Another Great Meal at the Delta One Lounge LAX

We’ve developed a small habit out of dining at the Delta One Lounge at LAX and wanted to post a brief update based on our latest visit.

Arrival to Delta One Lounge at LAX

This was only our third time entering the Delta One LAX lounge since it opened. While Delta has since opened up a second Delta One Lounge at the airport, sadly it was after our most recent visit. Given it was our third visit, I thought it would be good to offer up a refresher on things since we first came.

On arrival, we used the dedicated Delta One drop-off area on the arrivals level. While it seemed like it was staffed for our first visit, it has since just been an empty curb. Not that we need the assistance getting out of the car.

From here, we headed across the bus lanes to get to the excellent Delta One Check-in facility. As we were flying Delta One to Sydney, we all had access. However, in the linked post, we outline who else has access to use this facility. It’s not the same eligibility list as who can use the Delta One Lounge!

Inside the check-in facility, you could just head up into the lounge via private security, but that would be no fun. Instead, we waited for the agents to check in our bags and enjoyed the snacks.

Char choosing a snack before clearing security

Naturally, we had a couple of drinks as we waited. The kids and Jenn just found out we’re headed to Sydney, so naturally they’re all smiles.

Once we finished our drinks, we made our way through security up to the lounge where an agent checked our boarding passes. On our first visit, the staff called up to let them know we had access, but not this time. Not sure if they were just busy and missed the small detail or if the process truly changed.

The menu

The entire lounge could just be thought of as a restaurant. When you sit down, you’ll almost immediately be greeted by a server who will look after you. Almost the entire menu is free of charge–aside from the “reserve” wines and cocktails on the last page.

The Delta One Lounge at LAX (Terminal 3) has no buffet option.

Food menu — *Food, desserts, and non-alcoholic beverages*

Complimentary drink menu — *Complimentary wine and cocktails*

Drinks for a fee — *‘Reserve’ wine and cocktails that cost money or SkyMiles*

If you want a kids menu, you need to specifically ask for one. From the most recent two visits, they don’t proactively give one out. It’s still cute that they call it the ‘Future Million Miler’ menu. We’ll see if that holds true for the kids–they do tend to like Delta more than other airlines because of my flight habits.

Drinks

Jenn started with a Peach 75 while I chose the fig old fashioned. She is typically a fan of French 75’s, so her choosing a Peach 75–a fruity take on the classic–seemed natural. I could tell she enjoyed it because she didn’t need me to help finish it for her. As for the fig old fashioned, it was good. Not the best old fashioned I’ve had before (my friend makes the best in my opinion), but still pretty good. Hard to go wrong with it!

The food at the Delta One Lounge LAX

Hamachi crudo

This dish continues to be a must-order. Visit after visit, the hamachi crudo is the thing we always order and we never walk away disappointed. If you enjoy the taste of raw fish, you can’t go wrong with this one. Even our server remarked how excellent the dish is. There’s a little bit of citrus in the dish to help add some flavor. It’s light and perfect as an appetizer.

French onion soup

Another appetizer we got for the table was this French onion soup. It has a thick layer of cheese on top and a delicious beef broth underneath. The gruyère cheese on top wasn’t too strong and it does a good job at whetting your appetite without being too heavy.

Sushi (unagi hand roll, tekka maki, spicy tuna roll, and yellowfin sashimi)

What sets this lounge apart from others, even the Delta One Lounge at JFK, is the sushi. This isn’t the best sushi restaurant we’ve been to by any means, but I feel comfortable saying it’s the best sushi we’ve had at a North American airport. You absolutely need warm rice and cold fish to create the right combination.

You’re mostly limited to hand rolls and cut rolls, but they also have yellowfin sashimi. Some people prefer the over-the-top specialty rolls or something that gets oven baked, but we don’t care for that. We just want raw fish, with rice being optional. And this never disappoints. Along with the hamachi crudo, this is another must-eat for us.

Spicy tuna roll, unagi hand roll, and yellowfin sashimi

Grilled cheese and fries

Our daughter Char wanted a grilled cheese for dinner and ordered one off the kids menu. If your kids don’t like crust, there might be a lot of wasted food on this grilled cheese sandwich. But it’s still satisfying (and don’t feel bad if you need to order a second because it’s all free anyways). The fries are crispy, delicious, and not too salty.

Macaroni with marinara and cheese

Our son Alex wanted some pasta, so he ordered the macaroni with marinara and cheese. The pasta shapes weren’t exactly macaroni (they looked more like orecchiette), but if you get past that, it’s a fine enough dish. It fully satisfied his desires. While it’s lacking a bit more depth of flavor for adults, it’s ultimately a kid’s dish so I can’t criticize it too much. They load up plenty of cheese on top–so much that Char wanted to take some for her to eat too.

Assortment of desserts

At the Delta One Lounge at LAX, you only order your drinks and entrees at the table. If you want to also order some desserts, you need to take a short walk over to the dessert presentation in the center of the lounge. There are employees standing around who will take your order and deliver it to your table. There is an assortment of desserts ranging from chocolates to cakes to cookies and of course ice cream.

Dessert table — *Assortment of desserts*

Recommendation: Yes, still arguably the best dining at LAX

It can get crowded here on occasion, which is what we experienced during our second visit. But our first and third visits had a fairly empty lounge. When the lounge isn’t crowded, it truly feels like a private experience from start to finish. When it’s more crowded, that feeling goes away a bit but it’s still a good experience overall. With the second Delta One Lounge open now at LAX, crowding should be more manageable.

The food itself is excellent, especially the raw fish that sets this lounge apart from others. Even looking at the options you could pay for within all of LAX, I’d rather dine here than any of those options even if I had to pay for this meal.

Some would say the Qantas First lounge at LAX is the best, and honestly the setup is similar. Both specialize in restaurant-quality meals that are freshly prepared. Crowding is also variable in both, with the Qantas lounge potentially being open to more people if you have oneworld Emerald status with an airline other than American or Alaska. In my experience between the two, I’d still choose the Delta One Lounge at LAX over the Qantas lounge because of the raw fish, but both are excellent.

food.wada.travel

experiencing the world via gastronomy with our children