American Express Centurion Lounge Los Angeles — A 2026 Review

I cleared the Centurion Lounge at LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal at 06:35 on a Wednesday in early May ahead of QF94 to Melbourne. The lounge had opened thirty-five minutes earlier. Nancy Silverton’s avocado toast was on the pass. The kitchen was warming. A barista was pulling the first espressos of the morning. By 07:30 the lounge would be at maybe forty percent capacity. By 18:00, when the entire TBIT international long-haul bank loads in sequence (Air New Zealand to AKL, Qantas to SYD and MEL, Cathay to HKG, Singapore to SIN, Emirates to DXB), the lounge would be at one hundred plus percent capacity with a queue at the door and a thirty-minute hold pattern. This is the Centurion Lounge LAX’s rhythm — built around TBIT’s international long-haul evening bank — and like every Centurion Lounge, the question of when you visit is meaningfully more important than the question of whether you visit.

I visited the Centurion Lounge LAX four times between April and May 2026: on April 14 (afternoon, on a domestic Alaska Airlines departure from Terminal 6 — I used the Terminal 3 connector to TBIT to write a separate piece on lounge connector logistics), on April 22 (evening, ahead of a Cathay CX885 to Hong Kong from TBIT), on May 6 (morning, ahead of the QF94 to Melbourne referenced above), and on May 19 (afternoon, transit on a domestic American Airlines connection through LAX). I also did comparative visits to the Star Alliance Lounge at TBIT on the May 6 visit, the Qantas First Lounge at TBIT on the same visit, and the Capital One Lounge at Terminal 5 on the April 14 visit. What follows is the long-form review of the Centurion at TBIT as the primary subject.

The headline before I get into the detail: the Centurion Lounge at LAX is a competent, well-designed, food-led credit-card lounge that does the Centurion product properly at a meaningful scale, with the Nancy Silverton menu providing genuinely better food than most credit-card lounge programmes globally. The lounge is held back from being the best credit-card lounge at LAX by the severe peak-bank crowding (a structural problem at every Centurion Lounge in the network) and by the upcoming July 2026 guest policy change, which will meaningfully reshape who is in the lounge.

Quick Answer

The Centurion Lounge at LAX is on the upper level of Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT, also called Terminal B), accessed via an elevator bank near the Terminal 3 connector corridor on the airside concourse. The lounge occupies roughly 14,000 square feet — the largest Centurion Lounge in the network at the time of its opening — and is open from 06:00 to 22:00 daily, with extended hours during the late-night Pacific bank. The lounge runs five core spaces: an open seating area with airfield views, a sit-down Dining Room with table-service ordering from a Nancy Silverton-consulted menu, a Bar with a curated cocktail and Champagne programme, a Family Room (a partitioned children’s zone), and a quieter rear lounge with workstations and shower suites. There are four shower suites bookable at the reception, with toiletries by Grown Alchemist.

If you are a US Amex Platinum or Centurion Cardmember on a same-day departure from LAX, this is the right lounge for any international departure from TBIT, for any domestic departure where the connector walk fits your timing, and for any Star Alliance international departure where you have time before the boarding window. If you are travelling on Qantas, Cathay, or any other oneworld carrier from TBIT and have access to either the Centurion or the Qantas First Lounge (which Qantas First passengers get), use the Qantas First Lounge — it is meaningfully better. If you are at a domestic terminal (Terminal 1-3, Terminal 6-7), the connector walk to TBIT is meaningful and the Capital One Lounge at Terminal 5 is the right peer to consider. After July 8, 2026, the guest policy tightens — guests must be on the same flight — and the lounge will become meaningfully easier to use during peak banks because the casual-guest population will decline.

Access: who actually gets in

The access matrix for the Centurion Lounge LAX is, in principle, simple — it is the standard Amex Centurion Lounge access policy applied at this specific location. There are three qualifying categories.

