I recently checked out the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in JFK and loved it so much (MilesTalk also went not long after me and seems to have felt the same way!) that when I saw the SFO lounge was also available with Amex Platinum, I knew it would be worth going to the airport early before my flight. I did keep expectations low though, since I knew it was smaller and it had less stellar reviews while it was a Priority Pass lounge.

Hours: 2-10pm (as of June 2022).

Entry: Amex Platinum and boarding pass (up to 2 guests are allowed)

Location: International Terminal A, just after security, on the left side where most of the lounges are. Proceed to the 5th floor via the elevator (no stairs/escalator). This terminal is also connected airside to the B gates of Terminal 1, but not to any other terminals.

The lounge is small and narrow, but has fun colors and decor. The lounge chairs are modern and comfortable. The bathroom/showers are not quite as nice as JFK’s, but use REN toiletries like JFK. The menu is similar, though with fewer entree selections. Both JFK and SFO have chicken tikka masala, but SFO has a grilled swai fillet that JFK doesn’t. The beverage menu looks to be the same though I did not compare with a fine tooth comb.

You can view the menus for SFO, JFK, and IAD here. They do prefer that you order via the website to keep track (JFK didn’t care and even gave us paper menus).

The food was excellent – I started with a chicken tikka masala, then had a grilled swai. Both were good, but I was licking my lips so much after the swai that I ordered another one. Then I got a fried chicken burger, which I also recommend! I also had some teas (just okay, they were Pukaa tea bags), pear cider (good), and a Seedlip nonalcoholic cocktail called Ruby Shoesday (also good). P2 had a chicken tikka masala, swai, butternut squash soup, champagne, red wine, and a smoothie. Yes – I really did have 4 entrees! The server seemed kind of shocked by how much we were ordering because he came over twice to confirm our phone orders that printed out on his slip. 😅 #ravenoustravelhackers

Our original plan was to go to Yankee Pier, Giants Clubhouse, Centurion Lounge, and Lark Creek Grill also, but after sitting down at Virgin, we scrapped all plans for the other lounges except for Lark Creek (we hadn’t had it before since it’s a relatively new addition to the Priority Pass restaurant list) since the Virgin lounge was nice. It wasn’t crowded at all despite being small. Over the 2.5 hours we were there, there were only about 5-6 other guests that came and went. It’s really one of the best kept secrets in the SFO lounge world at this time. I guess many people either don’t know about it or are too lazy to make the trek over from a different terminal and clear security multiple times (even if it is extremely efficient at SFO!).

Without further ado, enjoy these pictures! Hopefully it turns out ok, since I’m making this post from my phone.