The 10 Best Bars in the Busiest U.S. Airports

No passport is needed to enjoy this Asian-Southern fusion spot located in the airport’s international terminal. From the stellar service and impeccably made cocktails to signature dishes like the black cod with green curry, coconut, purple yam, pickled green tomato, and toasted rice “granola,” One Flew South will make you forget you’re in an airport bar.

What’s more indulgent than pre-flight champagne and caviar? Get both, plus over 20 high-end vodkas, smoked salmon, charcuterie, and other decadent bites, at the Parisian brand’s LAX outpost.

Yes, it’s not a bar-bar, but the restaurant’s extensive beer list and potent margaritas combined with Rick Bayless staples like fresh guacamole, molettes, salads, soups, and namesake griddle-baked tortas make it one of the best places to eat and drink at O’Hare.

While this bar has a decent list of domestic and imported beer as well as wine by the glass, the cocktails are the real draw. Try the house martini, with Ketel One Citron vodka, blue Curaçao, St-Germain, and white cranberry juice.

With a selection of local beers, organic and biodynamic wines, and house-made cocktails incorporating seasonal ingredients, the drinks at the airport location of this local favorite are as well-sourced and sustainably-minded as its food.

The airport installation of this Danny Meyer concept has all the trappings of an airport bar—big-screen TVs, runway views, no-frills—but with significantly better food and drink. With signature cocktails, several local beers bottled and on tap, and a sizable bourbon and Scotch collection, the booze and the barbecue outshine most of the airport’s other options.

From Lagunitas to Almanac, this bar has almost two dozen California-based brews available bottled and on tap. Not a fan of beer? Uncork’d also has a substantial list of bubbles, whites, reds, and rosés by the glass, mostly from in-state producers.

This local, family-owned chain serves only from stouts, IPAs, and seasonal selections from its sister brewery, Ellis Island, plus reliable pub fare like nachos, burgers, wings, and fish and chips.

Yes, this offbeat burger joint that sometimes tops its patties with Cheetos also has some of the airport’s best drinks. From on-tap cocktails like rum punch and a house margarita to craft beer, wines by the glass, and premium spirits, the bar has something for everyone.

This Euro-chic bistro offers over 30 wines by the glass, plus small plates like cheese and charcuterie plates and flatbreads, perfect for sharing and decompressing pre or post-flight.