United Club, Newark Airport (Gate Area C123)

In June 2023, United opened a new lounge at the Newark airport, to a lot of fanfare.  Praise was actually fairly high, which surprised me, given that, well, it is a United domestic lounge.

I had the opportunity to visit recently, and, well, I was actually really impressed.  Impressed, by United.  For realz.

Now, it does NOT compare to a international first class lounge, or anything like that, no fine dining, but, the space is well designed, the food lineup is extensive, and things were actually tasty.

Setting

This lounge is located near gate C123, up a level from the gates.  The entry is quite simple, no human interaction required, simply scan a boarding pass and go.  The lounge is fairly huge.  And obviously, all shiny and new. and frankly, the nicest (non-Polaris) United lounge I've ever seen.  

As large as it was however, it was BUSY.  So full. Not really any seats available, even though really a sizable lounge.  It was impressive how many people it held, and just how much activity there was (2pm, Saturday).

I didn't check them out, but there are full shower suites available (a rare thing for a domestic lounge!), and a "wellness room", which I'm not sure even is.  The regular bathrooms were pleasant enough, well maintained, large as well.

Entry "Library".

When you enter, you enter through a library area, with no seating, and a simple water/fruit setup.  Fairly welcoming, really.

More Seating.

Past that is one big seating area, with sky lights, and a beverage station with coffee, water, and snack dispensers.

Spacious.

Continuing along, you reach the much bigger lounge area, with a variety of seating options, overlooking the airport.  Great for those who want to watch the planes come and go.  All seats had ample power outlets.

There is also dining specific seating, that I didn't seem to get a photo of.

Bar.

Another fixture is the looooong bar, with multiple bartenders working it.  I did not investigate the drink lineup on offer.

At the far end, out of sight here, is a full barista station, with made to order espresso drinks, Illy brand.

Food & Drink

In addition to the staffed bar and coffee bar for alcohol and caffeine, respectively, there are many self-serve coffee and tea stations, water bottle refill stations, and multiple Coke Freestyle machines with #allTheOptions.  I appreciated the beverage selection, and came prepared with empty water bottles to fill, but I did hear grumpy people complaining that there were no cans nor bottles available.

The food in this lounge far exceeded any other domestic United lounge I've been in.  I was actually very happy with my warm bbq pulled pork sandwich, delicious potato salad, buttered fresh corn on the cob, and a lovely side salad with shockingly good tomatoes.  BBQ vibes were very comforting and satisfying.  Perhaps not fine dining, but, comfort food done well has its place.

Snack Mix.

A simple thing, but I enjoyed the snack mix station (located separate from the buffet area, in a different drink/snack station).

The lineup the day I visited was: sesame sticks, "healthy trail mix" (which was 90% banana chips with a few bits of other dried fruit), and wasabi peas/edamame mix.  All were standard quality, not stale, and exactly what I like to munch on.

Basic, but, **** from me.

illy Cold Brew.

I did quite enjoy the illy cold brew, it was smooth, not bitter, seemed pretty high quality (although not nitro as advertised).  Served by the barista at the coffee bar, not self-serve.  ****.

Sandwiches.

I approached the buffet, and was, well, stunned.  Was I in an actual cafe, or United Club?!  

Yes, the first thing I encountered was sandwiches, but, they were in an actual nice looking display, were served to order, with your choice of pickles or olives added to the side of the plate.  Definitely a step above most domestic lounge sandwich offerings.

The options were a turkey sandwich, grilled vegetable, or bbq pulled pork.

I went for the pulled pork, and honestly, it was not bad.  Served warm, nice bbq sauce, some slaw, pork wasn't too fatty.  The bun was average, but the fillings, truly not bad.

I was stunned.  ***+.

Soup.

Two soups (chicken noodle, cream of broccoli) and crackers came next.  Didn't try, these are obviously not special.

Salad Bar.

Then came the salad bar, with two types of greens, marinated tomatoes that were actually ripe, fresh, and juicy, cucumbers, and farro.  I was stunned by the quality tomatoes.  They weren't mealy, generic tomatoes in any way.f

Salad Bar Part 2.

The next section had potato salad, edamame, shredded carrots, cooked broccoli, and shredded cheese.

I had the potato salad and really enjoyed it.  Nice size bits of egg in the mix with the potato, nice kick from spicy mustard, very creamy.  I'd be happy to buy this in a cafe/deli.  ****.

Cheese / Crackers / Chips / Salsa.

I didn't try the fairly boring looking cheese, or the chips and salsa, but I did appreciate the big juicy grapes.

Hot Foods: Rice, Beans, Pasta.

And then ... an actual hot food buffet.  In a domestic lounge.  Wow!

The first section had rice and beans, which you could definitely use to make some good nachos with the chips/salsa/cheese, along with a vegetarian pasta dish.  Everything was well labelled with ingredients and allergens.

Hot Foods: Corn on the cob, Chicken.

And then ... corn on the cob!  And a chicken dish.

I was pretty excited by the corn.  I enjoyed plenty of fresh corn on the cob during my August visit to the east coast, and this was one last taste of that.  Sure, it wasn't as fresh and flavorful as the corn I had been getting from the local farm, but it really wasn't bad.  Well cooked, not dried out, lightly buttered and seasoned.  Not amazing, but, certainly unexpected and enjoyable enough.  ***+.

Cookies, Brownies.

Desserts were a letdown, only cookies and brownies, generic United lounge offerings.  I didn't have either, and waited for my ice cream sundae on my flight.