The first is US-issued Amex Platinum Cardmembers on the day of departure. The cardmember must arrive within three hours of the departing flight, present the valid Card at the reception, present a same-day boarding pass for a confirmed reservation on any carrier (domestic or international, any airline), and present a government-issued ID with a name matching the Card. The Cardmember alone gets in for free.

The second is US-issued Amex Centurion Cardmembers (the invitation-issued black-card tier above Platinum) on the same day-of-departure terms. Centurion has broader guest privileges and a more relaxed admission posture, but the basic three-hour window and same-day boarding pass requirement applies.

The third is Additional Platinum and Centurion Cardmembers on the same terms as the primary cardholder.

What does not get you in: a US-issued Amex Gold Card. A US-issued Amex Green Card. A non-US-issued Amex Platinum from a Canadian, UK, or international Amex programme (the access rules for international Amex Platinum cards vary by issuance market). A Delta SkyMiles Reserve card. A Chase Sapphire Reserve card. A Capital One Venture X card. The Centurion Lounge is an Amex-exclusive product and has no third-party access agreement at LAX.

The most important access-policy change in 2026: effective July 8, 2026, all guests must be travelling on the same flight as the Cardmember. Until that date, the prior policy applies — Platinum Cardmembers can bring up to two guests at a $50-per-adult and $30-per-child rate per visit, with complimentary guest access for Platinum Cardmembers who spend $75,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year. Centurion Cardmembers retain broader guest privileges including the ability to bring non-travelling guests in some cases. The July 8 change will eliminate the practice of cardholders bringing family members or friends who are not travelling, which has been a meaningful contributor to peak-bank crowding at the LAX lounge specifically.

A note on the boarding pass requirement: any boarding pass on any same-day departing flight from any LAX terminal qualifies. A Platinum Cardmember departing from Terminal 1 on a Southwest flight can access the Centurion at TBIT — they just need to factor in the connector walk back to Terminal 1.

A note on the connector logistics: TBIT is connected to Terminal 3 via an airside connector corridor and to Terminal 4 via the same. Domestic passengers on American (T4 and T5), Delta (T2 and T3), Alaska (T6), and the United/SkyTeam terminals can reach TBIT airside via the connectors with no need to re-clear security. The walk from Terminal 3 (the closest domestic terminal) to TBIT is around twelve minutes; the walk from Terminal 7 (United) is closer to twenty minutes. The Centurion is the right answer for a domestic departure only if the connector walk fits your overall timing.

Location: finding the lounge

Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT, also called Terminal B in airport signage and in the Amex listing) is LAX’s flagship international terminal, opened in 1984 and substantially expanded with the Bradley West concourse in 2013. The terminal is laid out with check-in on the departures level, security and CBP on the airside concourse, and the main lounge complex on the upper levels.

The Centurion Lounge is on the upper level of TBIT, accessed via an elevator bank near the Terminal 3 connector corridor on the airside concourse. The walk from TBIT central security to the elevator is around six minutes at a relaxed pace. From the Terminal 3 connector entry into TBIT, the walk is around five minutes. The elevator is well-signposted with Amex Centurion Lounge signage.

The TBIT lounge complex also houses the Qantas First Lounge (for Qantas First passengers and oneworld Emerald on Qantas-marketed flights), the Star Alliance Lounge (for Star Alliance Gold members and Star Alliance premium-cabin passengers), and the OneWorld Lounge (Cathay-operated, for oneworld Sapphire and Emerald). The Centurion is the only credit-card-network lounge at TBIT.

Layout: the floor, zone by zone

The Centurion Lounge LAX is laid out as a single-floor space with a U-shaped circulation pattern around a central kitchen and bar core. Total floor area is roughly 14,000 square feet with seating capacity for around 220 passengers; peak loading during the international evening bank regularly hits 250 plus and the lounge runs a hold-at-door pattern during those windows.

The reception zone, immediately past the elevator exit, is a small lobby with two reception desks staffed by Amex hosts, a cloakroom (manned during business hours), and a curated display of Amex-collateral items. Check-in is a Card scan, boarding pass scan, and a quick ID check. The hosts also handle the guest fee processing during the pre-July 2026 guest policy window.

