Capital One Lounge Las Vegas: Superb Food and Drinks

Capital One’s newest lounge location at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas (LAS) has all the elements that travelers love about this brand of airport lounges — modern design, small plates of food, and a grab-and-go food section — with a little glitter thrown on top. It is Vegas, after all.

The Capital One lounge at LAS opens Feb. 21. I visited on a press tour before the opening. Here’s what it’s like inside.

The Capital One Lounge LAS is in Concourse D of Terminal 1. Once you come up the escalators to the concourse, you make a right, and the entrance will be on your right before Gate D51.

The lounge is open every day from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

At 8,200 square feet, the Capital One lounge is smaller than the 13,400-square-foot American Express Centurion Lounge nearby, but still feels rather spacious, thanks to giant windows looking down on the atrium of the airport.

It even manages to sneak in a small view of the runway and the surrounding mountains through a window on the side of the lounge.

There are many different types of seating throughout the space, from bar stools to booths to armchairs, and the lounge’s narrow layout means you’re never sitting far from a window. Each seat has its own power outlet to make charging electronics convenient.

There are two phone booth rooms with a desk and chair that guests can reserve at reception if they need to take a call.

For the ultimate rest after an eventful trip to Las Vegas, guests can try out the napping pod in the relaxation room. The ceiling even has mood lighting that evokes the twinkling of the night sky.

Far and away, the most impressive offering from the Capital One lounge is the food. The full commercial kitchen pumps out small plates and desserts that are better than a lot of restaurants. The portion sizes are small, but since it’s all-you-can-eat, it’s like tapas without the price tag. You get to try a bit of everything, and go back for more of the things you really enjoyed.

I was impressed by the variety of foods and the emphasis on healthier food options that aren’t a salad bar. Some of my favorites were the caviar deviled eggs, avocado toast with salmon, and lemon-herb chicken and farro bowl.

The desserts were also playful, which seemed right for a Las Vegas lounge. I particularly enjoyed the take on the strawberry Pop-Tart.

Capital One makes it easy to take food to-go for the rest of your journey, as well. There’s an entire grab-and-go section at the front of the lounge, including a refrigerator of boxed water, salads and sandwiches, a make-your-own-snack-mix bar, a bakery station, and a beverage station with cold brew on tap, as well as a selection of tea and drip coffee from local roasters.

One of the new features of this lounge is a drink cart that comes out at certain times of the day to get travelers celebrating “daily rituals.” In the mornings, the drink cart serves a shakerato, a delicious coffee drink made in a cocktail shaker to give it some froth. In the afternoons, the cart comes around with tea and macaroons for Capital One’s version of an afternoon tea. And in the evenings, the cart features champagne for “sunset sips.”

Lastly, it wouldn’t be a Las Vegas lounge without a swoon-worthy bar. This one has a cascading tile design and statement light fixtures, but the drinks are the real stars of the show. The lounge partnered with a local cocktail bar, Herbs & Rye, and the Las Vegas Brewing Company, to make exclusive spirits and beers.

Like the food menu, the drink menu has a ton of variety with cocktails, beers and non-alcoholic beverages. The Bloody Mary is the signature drink at this location, and it comes topped with a little plastic pick depicting playing cards.

Also available at this lounge are functional add-ons: tasteless powders made with natural ingredients to add a subtle energizing, hydrating or relaxing boost to a drink. Some cocktails already have a functional add-on in the ingredients list, but these can also be added to any beverage, even water. You just have to ask for it at the bar. It’s a fun way to add a recovery element to any last-minute drinking you might be doing at the lounge before your flight home from Vegas.

There is a separate corridor behind the bar with six private restroom stalls, each with a toilet, sink and extra counter space. These are sizable restrooms with plenty of room to bring in your carry-on luggage.

Six bathrooms is a major improvement over some of the other Capital One lounge locations. For example, the Capital One lounge at Washington-Dulles International Airport, which is similar in square footage to the Las Vegas lounge, has only two bathrooms, and the wait can be long.

You’ll need a same-day boarding pass and can enter the lounge a maximum of three hours before your flight.

Holders of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (including authorized users) and holders of the Capital One Venture X Business Credit Card (excluding authorized users) receive unlimited complimentary access to any Capital One Lounge, with up to two guests per visit. Additional guests cost $45 each, and children under 2 years old can enter for free with a parent or guardian.

Cardholders must present their eligible card to enter the lounge, and virtual card numbers are not accepted.

Non-cardholders and non-customers can enter the lounge for a rate of $90 per visit.

The Capital One Lounge at Las Vegas is a welcome addition to the lounge offerings at the Las Vegas airport. The restaurant-quality food and beverages make this lounge a must-visit if you have access, especially if you didn’t hit up any of the Vegas hotel all-you-can-eat buffets during your trip.