MCO Terminal A food is split between two gate areas at opposite ends of the building. As of October 2026, Gates 1–29 (Airside 1, west checkpoint) have On the Border, Le Grand Comptoire, Urban Crave, a Zaza snack bar and Starbucks. Gates 100–129 (Airside 2, east checkpoint) have Cask & Larder, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Jersey Mike’s, Asian Chao, Villa Italian Kitchen, Green Leaf’s and Starbucks. The two areas use different checkpoints, so choose by gate number, not by the letter.
Terminal A is the check-in side for Avelo, Frontier and Spirit (Gates 1–29) and Southwest (Gates 100–129), per MCO’s airline directory and pocket guide. Gates 30–59 and 70–99 belong to Terminal B and have their own Terminal B food guide; the A/B overview and the Orlando airport food guide cover the whole layout, and Terminal C has a separate restaurant guide.
MCO Terminal A food by gate area
Venue names come from MCO’s February 2026 Terminals A & B pocket guide, the airport’s most recent complete list. The guide marks table service with an asterisk, shown here as sit-down. Everything in these tables is after security.
Gates 1–29 food (Airside 1, west checkpoint)
| Venue | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| On the Border | Sit-down (Mexican) | Gates 1–29, after security |
| Le Grand Comptoire | Bar (wine bar with food) | Gates 1–29, after security |
| Urban Crave | Quick-service | Gates 1–29, after security |
| Zaza Snack Bar | Coffee / quick-service | Gates 1–29, after security |
| Starbucks | Coffee | Gates 1–29, after security |
Gates 100–129 food (Airside 2, east checkpoint)
| Venue | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Cask & Larder | Sit-down | Gates 100–129, after security |
| Cask & Larder Satellite Bar | Bar | Gates 100–129, after security |
| McDonald’s | Quick-service | Gates 100–129, after security |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill | Quick-service | Gates 100–129, after security |
| Jersey Mike’s Subs | Quick-service | Gates 100–129, after security |
| Asian Chao | Quick-service | Gates 100–129, after security |
| Villa Italian Kitchen | Quick-service | Gates 100–129, after security |
| The Market by Villa | Quick-service (grab-and-go) | Gates 100–129, after security |
| FarmAir’s Market | Quick-service (grab-and-go) | Gates 100–129, after security |
| Green Leaf’s | Quick-service (salads) | Gates 100–129, after security |
| Bananas Smoothies | Quick-service (smoothies) | Gates 100–129, after security |
| Auntie Anne’s | Quick-service (pretzels) | Gates 100–129, after security |
| Starbucks | Coffee | Gates 100–129, after security |
The pocket guide also places The Club MCO lounge in Airside 1; no lounge is listed in Airside 2.
Which checkpoint do I use?
The A/B building is one rectangle. Terminal A ticketing (A1–A4) runs along one long side, Terminal B along the other, and a security checkpoint sits at each end. The west checkpoint is signed “Gates 1–59” and serves Airside 1 (Gates 1–29, Terminal A) and Airside 3 (Gates 30–59, Terminal B). The east checkpoint is signed “Gates 70–129”, sits beneath the Hyatt, and serves Airside 4 (Gates 70–99, Terminal B) and Airside 2 (Gates 100–129, Terminal A). So Terminal A’s two gate areas use different checkpoints: 1–29 west, 100–129 east.
MCO’s Getting Around FAQ says you “will only be allowed through the security checkpoint for the Gate Area from which you are departing.” After screening, the pairing follows the checkpoint, not the terminal letter: the FAQ confirms you can reach “Gates 1-29 AND Gates 30-59” or “Gates 70-99 AND Gates 100-129” by switching Gate Link trains as soon as you step off. So from Gates 1–29 you can reach Terminal B’s Zaza Cuban Café at 30–59, but not Cask & Larder at 100–129. Do not exit past the checkpoint to try: you “will NOT be allowed back through security to access the other Gate Area.” The switch is sometimes unavailable while international passengers are arriving.
MCO’s airline directory puts Avelo at Gates 1–29, Frontier at Gates 1–29 and 70–99, and Southwest at Gates 70–99 and 100–129; the pocket guide marks those 70–99 gates as international departures and adds Spirit at Gates 1–29. The airline-by-terminal guide sorts out the rest.