The Dining Room zone, immediately past reception, is the lounge’s principal food destination and the largest single seating area. It is laid out as a long dining hall with table-service seating for about eighty in a mix of two-tops and four-tops, with a printed menu and floor staff taking orders. The kitchen pass is on the interior wall and is visible through a counter window. The Dining Room is the right zone for a sit-down meal and is the zone that fills first during meal-bank windows.

The Bar zone, in the centre of the lounge, runs along an interior partition wall with a long bar in dark wood, twelve bar stools, and a small set of high-tops adjacent. The bar lead handles the cocktail and Champagne programme; the Champagne pour is a Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve as the by-the-glass house Champagne, with a small selection of by-the-glass wines, a cocktail menu of about ten dishes, and a curated whisky and spirits selection. The bar is the social heart of the lounge during the afternoon and evening hours and is the busiest single point during the post-19:00 international bank.

The main lounge zone, on the south side of the floor with airfield-facing windows, is the largest open seating area. It is laid out with low club chairs in clusters of two and four, low tables, longer banquettes against the back wall, and a few small four-tops for shared seating. Total seating in the main lounge is around 100. The carpet is a custom pattern in muted greys and warm browns. The chairs are a mix of contemporary furniture pieces — Amex specified a Saarinen-influenced lounge chair in fawn leather as the dominant seating type. The lighting is warm-toned recessed downlights with table lamps at the clusters.

The Family Room, in a partitioned corner of the lounge, is a small enclosed space designed for travelling families with young children. It has a small play area, a few low chairs, and a TV with children’s programming on a low volume. The Family Room is a meaningful product differentiation from other LAX lounges (most do not have a dedicated children’s space) and is appreciated by the families who use it.

The work zone, in a quieter rear corner with a partial partition wall, has eight individual workstations with task lighting, power outlets (US and USB-C), and a small print station. There are no enclosed phone booths — for phone calls, the bar zone is the closest equivalent and is not appropriate. The work zone is the quietest zone in the lounge but does not handle stretches of focused work as well as a fully partitioned workspace would.

The shower suite corridor, accessed via a back hallway from the rear lounge, has four shower suites in current count. Each suite is around six square metres with a walk-in shower, sink, toilet, small bench, and hooks. Toiletries are Grown Alchemist-branded (an Australian sustainable beauty brand that Amex specifies across the Centurion network in the US). Towels are full-size and adequate. Bookings are managed at the reception on arrival with a typical waiting list of fifteen to forty-five minutes during the international evening bank.

The airfield view from the main lounge is the lounge’s most distinctive single design feature — the south-facing window line runs along the TBIT airfield with sightlines to the widebody parking positions where the Qantas A380, Singapore A380, Cathay A350, and Emirates 777-9 widebodies park. On a clear evening the entire international evening bank pushes back in sequence between 21:00 and 23:30 and is visible from the dining and main lounge seating.

The food programme: Nancy Silverton in detail

Nancy Silverton is one of the most decorated American chefs of her generation. She founded La Brea Bakery in 1989 (an LA bakery that pioneered American artisan bread) and Campanile (a now-closed but historically important Los Angeles restaurant), co-founded the Mozza restaurant group with Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich (which includes Pizzeria Mozza, Osteria Mozza, and chi SPACCA on Highland Avenue in Hollywood), and was a James Beard Outstanding Chef winner in 2014. She is a meaningful figure in the LA food scene and her involvement with the Centurion Lounge is one of the most credible chef-lounge partnerships in commercial aviation lounges.

The Silverton menu at the Centurion Lounge runs through breakfast and all-day sections with seasonal rotations.

