Lounge Review: ANA Business Class Lounge at NRT
***This is part 14 of my “Fat and Furious” trip report detailing a recent trip to Japan which included stops in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Matsuyama***
1. Introduction
2. Star Alliance First Class Lounge at LAX
3. Singapore Airlines Suites Class Los Angeles to Tokyo
4. Conrad Tokyo
5. Eating Tokyo Part 1 – Department Store Hopping in Ginza
6. Funaya Ryokan In Matsuyama
7. Living The Onsen Life In Matsuyama
8. The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
9. Eating Kyoto – The Search for Matcha and Geisha
10. Kaiseki Dinner at 3-Michelin Star Kikunoi Honten
11. The Peninsula Tokyo
12. Eating Tokyo Part 2 – Maids, Robots, and Cosplay
13. Eating Tokyo Part 3 – Cherry Blossoms and THE BEST STEAK EVER
14. ANA Business Class Lounge at NRT
15. ANA Business Class Tokyo to San Jose
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All good things must come to and end, and as much fun as we’d had over the past week eating our way through Japan, it was to time to pack up and head home. After checking out of the hotel, we jumped on the Metro for just 1 stop to Tokyo Station, and connected to the Narita Express (NEX) for a smooth 1-hour ride to the airport.
By now we had been accustomed to the amazing Japanese efficiency, and took for granted how we were literally through security and at the entrance of the lounge in minutes.
Last time I had a long layover at Narita I had been able to access the ANA Suites Lounge, but this time as a lowly Business Class passenger I’d been relegated to the Business Class Lounge. Upon entering, the place looked like a zoo.
But it turned out that the seating area at the entrance was just one of several, and we found our way to the back of the lounge which was practically deserted.
We found a little nook to call home for the next hour, dropped off our stuff, and went searching for food.
From what I could remember, the food options here were really quite similar to those at the Suites Lounge. There were 4 types of sushi rolls, although none of them contained any raw fish, just fillers such as pickles and shredded meat. I didn’t care since I was starving at this point, and was more than happy to stuff my face with these rice balls.
There were a few finger sandwich options, although none of them really looked that appetizing. Surprisingly, the potato salad was quite delicious.
And an array of sweets and cookies. However, after watching a little kid literally run his fingers through every cookie in the tray, all of a sudden they didn’t look so appetizing anymore.
In addition to the finger foods, there were a few hot food options including a noodle bar. Big thumbs up for the curry noodles and curry rice dishes which were the best of the lot.
And another hot food station with stir-fried noodles and some ridiculously good Japanese fried chicken. Like pizza, fried chicken is generally good to begin with, but I have to say that the fried chicken in Japan is really, REALLY good.
Since we had skipped lunch we definitely went a bit overboard here – one of the many plates I had.
Perhaps the most impressive part of the lounge were the drink options. There was a high-tech Japanese beer machine that tilted the glass while pouring.
And all the fizzy soda that you could ever ask for to get yourself hopped on sugar right before a long flight.
There were even several different options of sake on tap.
And a nicely stocked liquor cabinet to round things out.
Outside of the lounge there was also a shared shower area (individual booths, not locker room style of course!) between the Business Class and First Class lounges. While the facilities are the same, the main difference is that First Class passengers are provided with a separate Shishedo kit with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, while everyone else has to make do with those little disposable packets. Out of sheer boredom and in hopes that it would help me digest, I decided to take a shower to freshen up before the flight.
Overall, this is a great lounge with plenty of seating, good food, shower facilities, and blazing fast wifi which is really all you can ask for in a Business Class lounge.