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Home » Reviews » Lounge Reviews » Review: United Club San Francisco (SFO – E Gates)
Lounge ReviewsUnited Airlines

Review: United Club San Francisco (SFO – E Gates)

Matthew Klint Posted onJanuary 28, 2022November 14, 2023 13 Comments

a sign on a wall

The United Club lounge in San Francisco International Airport (SFO) near the E Gates may not have the charm of the other two SFO United Clubs, but gets the basics rights with plenty of natural light, a decent selection of food and drink, and friendly service.

United Club San Francisco (SFO) E Gates Review

This is a fairly cookie-cutter United lounge, with a layout and color scheme that mimics all new United Clubs refurbished or constructed over the last decade. I do prefer the classic United Club in the F Gates or G Gates area, but purely in terms of decor and design, not amenities or service.

a sign on a wall

Location + Hours + Access

This SFO United Club  is located in Terminal 3, Boarding Area E, near gate E4. If you are coming from security, turn right after the checkpoint and walk past the food vendors and you’ll come to it on the left side. During the pandemic, it is open daily from 5:45AM to 6:30PM.

a glass doors in a building

Access is reserved for United Club members, Chase United Club Visa holders, Star Alliance Gold travelers, business class travelers flying to Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), or Newark (EWR) on United’s premium transcontinental service, and international business or first class passengers traveling on any Star Alliance flight. Global Services members also enjoy access.

Furthermore, one-time passes from Chase are accepted or can be purchased for $59 (currently on sale for $39). Note that if you hold a Star Alliance Gold card from United Airlines (Premier Gold or higher), you can only access the lounge when traveling in conjunction with an international itinerary. Those who have a Star Gold card from other programs can use the lounge when traveling on any Star Alliance flight in any class of service. Also note that United does not give premium cabin passengers access on domestic flights, with the exception of the premium transcontinental route noted above.

Seating

Two desks staffed with agents check guests in just past the entrance. Past them is a large seating area that includes chairs with end tables between. The seating area is flanked by a bar on one side and a mounted table with chairs that stretches the length of the lounge.

a bar with a picture of an airplane on the wall

a group of people sitting in a lounge

a group of people sitting in chairs in a room with windows

Behind a partition which hides the bathrooms, there’s also a small dining area with three round tables with chairs on one side and a booth on the other.

a room with a booth and tables and chairs

a group of tables and chairs in a room

Finally, there are a couple private rooms (“phone booths”) where you can conduct telephone conversations or virtual meetings without disturbing others.

a desk with a chair and a telephone on it

A printer is available with a wireless printing option.

a printer on a counter

120-volt power ports plus USB chargers are located throughout the lounge.

a close up of a power outlet

Restrooms + Showers

Before the pandemic, the mirror in the restroom was in really bad shape:

a bathroom with sinks and mirrors

a sink and faucet in a bathroom

I was pleased to see that United had replaced it during my last visit:

a bathroom with sinks and a mirror

As is the case with all United Clubs in the USA, there are no showers.

Food + Drink

In many ways, United has upped its catering game in United Clubs during the pandemic. But I’m not sure that is the case in SFO. I won’t post pictures to avoid confusion, but this lounge used to have a very nice soup (multiple selections) and salad bar. These days, most of the food is pre-packaged (which is fine), but I found options lacking a bit compared to other United Clubs.

Even so, you won’t go hungry with a selection of:

  • whole fruit
  • hard boiled eggs
  • string cheese
  • pasta salad
  • Ceasar salad
  • vegetable salad
  • soup (butternut squash during my visit)
  • wraps
  • burritos
  • whole fruit
  • cookies
  • crackers
  • candy
  • chips

a counter with food on it

a plastic tray of food

a food in a counter

a table with food and fruits

a table with fruit and a sign

a counter with fruit and drinks on it

a display case with food in it

a group of bags of chips and other snacks on a counter

a group of bags of food in a pot

a counter with food on it

a plate of food on a table
Lunch of champions…

Soft drinks, water, milk, coffee, tea, and juices are self-serve.