The breakfast menu (06:00 to 11:00) includes the lounge’s signature avocado toast (sourdough toast from a La Brea Bakery-style bread, a properly-ripe California Hass mashed with lemon juice and Maldon salt, a small drizzle of olive oil, and optional toppings of pickled chilli or smoked salmon), the uovo in purgatorio (a tomato-poached egg dish — a Silverton signature from Osteria Mozza — with a baked egg in a spiced tomato sauce served with garlic toast for dipping), the croissant bread pudding (a baked custard with croissant chunks, served warm with a vanilla cream), the puffed French toast (a thick-cut brioche French toast with maple syrup and seasonal fruit), and a small set of supporting items including yoghurt parfaits, a breakfast burrito, a granola bowl, and fresh fruit. The breakfast pastries are from a La Brea-style bakery and include croissants, pains au chocolat, scones, and a rotating sweet item.

The all-day menu (11:00 to lounge close) includes the gem lettuce salad (with fresh herbs, a sherry vinaigrette, and shaved parmesan — a Silverton classic), a roasted chicken thigh plate (with grilled broccolini, a chimichurri, and roasted potatoes — a half-portion lounge version of a Mozza menu item), a small steak frites (with a herb butter), a grilled fish of the day (typically a California halibut or a sustainable salmon), a roasted vegetable plate (with farro and a tahini dressing for the vegetarian option), a small Mozzarella plate (with seasonal accompaniments — a tomato in summer, a roasted squash in winter), a daily soup, and a small section of sandwiches and lighter items for fast meals.

The dessert programme includes Silverton’s brownies (a Mozza menu item — properly dense, properly chocolatey, properly portioned), a rotating cookie selection from a La Brea Bakery-style programme, a small Italian-style affogato, and a seasonal sweet plate.

The drinks programme runs from the bar (Champagne, wine, cocktails, whisky) and from a self-serve drinks station in the Dining Room (soft drinks, sparkling water, kombucha, beer). The Champagne pour at the bar is Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve by the glass — a respectable mid-tier non-vintage Champagne that Amex has been pouring across most Centurion locations for the past three years. The wine list runs a small selection (about six whites and six reds) with a California emphasis. The cocktail menu runs ten dishes — the lounge’s signature cocktails include a Mezcal Paloma (with Del Maguey Vida mezcal and a Topo Chico grapefruit soda), a California Old Fashioned (with a Lost Spirits whisky and a local orange bitters), and a Negroni Sbagliato (with prosecco instead of gin).

The coffee programme is barista-served from a counter near the bar zone with a La Marzocco Linea PB and beans from Verve Coffee Roasters (a Santa Cruz roaster that Amex has specified across several Centurion locations). The barista quality is competently good — the lattes are properly steamed, the espresso pull is correctly bright, and the pour-over option is well-executed.

The verdict on food and drink: an A-minus. The Silverton involvement is a genuine product differentiation versus the rest of the Centurion network — the LAX kitchen executes at a meaningfully higher level than the standard Centurion food programme — and the breakfast menu specifically is the strongest at any Centurion Lounge globally. The Champagne pour is competent but not distinguished. The cocktail programme is well-curated. The main gap versus a top-tier sit-down lounge restaurant is that the table service is buffet-line speed during peak banks, when the kitchen is overloaded and the floor staff are stretched thin.

A visit, narrated

Here is what a typical morning international visit looks like, drawn from my May 6 QF94 Melbourne departure.

I cleared TBIT security at 05:55 (Amex-issued TSA PreCheck routed me through a fast lane), and arrived at the Centurion Lounge elevator at 06:01. The lounge had just opened. I was checked in by the reception host at 06:03 (Platinum Card scan, boarding pass scan, ID check, three-minute total interaction). The host noted my QF94 departure and quoted a “shower suites all available right now, would you like to book one?” — I booked a 06:20 slot.

I went directly to the Dining Room at 06:05 and was seated at a two-top by the window. I ordered the avocado toast and a flat white from the printed menu. The order arrived in eleven minutes. The avocado toast was as advertised — properly ripe Hass, properly seasoned, properly browned sourdough, a small drizzle of California olive oil. The flat white from the Verve beans was competently pulled. Total breakfast time: thirty minutes.

