago dog, it should be a steamed all-beef hot dog, usually eight to the pound, with the ingredients listed above, served on a poppy seed bun.
Now, mind you, this is what’s become known as the “Chicago-style hot dog” (also, the relish is supposed to be neon green sweet relish for some reason–my hunch is Vienna Beef marketing), but it’s not the only Chicago style hot dog out there. A number of revered hot dog places (Gene & Judes, Jimmy’s Red Hots) don’t bother with a poppy seed bun, don’t bother with celery salt, use normal non-neon relish, and forego the tomato. And the pickle does not need to be eaten together with the hot dog. You can take it out and eat it separately like you would with any other sandwich. Meanwhile, there are other places that add ingredients like cucumbers (JR’s) or even lettuce and green peppers (I’m looking at you, Byron’s!)
I can’t help you with good food, but the Dunkin’ Donuts across the street from Midway is the worst on the face of the planet.