I've been through LAX a couple of times and was equally unimpressed. Last time I was there was the year before COVID. There was a lot of construction going on but I don't know if it will result in any improvement.
On the other hand, I've always liked Atlanta which has been a waypoint for me on several occasions. It's the busiest airport in the world, it can definitely be crowded at times, and it is huge but it is easy to get around at least and there are absolutely tons of places to eat/drink/shop/etc. It's also generally not hard to find somewhere to sit though whether that's next to your gate or not is another question.
RE: My international terminal travel experience thus far (DAD and TPE)