Since its inception, Qantas First Class Los Angeles reigns supreme in being the best lounge at LAX. Its upscale restaurant and designer aesthetics has long elevated the experience for its First Class passengers. The lounge has recently reopened after closing for over two years, so I was delighted to see if this place stood the test of time.
Access
Located on the 5th floor, Qantas and its oneworld partners have access to this lounge for passengers departing in First Class. Additionally for those on qualifying international flights and have top oneworld Emerald status, you can access the lounge too regardless of cabin class.
Lounge
In this expansive room, the lounge is furnished by Californian Knoll along with oak/marble finishes along its floors. After all these years of visiting this lounge, these designer furnitures still look stunning and well-kept to me.
Similar to Emirates Business & First Class lounge, it also helps that the entire lounge is consistently empty. The privacy makes you feel like you’re transported into a calm oasis.
You almost forget you’re at LAX
Breakfast
At the restaurant, I started by ordering the avocado toast with smoked salmon. The poach egg on top was divine.
Croque Monsieur came shortly afterwards. I appreciate how crisp & fresh the panini pressed bread was.
Australia is known to have fantastic coffee. In general, the roasts are much smoother and creamier. Qantas First Class lounge shows that heritage by proudly using its local Vittoria Coffee Cinque Stelle.
It’s espresso-style focused and each drink is individually made to order. For this visit, I ordered the Flat White, which is probably the most superior coffee drink I’ve ever had at LAX.
Office
After breakfast, I went into one of their “VIP” office rooms. Much like the private rooms at Star Alliance First Class lounge, the office has a separate T.V. and living room for meetings or to entertain guests.
For a brief second, I thought about getting some writing done in this office, but since I was in no mood to work… I decided to pretend instead 😉
Lunch
At noon, I was informed that the lunch at the restaurant started. Since I got some time, let’s do two dines in one experience because… whyyyyyy not.
The first dish that caught my eye was the stir fried pork with spring onions and rice. This was probably my personal favorite out of the whole course.
To finish it off, my final dish was the roasted chicken spinach garnished with tarragon sauce. Wish I had more room for dessert…
Before leaving, why not up the ante with another fantastic coffee. This time I went caffeine cray and ordered the Cortado Coffee.
Overall Qantas First Class Los Angeles still remains the king of the lounges at LAX. The highlight of this place is without a doubt the dining experience. Almost all the dishes here are what you would normally get at a high-end restaurant in Los Angeles. Additionally, the Australian coffee is not to be missed — by far by farrrrr the best quality coffee you’ll have at LAX. My personal preference was the Flat White.
What a great place to have two fancy meals… this is the kind of place I’d come early (again) just to enjoy. Hmmm… wonder what’s for dinner
Chai Bear World 