I love tacos and I love the tacos that Air Canada currently has on offer at its LAX Maple Leaf Lounge. This is worth a visit if you are a Star Alliance Gold or premium cabin passenger traveling via Los Angeles International Airport.
Great Tacos At Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge LAX
From Taco Bell to the sort of “genuine” street tacos that LA is famous for, tacos are my weakness. Even with my generally carb-free diet (when on the ground), I do make exceptions for tortillas and rice.
Before my flight to Houston last week, I thought I’d skip the United Club and visit the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in Terminal 6, which I have not visited for several months. Dinner would be served on my flight to Houston, but I figured a nice bowl of soup and salad in the Maple Leaf Lounge might be better than what was served onboard.
Reaching the lounge, though, I was delighted to see a taco bar with both corn and flour tortillas and protein including:
- Shredded beef
- Chicken tinga
- Vegan plant protein (resembling ground beef)
Chicken Tinga is a Mexican dish made with shredded chicken in a sauce made from tomatoes, chipotle chilis in adobo, and sliced onions. I’ve had “homemade” chicken Tinga from the kitchen of a Mexican-American and figured the lounge version would not measure up.
Surprisingly, it did. The tacos were wonderful (topped with onion and cilantro with a bit of verde sauce) and after my first helping of tacos, I went back to the bar for another round of the shredded beef and chicken Tinga.
I love lounges that offer local cuisine and while the LAX Maple Leaf Lounge lack the full-service bar and terrace that the recently-opened San Francisco (SFO) lounge has, this is quite a nice lounge.
A Great Lounge For United Star Gold And Front Cabin Flyers
Unlike the United Club in Terminal 7, any Star Alliance Gold member traveling on any route in any class of service can access this lounge. So can a Star Alliance premium cabin passenger, even without status. United does not allow lounge access to its network of United Clubs to most domestic premium cabin passengers as well as to United MileagePlus Star Alliance Gold members traveling within the USA.
CONCLUSION
If you’re traveling through LAX and have lounge access, stop by the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge for some excellent tacos. You’ll be glad you did!
Maple leaf lounges are getting so much better! Yesterday I was the sole person in the SFO lounge around 5PM. Amazing decor, deck, drinks and the food was fantastic for a star alliance lounge. Chimmichurri beef sliders. Air Canada has been doing an excellent job with their lounges.
There’s also a dedicated made to order taco station (even for breakfast!) at DL’s LAX SkyClub. If you have an opportunity, check it out!
Would you like some taco with that cilantro? 🙂
There was a Taco Truck at LAX near where most of the AA flights fly from. Had great food, ate there multiple times in 2020 when most options were closed.
Looks like it’s gone and replaced by Danny Trejo’s Tacos. Anyone remember the name of the place?
Matthew, is that you at 3:02 in the blue jacket on the UA a321neo?
I’m in the video!
Why can’t AC bring that dish north! I’m tired of terrible pasta and butter chicken at AC domestic lounges!! Hint hint AC domestic lounges YVR
The lounge at YYZ in US Pre-clearance had surprisingly good food. The beef sliders were much better than I was expecting.
Wait, so as Star Alliance Gold, I can access the Maple Leaf Lounge in EWR any time I’m flying on United regardless of service class and where I’m flying to?
LGA yes.
EWR, no – since the AC desk in Terminal A is within a United Club.
I agree with this in general (that UA elites can access non-UA *A lounges when flying UA on domestic US itineraries). I wasn’t aware of the existence of the new AC lounge at EWR, however AC’s website says the following:
“N.B In this new location, Air Canada will be uniquely co-located within the United Club, offering a dedicated Air Canada customer service desk and an access policy consistent with Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounges.”
How does entry work if the MLL is “within” the United Club?
You’re right about that – no access to the EWR lounge because it is just an AC desk within UA Club.
But LGA you can access even if flying LGA-IAD in coach.
So cool. Thanks for spreading the word!
I’m in great shape and eat carbs with every meal. Excluding an entire macro group is (potentially) disordered eating. At the very least it’s *not* something worth promoting, Matthew.
Instead, learn what eating until you’re ‘no longer hungry’ feels like. Stay active. Fuel your brain and body. Re-connect those two entities.
I like the results of my diet and lifestyle.
Is it possible to subscribe to this blog? I can’t find any means of being added to a newsletter.
The DL new lounge at LAX has a nice TACO TOOO