At 06:35 I went to the shower suite. The suite was clean, the water pressure was good, the Grown Alchemist toiletries were appropriately specified. Total shower-and-change time: twenty-five minutes.

At 07:00 I came out of the shower and ordered a second coffee at the bar. The bar lead — a Centurion staff lead I had met on my April 22 visit — recognised me and remembered the previous order. I had a small pour of the Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve as a pre-breakfast Champagne (a habit when I am about to board a long-haul to Australia). The pour was generous.

At 07:30 I moved to the main lounge with my second coffee and read the FT for twenty minutes at a window seat with a sightline to the QF94 A380 at gate B-something on the south apron.

At 08:00 I checked back at reception, confirmed the boarding-call window for the QF94 (08:30 boarding for a 09:00 departure), and walked to the gate. The walk took ten minutes including a quick stop at a duty-free counter. Total lounge time: one hour fifty-seven minutes. Total lounge value: appropriate for what I paid for it (the Platinum Card annual fee).

Peak-bank crowding and the July 2026 policy change

The Centurion Lounge LAX has a structural peak-bank problem during the evening international departure window. The TBIT international evening bank (roughly 21:00 to 00:00) loads in sequence: the Singapore Airlines A380 to SIN at 21:30, the Air New Zealand to AKL at 21:45, the Qantas to SYD at 22:30, the Qantas to MEL at 22:45, the Emirates A380 to DXB at 23:00, the Cathay A350 to HKG at 23:30. The Centurion Lounge during this window is at one hundred plus percent capacity with a hold-at-door pattern and seating that runs to standing-around.

The problem has two underlying causes: the lounge’s overall floor area (14,000 square feet is large for a Centurion Lounge but small for a TBIT international bank that pushes 2,500 passengers in three hours) and the pre-July-2026 guest policy that allows non-travelling guests. Cardmembers bringing non-travelling family members and friends to the lounge as a destination experience have been a meaningful contributor to the crowding.

The July 8, 2026 policy change — all guests must be travelling on the same flight — will reshape this. The non-travelling-guest population will exit. The lounge will become meaningfully easier to use during peak banks. The Platinum Cardmember experience will improve.

The downside of the change is for Platinum Cardmembers who use the Centurion Lounge as a meeting space (the lounge has been a popular venue for entertainment industry meetings at LAX, with executives on layover or local-LA-based executives using the lounge for a meeting with a travelling client). That use case will be eliminated.

For now, the right strategy at LAX is to use the Centurion Lounge during off-peak hours (morning, early afternoon, late night after the evening bank) and to plan around the 19:00-22:00 window. After July 8 the strategy can relax.

The shower suites and the family room

The four shower suites at the Centurion LAX are appropriately specified. The Grown Alchemist toiletries are a thoughtful choice (the brand is sustainable, the products are properly formulated, the packaging is in reusable wall-mounted dispensers). The towels are full-size and clean. The water pressure is good. The lighting is properly warm-toned. The fittings are recent and clean.

The peak waiting list during the evening international bank is meaningful (thirty to forty-five minutes) and is one of the lounge’s principal frustrations. The four-suite capacity is meaningfully under-provisioned for a 14,000-square-foot lounge serving a major international terminal — the Polaris Lounge at Newark, by comparison, has nine shower suites at a similar floor footprint.

The Family Room is a thoughtful product differentiation. It is a small partitioned space (maybe 200 square feet) with low seating, a small play area, and a TV with children’s programming on low volume. Families with young children are the principal users — the Family Room is the right answer for a long-haul international evening departure with a toddler and is a meaningful improvement over the equivalent “child management” options at the Star Alliance Lounge and at the Capital One Lounge.

