Review - Capital One Landing at DCA

Capital One Landing at DCA

January 21st, 2025

A Word from the Chef:

As a former Washingtonian (DC gay) of many years, I have such a soft spot for DCA. The ease of using this airport and its proximity to downtown are simply not found elsewhere in the country. DCA has done an impressive job improving and expanding itself, now with an entirely new concourse. Came with the expansion were opportunities for additional amenities, and one of them was the Capital One Landing. Capital One is also in the process of reinventing itself - distancing from the predatory financial institutions like Wells Fargo and aligning with yopro consumers like American Express. Capital One exists in airports in two forms, Capital One Lounge, which is the traditional airport lounge, and Capital One Landing, which is for all practical purposes, a restaurant.

Capital One partners with… José Andrés... Ok, am I the only one who finds him insufferable? The victims of natural and manmade disasters have been through enough. Let’s not feed them José Andrés’s food to cause further trauma…

I’ve had my Capital One Venture X card for a few years now, but I hadn’t checked out any of the Capital One lounges before. Speaking of the Venture X card, it is the card that I use the most. You can learn more about this lucrative everyday card here.

Plat Principal:

Once you clear security, the Capital One Landing was located by Concourse D. Nowadays, all concourses in Terminal 2 are connected airside, so you could use the Capital One Landing as long as you’re not flying, yuck, Southwest.

Considering how consistently crowded airport lounges often are these days, I was skeptical about whether I’d be able to snag a seat here. Much to my surprise, I was seated immediately. As a matter of fact, the place was pretty quiet during my visit at 6pm on a Tuesday. Interestingly, Capital One allows you to make a reservation for Capital One Landing months out in advance. Aside from contract lounges like Plaza Premium, I have never heard of any credit card lounges do this.

As you can see from the design, this was truly a restaurant. There were no traditional lounge furniture whatsoever. I find the space nice but generic. It looked like any common room at an upscale rental building full of young professionals. Nothing against young professionals other than their youthful metabolism and positive outlook on life, btw.

Food and beverage were accessible via two means. There was a station with self-serve coffee, tea and some soft drinks. Then there were deli-style counters by the bar area with cold tapas, desserts and salad, which you could order from the staff standing behind.

You can check out the full menu below. When you’re ready to order, just scan the QR code at each table.

To start, I had a continental sour. One quirk about me, not that you asked or cared, is I love cocktails with a red wine floater but I absolutely detest sangrias.

For research purposes, I got pretty much everything on the menu. Granted each dish was like a bite or two…

Digestif:

Overall, I was genuinely impressed by the quality and presentation of everything I had. My favorites were the anchovies, the grilled zucchini with yogurt and the eggplant and tofu donburi. I have the Capital One Venture X card for its compelling rewards structure, not for its lounge benefits. However, I very much look forward to seeing Capital One’s lounge portfolio grow. It’s a refreshing contrast to Amex. I don’t understand how people still buy into the premium impression of the Amex brand, who charges exorbitant annual fees in exchange for monthly coupons. While I’ve only been to one Capital One airport location, I can confidently say it’s the best credit card lounge I’ve been to in the US, and I don’t even like José Andrés!!!

Review - Capital One Landing at DCA

Capital One Landing at DCA

January 21st, 2025

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