United expands Newark Polaris Lounge with beautiful new dining room
United Airlines is breathing new life into its seven-year-old Polaris Lounge at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) with the opening of a dedicated dining room.
The Chicago-based carrier took the wraps off the 1,500-square-foot space on Wednesday, and it officially opened to the public on Saturday, June 21 — perfectly timed for the start of the summer travel rush.
The entrance to the dining room is in the corner near the lounge's bar, and the granite-lined entryway should be easy enough to spot as you're walking around the lounge.
There's a host stand just outside the dining room, which is where you'll go if you'd like to sit for a meal.
With 60 seats, there hopefully shouldn't be much of a wait during the day, except for possibly right before the afternoon and evening transatlantic departure banks.
The good news is that United will keep the existing dining space open for travelers looking to grab some bites from the buffet, which should hopefully help ease some of the crowding during the busiest times.
The dining room features a host of different seating options.
Lining the windows, you'll find a bunch of solo tables for single travelers, complete with phenomenal airside views of Terminal C's C2 and C3 piers as well as the New York City skyline in the background.
The rest of the seating is around the perimeter of the lounge. Interestingly, all of the remaining tables are in a two-top configuration, but staff can move them together in order to accommodate families or larger groups traveling together.
I love the dining room's design — it feels a bit more modern than the rest of the lounge, though it still blends seamlessly into the space.
The use of frosted mirrors helps promote a feeling of spaciousness, while the gold sconces and light fixtures add some warmth to the dining room.
Missing from the dining room are flatware and dinner service pieces from Crate & Barrel — a partnership that United debuted as part of the renovated Polaris Lounge in Chicago. While the airline is still considering expanding the partnership beyond Chicago, the Newark dining room (as well as all the other Polaris Lounge dining rooms) features nonbranded service pieces.
The dining room is also missing power outlets and USB charging ports. This is partially by design, United explained, because it doesn't want the dining room to turn into a workstation. There are a handful of power outlets throughout the space to charge a phone or laptop, but don't expect to find one at every seat.
The dining room takes over the space of the former invite-only Classified restaurant. The space will likely be far more utilized now that it's in United's hands than in OTG's, the operator of the now-shuttered Classified.
Everything you consume in the dining room is served a la carte with waiter service. There's a breakfast and all-day dining menu, and the transition between the two will happen at 11 a.m.
The airline is debuting slightly refreshed menus as part of the opening, and they include choices like a vegan signature burger with an Impossible patty and lump crabcakes.
You'll also be able to order drinks from the cocktail, beer and wine list while seated in the dining room.
You won't receive a check at the end of your meal, and while tips are certainly not expected, it's worth noting that waiters are allowed to accept tips if you feel you enjoyed the service. (Tips are technically referred to as "gifts" to your waiter since no check is provided and no tip is expected.)
Once the dining room opens, the Newark Polaris Lounge will span more than 30,000 square feet, making it the second-largest business-class-only outpost in the United network (behind the one in San Francisco).
In addition to the dining area, United has refreshed the furniture and added more power outlets and seating options to the Newark space.
This is certainly appreciated as United keeps adding more long-haul flights from Newark, making Terminal C one of the busiest international gateways in the New York City area. In total, the airline offers the Polaris business-class experience on flights to 40 destinations served out of Newark, including the recently launched service to Palermo, Italy; Bilbao, Spain; Faro, Portugal and more.
"Newark offers business class travelers ample opportunity to travel across the Atlantic, and we're excited to offer them more room to dine before or after their long-haul flights. For years, we've been investing in our club and lounge portfolio at Newark, and it's our first hub to fully reflect our new designs and amenities," Aaron McMillan, United's managing director of hospitality programs, said in a statement.
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