I was excited to see a new coffee machine in the lounge – might this one actually create better cappuccinos? Sadly, no. I stick to plain espresso in United Clubs.

a machine with a screen on it

A full-service bar is also available. Beer, wine, and select spirits are complimentary while premium beer, wine, and spirits do carry a charge.

a bar with a man standing behind it

a bar with lights from the ceiling

a group of bottles on a counter

a group of bottles of alcohol on a counter

Service

It seems that staff rotate between lounges so I’m not sure if you’l find the same people in this lounge as I did, but I appreciated how friendly the agents were a the front desk and at the service counter, which comes in handy in case you run into a flight delay or cancellation and need assistance.

a room with a few computers and a desk

a room with a large screen with a couple of screens on it

CONCLUSION

I must admit, this is my least favorite of the three United Clubs in SFO (purely for design reasons). That said, I’ve never had trouble finding a seat here and love both the tarmac views and the kind staff.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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13 Comments

  1. Anthony Reply
    January 28, 2022 at 7:24 am

    Honestly food selection looks pretty mediocre for a lounge at United’s hub. You will find much better stuff at an average SkyClub. I recently had roasted salmon, Mac and cheese, fresh steamed vegetables at LAX SkyClub. This type of stuff is what prevents me from trying out United at Newark over options like Delta, JetBlue and even AA out of NYC…

  2. No Name Reply
    January 28, 2022 at 12:17 pm

    Interesting; back in November at the F Club, they had clam chowder with sourdough. (They also had some packaged salad boxes…)

    • Matthew Smigielski Reply
      January 29, 2022 at 7:50 am

      In October 2021, I ended up in 2 different United Lounges at SFO due to a missed connection and stand-by rebooking. One had sandwiches and no chowder, the other had clam chowder & sour dough but no sandwiches which I found odd. You think both would have the same fare.

  3. Edward Reply
    January 28, 2022 at 12:22 pm

    In recent years I’ve flown United internationally, so I’ve only used the Polaris lounges. Those are far and away above the United Club, or the lounges from Delta. I don’t have access to the United Club when just flying domestic.

  4. Jared Houser Reply
    January 28, 2022 at 3:28 pm

    Am I crazy, or did there use to be 4 United Clubs at SFO? I thought there was another one in E sort of by the security on an upper floor? What happened to that?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      January 28, 2022 at 8:06 pm

      You don’t mean where the Polaris Lounge is, do you, which used to be a United Club and required going upstairs?

    • Joe Reply
      January 31, 2022 at 4:45 pm

      There was a temporary one upstairs between the security checkpoint and the E gates while they were constructing the one this article is about.

  5. Timothy Reply
    January 28, 2022 at 3:40 pm

    I haven’t been to the other United clubs at SFO but have to say I really enjoyed my visit to this one. I especially remember first walking in and smelling United’s landing scent; that was a nice touch.

  6. tryst778 Reply
    January 28, 2022 at 4:01 pm

    on your next SFO visit can you please review the UA Club at the Intl Terminal? Lately my flights have not been close to the E gates for me to visit that Club. Then of course Polaris Lounge re opened and I’ve been hanging out there as of late. Thanks as always for sharing.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      January 28, 2022 at 7:23 pm

      Yes, that is coming in the next few days.

  7. Chris Reply
    January 30, 2022 at 4:08 am

    It’s somewhat embarrassing at the level of food, beverages, and overall service at United Clubs at SFO. I fly out of SFO regularly around the world. Compared to other overseas airports and clubs, United needs to up it’s game. The best lounge was Polaris but I believe it’s still closed due to COVID B.S.

  8. Thomas Keegan Reply
    January 31, 2022 at 6:56 pm

    I was there yesterday in Gate F area. Very nice comfortable, big improvement over previous lounges. Good choice of items. Very clean well stocked. No complaints.

  9. P G Gilbert Reply
    June 13, 2023 at 6:26 pm

    i arrived an hour before my flight boarding time so I headed to the United Club (near the E Gates). I found EVERY seat taken with another dozen passengers propped up against the walls waiting for an opening. It’s definitely NOT worth the fee for the United Club card. I finally gave up and headed over to my gate (E11) where I found several seats available. I will be canceling my Club card next time it comes up for renewal.

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