Compared to its peers

The Capital One Lounge at LAX Terminal 5, opened in late 2024, is the newest credit-card lounge at LAX and is the Centurion’s closest direct peer. It is a meaningfully larger floor (around 11,000 square feet, smaller than the Centurion but configured to use the space more efficiently) with a different food approach — multiple kitchen counters including a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf espresso bar, a Tijuanazo-style Mexican station, and a more conventional buffet — and a more accessible access matrix (Capital One Venture X Cardholders, who get access via the Venture X $395 annual fee, have access). The Capital One LAX is the right peer if you have Venture X access and is genuinely worth comparing. The Centurion Lounge wins on food (Silverton vs Capital One’s anonymous kitchen consultancy), on design (the Centurion’s residential warmth vs Capital One’s more contemporary commercial palette), and on Champagne. The Capital One wins on accessibility and on peak-bank handling (the lounge is meaningfully less crowded because the access matrix has not yet pulled in the volume that Capital One Venture X cards represent at LAX).

The Centurion Lounge at JFK Terminal 4, opened in 2022, is the closest peer in the Centurion network and is meaningfully larger (around 16,000 square feet across two floors). The JFK lounge has a Cédric Vongerichten-led food programme (Vongerichten is the son of Jean-Georges Vongerichten and runs Wayan in New York) that is at parity with the Silverton programme at LAX. The JFK lounge has a meaningfully more developed bar programme with a separate Champagne lounge. The LAX wins on view (the LAX airfield view is the best of any Centurion Lounge); the JFK wins on overall scale and on the Champagne lounge.

The Star Alliance Lounge at LAX TBIT, on the sixth floor of TBIT, is the better lounge for sit-down dining with an outdoor terrace (the Star Alliance terrace is the best outdoor lounge space at LAX), is restricted to Star Alliance Gold members and Star Alliance premium-cabin passengers, and is not accessible via Amex Platinum. If you have Star Alliance access on your departure (United, Lufthansa, Singapore, Air Canada, ANA, etc.), use the Star Alliance Lounge instead. The Centurion is the right answer for non-Star Alliance international departures (Qantas, Cathay, Emirates) and for any domestic departure.

The United Polaris Lounge at Terminal 7 is the best LAX lounge for Polaris-eligible long-haul international business class passengers — full à la carte dining from a Polaris kitchen, a proper Champagne pour (Pommery Brut Royal as the by-the-glass), and a meaningfully better design language than the Centurion. Polaris Lounge access requires a same-day United Polaris business-class boarding pass on an international flight; it is not accessible via Amex Platinum. The Polaris is the right answer for a United international business class departure.

The Qantas First Lounge at LAX TBIT — co-located with the Centurion in the upper-level TBIT lounge complex — is the best LAX lounge full stop for Qantas First passengers and oneworld Emerald on Qantas-marketed flights. It is a meaningfully better lounge than the Centurion on food (a Neil Perry-designed menu), on Champagne (Pol Roger as the by-the-glass), and on overall design. If you are a oneworld Emerald on QF94 or QF98 from LAX, use the Qantas First Lounge.

The verdict, after four April and May visits

The Centurion Lounge at LAX is a competent, well-designed, food-led credit-card lounge that does the Centurion product properly at a meaningful scale. The Nancy Silverton menu is the lounge’s strongest single product and puts the lounge’s food programme above most credit-card lounges globally. The airfield view from the main lounge is the best at any Centurion Lounge. The Family Room is a thoughtful product differentiation. The Grown Alchemist toiletries are well-specified.

The lounge is held back from being the best credit-card lounge at LAX by the severe peak-bank crowding (a structural problem that the July 2026 guest policy change will partly address) and by the four-shower-suite under-provisioning relative to the lounge’s floor area and the TBIT international bank volume. The Champagne pour is competent rather than distinguished. The work zone is not properly partitioned for focused work.

If you are a US Amex Platinum or Centurion Cardmember on a same-day departure from LAX, this is the right lounge for any international TBIT departure (outside the 19:00-22:00 window if possible), for any domestic departure where the connector walk fits your timing, and for any non-Star Alliance departure. Plan around the peak-bank window. Book the shower at reception on arrival. Order the avocado toast or the uovo in purgatorio for breakfast, the gem salad with chicken thigh for lunch or dinner, the Mezcal Paloma at the bar.

