The Chase Sapphire Lounge in San Diego is posh–almost too good to be true–with a superb selection of food and drinks and many comfortable nooks and crannies that make it one of my favorite lounges in the USA.
Chase Sapphire Lounge San Diego Review (SAN)
One reason I decided to fly from San Diego to Los Angeles instead of taking a train or car was to check out the recently opened Chase Sapphire Lounge.
What I noticed was the clientele was very millennial. So often airline lounges reflect first class cabins…old white men (nothing wrong with old white men…I’ll soon be one of them). This lounge was full of young people which seems to reflect the customer base for Chase’s premium card products like the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Hours + Access + Location
You’ll find the lounge in Terminal 2 of San Diego International Airport, between gates 46 and 47. From the departure level, you can take stairs or an elevator up one level to the lounge.
It is open daily from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm, with a last-call on bar service at 9:30 pm.
Chase Sapphire Reserve and J.P. Morgan Reserve cardmembers enjoy complimentary access to this lounge, along with two guests. Ritz-Carlton credit cardholders can bring in an unlimited number of guests (we’ll see how long that lasts…). This is a Priority Pass Lounge operated by The Club, but Priority Pass customers who are not accessing the lounge through their Chase Sapphire Reserve card may only visit a Sapphire Lounge by The Club once per calendar year without guests. Guests and subsequent visits cost 75 USD each.
Seating
As you enter the lounge, you can walk left and through a beverage station for seating or walk straight ahead where there are some couches before a large dining area with the bar in the middle.
Beyond the dining area are two more seating areas. The second seating area has a “fireplace” and view of the tarmac (though it was dark after I arrived).
Plugs are everywhere (120-volt, USB-A, USB-C) and wi-fi is very fast.
Sleeping Area
Beyond the seating area, there are four relaxation pods in a room which require a code to unlock the door. You can register for one of these rooms which feature lounge chairs and curtains to offer some privacy between chairs.
Facials
From 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm you can obtain a complimentary 15-minute facial Face Haus, a California-based facial bar. This can also be reserved with any of the QR codes located in the lounge.
Showers + Resrooms
Restrooms and shower suites are available in the lounge, including larger gendered bathrooms with multiple stalls and private restrooms.
Kid’s Room
Some millennials, this one included, do have children and the kid’s room was quite crowded for most of our stay.
Food + Drink
As much as I loved the lounge space and decor, the true highlight of this lounge is the extensive menu of food and drink items. Breakfast is served from opening until 10:30 am and then lunch and dinner are offered from 11:00 am to closing. We arrived at 7:00 pm hungry and were not disappointed.
The buffet offered delicious hot and cold items like burrata, various salads, sweet potato + black bean chili, green chili hummus, chicken tenders, and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Beyond that, an a la carte menu included additional items. Chase and The Club have collaborated with Oscars Mexican Seafood to offer many delicious, made-to-order items.
The Torta de Elote con Carne was superb…highly recommended!
I will say the chicken tostada was not great at all, my only real complaint about the entire visit (it tasted like canned chicken…).
Augustine loved his burger and I ordered one of my own…very delicious.
I did sample the crispy herb chicken, burrata, Brussels sprouts, and Oscar’s salad (greens, tomato, onion, cucumbers, radish, cotija cheese). All wonderful choices!
The espresso machines were all down (broken, I was told) during my visit, but coffee is provisioned by California’s Groundwork Coffee, which is a great brand. Waiting out our flight delaly, I had cup of coffee after the meal.
The drinks menu was expansive (and all complimentary). Augustine and I had a cocktail/mocktail with our dinner…The Sapphire.
The bar is the centerpeice of this lounge:
There are also self-service beverage stations located in two areas of the lounge with soft drinks, beer, wine, coffee, and tea.
Service
I loved the service in this lounge. The staff was kind, helpful, eager to show off the new lounge, and prompt with service. Food and drinks came out quickly and dishes were promptly cleared. The lounge was spotlessly clean.
CONCLUSION
If you live in San Diego or fly through SAN often, you really want to get the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. If you’re using this lounge more than a few times per year, I’d say the annual fee on the card pays for itself. This is a beautiful space with delicious food, excellent service, and many amenities. It is one of the few domestic lounges I would show up early to use.
Pretty lounge, but I personally found the made-to-order food (at breakfast) borderline inedible. And was surprised at how much was broken / inop given that the lounge just opened. I’ll have to try it again at lunch/dinner. Agree with you on the solid/enthusiastic service.
Just missed the opening of this lounge by a couple of weeks. Not sure if we’ll ever get to see it.
All lounges start well.
Who flies “through” San Diego?
@Matthew Klint In terms of the Ritz card access to sapphire lounge lounges, why do you say “we’ll see how long that lasts”? For people accessing sapphire lounges, what percent are getting access thru CSR, Ritz, PP 1 time, or buy in at 75/100? Is ritz really that big you think? Merry Christmas to you and your family as well.
I was just surpirsed this still exists – I realize it’s a small share of overall card use.
I agree with you the tostada wasn’t even edible. Hard to believe they could serve something so disappointing.