Best options if you have 20 minutes
Stay in your gate area; a Gate Link ride each way erases the margin. At Gates 1–29, Urban Crave and the Zaza snack bar are the counters, and Starbucks sells packaged food alongside coffee. At Gates 100–129 the choice is wider: McDonald’s, Chipotle, Jersey Mike’s and Asian Chao for hot food, The Market by Villa and FarmAir’s Market for something to carry on board.
Still landside? Check MCO TSA wait times before you sit down in the food court.
Breakfast / coffee
Starbucks is listed in both Terminal A gate areas, and Gates 1–29 adds a Zaza snack bar. The full Zaza Cuban Café is at Gates 30–59, Terminal B’s west airside, which Zaza’s own locations page gives as “Hub Gates 30-59”; from Gates 1–29 it is one Gate Link switch away after security. Our MCO coffee guide explains why that café con leche is worth the detour.
Before security, Dunkin’ Donuts and Cinnabon are in the Level 3 food court, and MCO’s hotel page says McCoy’s at the Hyatt opens at 7:00 am. Neither Terminal A gate area has a published early opener, so the MCO breakfast guide matters more here than on the B side.
Sit-down meal
Gates 1–29 has On the Border, the only table-service restaurant in Airside 1, plus Le Grand Comptoire as a wine-bar alternative. Gates 100–129 has Cask & Larder, table service, with its satellite bar as the quicker stop for a drink. For a bigger menu, passengers at 100–129 can switch Gate Links to Terminal B’s Gates 70–99 for Bahama Breeze, Outback Steakhouse or Vino Volo; passengers at 1–29 should eat at Macaroni Grill, City Pub or McCoy’s on Level 3 before clearing security.
Late flights
MCO’s FAQ says the airport is open 24 hours a day, but flymco.com does not publish concession hours, and an open terminal is not an open kitchen. The only official hours near Terminal A gates as of October 2026 are Outback’s 4:00 AM–12:00 AM daily on its own location page at Gates 70–99, reachable from 100–129 by Gate Link, and, before security, McCoy’s 7:00 am–12:00 am and the Hyatt Lobby Bar 5:00 pm–12:00 am per MCO’s hotel page.
For a departure after 10 pm, eat before security or take the first open counter after screening; the late-night MCO food guide covers what stays open overnight.
Before security (meeting someone)
The Level 3 food court sits between the two ticketing halls, outside both checkpoints; MCO’s FAQ calls it “before security” when giving directions to the sensory room beside it. The pocket guide lists Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, McDonald’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Firehouse Subs, Sbarro, Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Carvel, Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins there, plus City Pub, Macaroni Grill and Orange County Brewers.
The Hyatt’s McCoy’s, Hemisphere and Lobby Bar are pre-security per MCO’s hotel page; the airport’s FAQ names McCoy’s and the lobby as meeting places, and the terminal maps page lists a Starbucks on Terminal A, Level 2, beside bag claim. Our before-security guide has the detail; with a car and two spare hours, restaurants near Orlando airport beat any food court.
What’s changing in Terminal A
MCO’s Concession Master Plan is rebuilding restaurant and retail space across Terminals A and B: Phase 1 approved December 11, 2024 with more than 40 locations, Phase 2 approved November 19, 2025, and “phased openings scheduled for Summer 2026 – Late 2028.”
The airport’s coming-soon map shows 4 Rivers Southern Smokehouse, Shake Shack, Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream and SoDough Square for Gates 1–29. Gates 100–129 gets BrewDog + Peet’s Coffee, Just Love Coffee Café, Crisp & Green, Jam-Eng and Zaza’s Cuban Cafe. Expect the tables above to change through 2028.
How to check today
Open MCO’s interactive terminal map and filter for dining; it is the live MCO Terminal A map, and the Orlando MCO app carries the same directory. Confirm your gate range on the airline directory first, and treat the February 2026 pocket guide as the last full printed list.
Bottom line: find your gate, then your checkpoint. Gates 100–129 has the wider counter choice and Cask & Larder; Gates 1–29 has On the Border and little else.