How does the only outstation Lufthansa First Class lounge compare to the “real thing” in Frankfurt and Munich? Honestly, it’s not a bad understudy.
New York is such an important market for Lufthansa that it built a special “wining and dining” area for first class passengers and Miles & More HON Circle members in its three-story JFK Lounge.
You can read my full review of the Senator Lounge here, which first class and HON passengers also have access to.
But this lounge within a lounge makes you feel a bit like you are in Frankfurt or Munich. The floor tiles, walls, tables, chairs, and upholstery are all reminiscent of the first class lounges or dedicated first class terminal in Frankfurt.
To access, head up the “wining and dining” stairs and you’ll see wooden door at the end of the hallway.
You can also take an elevator up:
As the sign leading upstairs suggests, the first class area is really about wining and dining. To that end, the lounge features a dining area with several tables, a small buffet (that is most a bar), a small sitting area, and a closet.
On the buffet you’ll find self-service wine, spirits, soft drinks, as well as some cheese and charcuteries, bread, fruit, picked vegetables, and chocolate from Neuhaus.
There’s also a small a la carte menu with a respectable range of choices:
I didn’t eat. Had I, I would have tried the tacos as a starter, followed by lobster bisque soup and prime rib. My business partner had watermelon, a sirloin beef steak (not on menu), and ice cream. He said the beef was disgusting and I could see why–this was a far cry from the beef tenderloin in the First Class Terminal.
No cell phone usage in the dining room:
There’s a small sitting area that also resembles Lufthansa First Class lounges in Frankfurt and Munich plus a closet with newspapers and magazines.
CONCLUSION
I appreciate Lufthansa’s effort in creating a separate area at JFK for first class and HON passengers. It’s a step above beyond a roped off area at the Lufthansa Lounge in Washington Dulles. If you want to maximize sleep on your next Lufthansa First Class flight from JFK, consider eating here before.
Have you visited this lounge? What are your thoughts on it?
I was there three weeks ago. The little First Class lounge is still better than all the US airlines business class lounges. I went downstairs to the HON lounge to get brownies and cookies. Look forward to doing it again.
Matthew how would you rate this lounge compared to a United Polaris lounge?
More intimate, but food is not better. On the whole, I like the United experience better (due to the barista-made coffee, I must admit).
Was at Polaris EWR two months ago – both the restaurant food and buffet offer had gone sharply downhill quality-wise. I don’t see it getting better – Kirby at work.
For those of us that can’t see why the beef was ‘disgusting’ could you enlighten us, please?
Matthew,
First off I‘m very much enjoying your blog. But here I believe you’re jumping to a conclusion too quickly / on a too narrow basis of observation.
I had dined there a couple of times over the lasT couple of years (including this week) and I certainly rate them above and beyond a SEN Lounge plus.
Drinks and service are in my humble opinion absolutely up to MUC/FRA/ZRH Standards. And food a la carte (never tried the rib eye though) is in my POV roughly at FRA level (I‘m not a big fan of the buffet) but might fall a tad short of the wonderful ZRH and MUC a la carte options (my subjective view).
It’s certainly good enough for me to keep up with Manhattan to JFK traffic as opposed to the more convenient route to EWR.
Just my two cents…