After July 8, 2026, the lounge will become meaningfully easier to use during peak banks. The guest-policy change is the most important product evolution at this lounge in 2026 and is likely to be the lounge’s best news this year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can access the Centurion Lounge at LAX in 2026? Access is open to US Platinum Card and Centurion Card members on the day of departure (arrival within three hours of the departing flight is the official window). The cardmember must present the valid Card, a same-day boarding pass for a confirmed reservation on any carrier, and a government-issued ID with a name matching the Card. Effective July 8, 2026, all guests must be travelling on the same flight as the Cardmember — this is a meaningful change from the prior policy. Until that date, the prior policy applies: Platinum Cardmembers can bring up to two guests at a $50-per-adult and $30-per-child rate per visit, with complimentary guest access for Platinum Cardmembers who spend $75,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year. Centurion Cardmembers retain broader guest privileges. Delta SkyMiles Reserve, Capital One Venture X, and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards do not provide access — this is an Amex-exclusive lounge.

When did the Centurion Lounge at LAX open and where exactly is it inside Tom Bradley International Terminal? The Centurion Lounge at LAX initially opened in March 2020 (days before the COVID pandemic shut commercial aviation down), was closed extensively from 2020 through 2023, and reopened in its current configuration in early 2024. The lounge is on the upper level of the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT, Terminal B), accessible airside after security and immigration via an elevator bank near the Terminal 3 connector corridor. The lounge occupies roughly 14,000 square feet — the largest Centurion Lounge in the network at the time of its opening — and is positioned on the airport’s south side with views over the airfield. The walk from TBIT central security to the lounge entrance is around six minutes; the walk from the Terminal 3 connector (the route that domestic United and Delta passengers can use to reach TBIT lounges) is around twelve minutes.

Who is Nancy Silverton and what is on the menu at the Centurion Lounge LAX? Nancy Silverton is the chef and co-owner of the Mozza restaurant group in Los Angeles, including Pizzeria Mozza, Osteria Mozza, and chi SPACCA, and is the founder of La Brea Bakery. She is one of the most decorated American chefs of her generation (a James Beard Outstanding Chef winner and a multiple-time finalist) and has consulted on the Centurion Lounge LAX menu since the lounge’s opening. The menu rotates seasonally but core items include avocado toast (a Silverton-styled rendition with a properly-ripe California Hass and a flake-salt finish), uovo in purgatorio (a tomato-poached egg dish with garlic toast), a roasted chicken thigh plate with grilled broccolini and a chimichurri, gem lettuce salads with fresh herbs and a sherry vinaigrette, and the Mozza-style croissant bread pudding for breakfast. The dessert programme includes Silverton’s brownies (a long-standing Mozza menu item) and a rotating cookie selection. The kitchen runs continuously through lounge hours with menu rotations through breakfast and all-day sections.

How does the Centurion Lounge LAX compare to the Capital One Lounge LAX, the Centurion Lounge JFK, the Star Alliance Lounge LAX, and the Polaris Lounge LAX? The Capital One Lounge LAX, opened in late 2024 at Terminal 5, is a much newer facility with a more contemporary design and a Capital One-style food programme (multiple kitchen counters including a Tijuanazo Mexican station and a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf partnership); it is meaningfully easier to access (Capital One Venture X cardholders get in) and is the closest peer in the LAX domestic-side lounge category. The Centurion Lounge JFK at Terminal 4, opened in 2022 in a similarly-large two-floor configuration with a Cédric Vongerichten-led food programme, is the closest peer in the Centurion network and is the better lounge on overall scale and food. The Star Alliance Lounge at LAX TBIT (the same terminal as the Centurion) is the better lounge for sit-down dining with an outdoor terrace, but is restricted to Star Alliance Gold members and Star Alliance premium-cabin passengers. The United Polaris Lounge at Terminal 7 is the best LAX lounge for Polaris-eligible long-haul international business class passengers, with à la carte dining and a meaningfully different access matrix; it is not accessible via Amex Platinum.

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