To mark the end of 2019, I went on a two week trip to Asia, Korea and Japan in particular to see friends and to devour copious amounts of meat and seafood. But before that, my journey began with a quick flight over to Chicago and my first visit to the United Airlines Polaris Lounge.
Upon clearing security at the Chicago Airport, I quickly headed over to terminal 1 where the Polaris Lounge was waiting.
I was immediately greeted by the welcoming staff and presented my boarding pass. Having told them it was my first time in the lounge, I was given a rundown of the amenities in the vicinity.
There were a variety of different seating options, including couches, chairs and a bar seating area that was staffed with several bartenders. The space itself is quite large, and was not very busy until later in the afternoon.
Seeing as there were 9 full hours before my ANA flight to Tokyo, I opted out of the open seating and headed for the sleeping area. The nap room had four separate booths, each with a bed, bottled water and an alarm clock.
After a quick nap, I ventured next door into the shower suites. They were extremely well kept (Or perhaps I was there early in the morning), with towels neatly placed on the bench provided. The dual shower heads were more than enough reason for a hot shower before it was time to chow down.
Dining at the Polaris Lounge
The Polaris offers two dining options: a buffet style section, and an a la carte dining experience at The Dining Room. Unfortunately, I didn’t take many buffet photos, but there was a good variety of foods, ranging from soups, sandwiches and cheese plates to several meat options and desserts.
The a la carte Dining Room is somewhat hidden in the back corner of the lounge, with a standing sign that illustrated menu items for the day. I was immediately helped by one of the dining staff to a table and presented with a smaller version of the menu.
For breakfast, I opted for the melon salad as my appetizer. A plate of sliced Serrano ham, cantaloupe and honeydew melon promptly arrived at the table, which was very tasty (and I was starving). The shrimp napoleon quickly followed; A warm buttermilk biscuit over roasted asparagus with shrimp and a generous ladle of hollandaise sauce really hit the spot.
Around an hour after breakfast, I returned for the lunch menu and started with their seared shrimp salad, followed by the mahi mahi tostadas and double chocolate skillet cookie. The salad was unfortunately a tad too sour for me, but the shrimps and roasted beets were cooked and seasoned well. The tostadas followed; Three warm tortillas with moist tuna, sweet potato mash and pickled veg, which completely threw me off as I did not expect lounge food to be this good! The dessert of vanilla ice cream, warm baked cookie and orange blossom sauce was also delicious, the sweet ice cream and cookie and slightly tangy notes from the orange providing a nice contrast.
By the time I finished my lunch, I had already spent close to five hours in the lounge. Having probably eaten more than one should, I retreated back to the nap room and spent the remainder of my visit napping and polishing my Japanese skills in anticipation of my upcoming adventure.
Final Thoughts
To be honest, the Polaris Lounge came as a pleasant surprise given my experiences on some of their products. The Dining Room, friendly staff and daybeds in particular were definitely the highlights and made for a memorable layover. Next stop, Tokyo!
Points Smart 