First look: The Bridge airport lounge in Hong Kong feels like a chic members club — and it has an epic noodle bar

Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is home to some pretty swanky airport lounges, including some top-tier first-class lounges from Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong's hometown airline. These upscale spaces feature enticing amenities like dim sum tasting menus, spa treatments and even the chance to soak in a bathtub before taking off.

Now, The Bridge, a popular Cathay Pacific lounge that closed in 2021, has reopened following an extensive renovation — and TPG just happened to be passing through the airport mere hours after it reopened.

Here's a quick look at what it was like visiting the nearly 30,000-square-foot lounge — with enough seating for 523 people — during a long layover in Hong Kong.

Related: 5 ways to ensure you have lounge access before your next flight

Location and layout

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The Bridge is located near gate 35 in HKG's Terminal 1. Whether you enter the terminal nearby (like via one of the transfer desks) or head that direction from a different part of the airport, it's easy to get to thanks to the airport's long system of moving walkways. I actually stopped first at Cathay Pacific's The Wing lounge, near gate 1, to collect myself after a roughly nine-hour flight from Sydney before making the somewhat-lengthy trek down to The Bridge.

But once there, The Bridge is easy to find due to effective signage and its unmissable, dramatic location at the bottom of an escalator.

Once I arrived at the check-in desk, the friendly crew gave me a quick lowdown on the layout of the lounge, which is actually very long and narrow. The lounge is split into two wings centered around counters serving Western or Chinese food. After a quick scan of my boarding pass, I decided to make a quick pass to the right to see the Western food area before heading back across the long lounge to dig deep into the Chinese offerings because I love dim sum — and it is Hong Kong, after all.

It's worth noting that Cathay Pacific will soon introduce the airline's first biometric check-in system at this lounge, but a rollout date hasn't been announced.

The "Western" wing of The Bridge

Flanking both sides of the reception area, you'll pass through an open-air, well-lit seating space that looks out into the concourse. But the moment you pass this area, everything changes.

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Once you enter the corridor of The Bridge, it feels like stepping into a high-end membership club, thanks to the beautiful cherry wood finishes. The Western side of the lounge has screened-off seating areas for first-class travelers and Cathay Diamond elite members only (seen above on the left side of the picture, but hidden behind the panels).

Walking further down I found the Western Food Hall, a beautiful cafeteria-like space with plenty of table seating in the middle and a long wall of food, drink stations and chefs behind the counter overseeing everything.

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Food options here included fresh fruit, salads, various small bites like spicy lamb tartlets, breads and a wide variety of soups.

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Beyond the dining area, a number of different seating spaces included large leather lounge chairs next to big windows with views out to the planes and an overall library-like vibe that felt truly classy.

And at the furthest end, I found a buzzy bar full of people waiting to get a drinks, with beer, wines, cocktails and nonalcoholic beverages all on offer.

The "Chinese" wing of The Bridge

Journeying back to the opposite side of The Bridge — the one that focuses on Chinese food — I once again passed through the open-air seating areas and into another moody space, this time more open and dining-focused.

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The first part of this area feels like a high-end dining room, with one wall offering views out to the runway from bar seating, and the opposite side lined with food options, including a made-to-order noodle bar and a dim sum station.

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Made-to-order options included wonton noodles, dan dan noodles, biangbiang noodles and stir-fried noodles with baby bok choy and bean sprouts. The dim sum on offer included minced beef balls, pork siu mai, vegetable dumplings and black sesame buns.

I opted for the dan dan noodles, which were delicious and filling with a rich peanut flavor, and delicate little siu mai bites — plus a glass of Champagne, because why not.

I really appreciated the different seating options in this dining area, including a long table with plenty of space to share (where I sat) and these beautiful booths.

Deeper into the lounge and past the noodle bar, another large seating area offered a beautiful space to sit back and relax, featuring mixed textures and a green and rich wood theme.

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Tucked away back here, I also found a little drink nook with wine, coffee, sodas and other drinks.

This area also offers showers, with an attendant overseeing the rooms, and some of the most beautiful airport bathrooms I have ever seen. The bathrooms are a little tricky to find, though, as the door is actually a wall panel that blends in seamlessly.

Who can access The Bridge?

The Bridge is open to first- and business-class customers flying Cathay Pacific, Cathay Silver elite members and above, Cathay members with valid lounge passes and Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members. The first-class area is exclusively for Cathay Pacific Diamond elites (not other Oneworld Emerald elites) and first-class passengers.

When is The Bridge open?

The Bridge opens at 5:30 a.m. and closes depending on flight departure times, typically between 12:30 a.m. and 3:20 a.m. On opening night when I visited, the lounge closed at 12:30 a.m.

Bottom line

The newly redesigned The Bridge lounge is chic, massive and offers plenty of delicious food options, no matter your palate. This is the first lounge in Cathay Pacific's plans to overhaul most of its lounge offerings over the next few years, and it's safe to say they've set the bar high.

If I find myself passing through Hong Kong again in the future, I'll make a beeline to those dan dan noodles.

Related reading:

• Cathay Pacific first class review: Peak luxury or past its glory?
• Flying the new Cathay Pacific business-class Aria Suite between London and Hong Kong
• Cathay Pacific launches flights to sixth US city