Quick Verdict:
🥇Capital One Landing Wins: Best food by a wide margin. This is less of a traditional airport lounge and more so a high-quality restaurant / bar inside of an airport. And everything is “free” (as long as you have the Venture X). Seriously though, they serve what would be the equivalent of a ~$50 restaurant meal you’re getting at the airport for no cost. Main downside: not ideal for super long stays.
🥈American Airlines Admirals Club (a very close second) – just okay food, but the best overall lounge space. It’s beautifully designed with many different seating options and great views of the runway. A good place where you could hang out, work, or relax for hours.
🥉American Express Centurion Lounge Comes in third – this is a utility lounge. Amex Centurion lounges are kind of like YMCAs for the upper middle class nowadays. Like Sweetgreen? I don’t know. This Amex lounge is fine but nothing special, and generally insanely crowded (like most Centurion Lounges).
In this post, you’ll find:
Introduction
Washington Reagan (DCA) has become a surprisingly competitive airport for lounges nowadays, especially given DCA serves almost entirely domestic, shorter-haul flights. Terminal B has a ton of lounges, and the nicest are the Capital One Landing, the Amex Centurion Lounge, and the Admirals Club (E Gates). First world questions require first world answers, so here’s where you should spend your time at DCA if you have the choice.
Why the Capital One Landing Wins
The food and drink are restaurant quality; no surprise since Capital One partnered with Spanish Chef Jose Andres for their menus. Capital One is definitely leading the pack when it comes to food quality in airport lounges, and I hope that puts pressure on the other players to match (especially Amex). We’re already seeing this with spaces like Amex’s sidecar concept in Vegas (small lounge for high quality small bites / drinks … i.e Capital One’s exact concept).
This lounge is a bit different from a normal lounge in that you’re basically assigned a table, and then you can either order straight from the kitchen via QR code or get small plates from the Tapas bar (or drinks). The tradeoff here is that you don’t have as much flexibility to roam around like you would at other “traditional” lounges, and this space is on the smaller end at just 5,500 square feet.
Just a few years ago, standard food at an airport lounge meant buffet slop under a heat lamp. Here’s what it looks like nowadays at the Capital One Landing (and note this is the breakfast menu, which is probably the most ~vanilla~ menu of the day):
The one downside of this lounge is that it’s a relatively small space and has (unsurprisingly) become very popular recently. It’s still by far the best place to eat in the airport, but if you’re looking for a quiet place to work or relax, it’s not the best place to spend a few hours.
The primary way to gain entrance is via the Venture X credit card, which currently has an annual fee of $395. Note Capital One recently axed their free guest policy (unless you spend at least $75K per year on your card). Guests must have their own card or become an authorized user (fee of $125/year) or you can get a day pass for a guest at a “discounted” rate of $45. See my review of the card here if you’re debating to get it.
Why the Admirals Club is a Very Close Second
This one surprised me. Generally Admirals Clubs are quite mediocre, but the Admirals Club at DCA (E Gates) is absurdly nice. I don’t know why American went all out with this one, but the physical space is truly incredible. It’s a massive lounge with all sorts of different seating and is generally a very-well designed lounge with great views facing north towards DC and of runways 15/19. This place is your best bet if you’re not too hungry and just want a place to work / relax for a few hours pre-flight.
There are food & drinks here, but the quality is several notches below what you’d find in the Capital One Lounge (or even the Amex Lounge). Think traditional airport buffet food; it’s fine in a pinch, but nothing I’d save room for.
Here was the food spread:
The physical location of the lounge is really great – on the north side there are sweeping views of the runways and tarmac, and it’s located on a quieter side of the airport.
Why the Amex Centurion Lounge is a More Distant Third
Last and least – the Amex Lounge. In general Amex Lounges are kind of like a Chipotle in an upper middle class neighborhood. You’ll leave with a decent meal but it’s nothing to go out of your way for. This one was packed when I visited; which made me realize I’ve never been to a Centurion lounge that was relaxing and peaceful (thinking about the one at LAX especially). The physical space is fine (if you can find a seat). I complain a lot about Amex lounges but to be fair – I generally like the food at Amex Lounges. Specifically, if I’m super hungry. While the food isn’t anything special and I don’t love mass buffets, their standard chicken they have for lunch/dinner is quite good and if I’m looking to maximize on calories, this is the spot to do it.
Here was the line just to enter when I visited:
The DCA location is relatively newer and the main room is very well-designed:
The food is legitimately good here. I know I hate on airport buffets but the food they serve is generally high-quality and healthy-ish. It just feels a notch down from the table service you get at a place like Capital One (or Chase).
Which Should You Pick?
Choose the Capital One Landing if…
You’re hungry / thirsty and want a proper meal. The food quality here is second to none, it’s not even close. This place is legitimately as good a restaurant and I would make sure to come on an empty stomach if visiting.
Choose Admirals Club if…
If you want a beautiful & massive space to hang out to work / relax and aren’t coming primarily to eat. This place is the best non-business class standard airline-operated lounge I’ve ever been to in the US.
Choose the Amex Centurion Lounge if…
You can’t get into either of the two above? Kidding. Not really. In general I would never carve out too much time to come to an Amex Centurion lounge. If you need a bite or some coffee it’s fine, but otherwise I’ve yet to find a Centurion lounge I’d go out of my way for. This is fine though, because the Amex Platinum nowadays basically pays you to have the card in a lot of cases, even with zero lounge usage.
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