AMEX Centurion Lounge Los Angeles

It’s been a minute since we reviewed a Centurion Lounge. In order from past to present, we featured

Since Feb 2023, American Express implemented a stricter access policy where only cardholders can access this lounge. Today, we’ll put the spotlight on Los Angeles to see if the overall experience has changed.

Experience(s)

Located at Tom Bradley Terminal, this lounge is convenient for passengers that tends to fly internationally from Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the ability to bring two guests complimentary went away to alleviate crowding. We’ve been to this lounge 3 times (twice in the afternoon & once at night) with this new policy.

The entrance is right after you pass through security on the second floor at TBIT.

The million dollar (well, I guess technically the $50 per additional guest) question is….

AMEX Centurion Lounges still overcrowded?

Personally I think the answer is it depends on your luck. In 2 out of the 3 visits, the lounge felt pretty crowded in where we struggled a little to find seats.

Visit 1

Visit 2

Visit 3

During busy hours, the presentation of the foods can be a little sloppy. Notice the crumbs on the countertop?

But during the non-busy visit, the presentation and foods look noticeably better. The “Chicken Piccata” is noteworthy.

Consistent from the three visits, the highlight was the quality cocktails . The bartenders here are definitely a standout compared to other Centurion Lounges we’ve visited. To feature some cocktails…

Private Plane

Brandy, Lemon Juice, Amaro, Aperol

Old Fashioned

Makers Bourbon, Brown Sugar, Orange Bitters, Cherry Garnish

Espresso Martini

Bartender special

Overall, AMEX Centurion Lounge Los Angeles is a bearable lounge to chill at. Despite the stricter access policies, the lounge still feels quite crowded at times. This might be attributed to the limited real estate space it has at Tom Bradley.

That being said, if you come with the right expectations and your goal is to enjoy some creative cocktails, the bartenders here are consistently good company. Next time I visit, I’ll most likely take a seat at the bar to simply sip a drink before my international flight.

Another espresso martini? Why yes, thank you