DFW Capital One Lounge Review From a First-Time Lounge Visitor

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I had long dreamed of airport lounge life as an economy passenger, believing lounge access was for elite travelers with airline status or those who were willing to pay a fee for convenience. That is until I was introduced to the wonderful world of travel rewards credit cards! Gone are the days where I walk by a lounge longingly wondering what lies beyond the lounge doors and frosted windows.

How did my lounge life begin? Well, we snagged the Capital One Venture X credit card a few years back when they first released it, along with a generous 100,000-point welcome bonus. It has been one of our favorite travel rewards cards ever since!

Capital One Venture X Lounge Benefits

The Capital One Venture X card comes with unlimited lounge access at all Capital One lounges for both primary and additional cardholders! Plus, each cardholder can bring in two guests with no additional fee.

Cardholders also get a Priority Pass membership for both the primary cardholder and additional cardholders, giving you access to thousands of other lounges across the globe.

This particular review is all about the Capital One Lounge at DFW (Dallas Fort Worth) in Texas – the very first Capital One Lounge to open in the U.S. When the opportunity presented itself for us to have a layover in Dallas on our way from San Francisco to Dublin, Ireland, I jumped at the chance to make it work!

From the perspective of a first-time lounger, here’s my full review of the DFW Capital One Lounge.

Read all about our trip to Ireland in this post!

Lounge Check-In Process

As Venture X cardholders, we needed to show our credit card and boarding passes with a departing flight and confirmed seat reservation to gain entry to the lounge. And, like many other lounges, we had to make sure we were within three (3) hours of our departure time to enter.

Airport lounges are very popular these days with more travelers getting savvy with their rewards credit cards (ahem, like me). More cards are also offering perks for lounges! Because of this, there can often be a wait to get into said lounges. Thankfully, we were able to get in right away.

The attendant checking us in did note that the lounge was relatively full but we were able to snag a couple of booth-style seats with a table. As much as I wanted that prized window view looking out over the runway, I was glad we didn’t have to wait. Our flight times had changed, narrowing the window of time we had to spend in the lounge.

Food Options (Dine-In)

If you’ve read other articles on my site, you’d know that I’m a big foodie. And if you haven’t, let me tell you now that food is always my number one priority. So, of course, my main focus for our visit to the the Dallas Capital One Lounge was the complimentary food!

We visited the lounge in the late afternoon/early evening, which meant being able to select from dinner-style dishes. They do rotate food offerings depending on time of day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and from what I’ve seen from other reviews, they do change up the dishes so you aren’t always eating the same thing (if you’re lucky to visit the lounge often).

My grand plan for the day was to also review our American Airlines premium economy meals, so even though we didn’t try one of everything, I think we made a pretty solid dent!

My husband gave the deviled eggs a thumbs up, and we both liked the olive, cheese and salami skewers. I passed on the veggies and hummus since it looked like they included raw yellow squash, zucchini, and peas (vegetables that I don’t necessarily like to eat in a raw state). Good on them for including something healthy though!

My favorites of the main dishes were the mac and cheese (I got mine without bacon) and the meatball sliders. My husband also said the ginger chicken and rice dish was tasty!

I did also get a spinach salad to add some veggies into the mix and keep things relatively healthy. I really like to have pops of color with my meals too. It had a nice tangy vinegar dressing and I thought it was a refreshing element to add to my tray.

We tried the baklava, brownies, and the caramel pecan cookie and were thoroughly impressed with each dessert item – especially the baklava.

All in all, the dine-in food options were pretty solid, especially for it being complimentary airport food. I’d love to transit through here again someday to check out the different meal offerings for breakfast and lunch.

Beverage Selection

In terms of drinks, the DFW Capital One Lounge has an array of complimentary soda options on tap, along with lemonade, sweet tea, and of course, water. If you’re traveling with a reusable water bottle, this would be a great time to fill it up!

For hot drinks, there’s a coffee (aka “Fuel for Going Places”) and tea station with a varied selection of tea bags to choose from. We didn’t take advantage of the non-alcoholic drink options, so I can’t attest to the quality, but I thought it was great to see the variety offered.

You’ll generally find us at the bar, which is another shining star for me in terms of lounge life. Complimentary drinks? Sign me up!

The bar at the DFW Capital One Lounge includes several craft cocktail options (with several on tap), beers on tap, and a selection of different wines (including prosecco). It is also a full bar, with premium liquors available for an additional cost.

When we visited during the fall season (in the month of October), they had a Butter Pecan Old Fashioned on tap, which my husband got. This seasonal cocktail was strong and tasty enough for this to be his only drink of choice during our visit!

Being a bubbles girl, I stuck with Prosecco. There’s just something about travel and a little glass of something sparkling that makes a trip for me (even though more often than not, that something sparkling is Ginger Ale).

Lounge Bathrooms

Bathrooms in the DFW Capital One Lounge are single, private bathrooms, which as someone who really values bathroom privacy, I absolutely love. They are spacious and play relaxing music too.

Lounge Seating Areas

Seating in the Dallas lounge is very varied in terms of style. On the left side of the lounge, there’s restaurant-style seating with chairs, booths, and small tables (where we sat). The right side includes a mix of chairs and tables, with comfy-looking seats in front of the window overlooking the tarmac. There’s also bar-style seating along a ledge that has plenty of outlets for electronics and would be ideal for working.

Grab ‘n Go Food

Not only does the Capital One Lounge have a dine-in food selection, they have a wide array of grab and go foods as well! When you’re ready to head out of the lounge and want to grab snacks, drinks, and water for the plane ride ahead, this is a great feature. And if you only have limited time transiting through the airport, this is also an awesome option for a quick bite.

The food offerings at the time we visited consisted of things like Southwest salads, cold soba noodle salads, dessert cups, wraps and sandwiches, sparkling water, and boxed water.

We tried one of the sweet treats, which was a pudding with whipped cream and Oreo cookie crumbs and I gave it two thumbs up. The soba noodle salad was calling my name too, but I didn’t want to fill up too much more before our flight.

Lounge Staff

The staff at the Dallas Capital One Lounge was quite attentive, clearing empty plates and glasses frequently and had a pleasant, cheerful demeanor (at least the ones that we interacted with). The bartenders were super friendly as well!

On our way back from Ireland, we stopped into one of the lounges at LHR (London Heathrow) and the staff attitude compared to the DFW Capital One staff was night and day. It made me thoroughly appreciate the staff back in Dallas so much more.

For more information on what’s offered at the Capital One Lounges, check out their site.

Overall Impressions

This lounge experience spoiled me for life! I now have high expectations for every lounge visit going forward and will always compare it to my very first airport lounge visit at the DFW Capital One Lounge.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I know not all lounges are going to be as elaborate. In fact, our stop at the Priority Pass-offered lounge at LHR mentioned above was quite a different experience. While it was a comfortable place to relax and wait for our next flight, it paled in comparison. With just a few buffet-style food offerings, a more limited bar menu, and a much more unfriendly staff, my thoughts immediately wandered back to the Capital One Lounge.

It’s safe to say I’ll be trying to get into every lounge I possibly can in the future (especially the Capital One Lounges), but I’ll always treasure my first experience at the premium Capital One Lounge in Dallas.