Review - Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A

Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A

January 20th, 2025

A Word from the Chef:

People tend to have polarizing opinions about this lounge. The admirers marvel at its sheer scale, spanning the entire length of the concourse. The critics pan its design and layout, drawing resemblance to a casino in Reno. My impression is somewhere in the middle. Is it the world’s best first class lounge? Probably not. But I loved that it was quiet, even though I was there during the peak hours at Dubai Airport. I’d gladly take this lounge over the crowded Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge.

Plat Principal:

The Emirates First Class Lounge Concourse A was located between the concourse floor and the business class lounge floor. You really can’t miss it, since the whole floor was the lounge. The lifts will drop you off right at the entrance to the lounge. Do note that if you’re departing from a different concourse, each concourse has its own first class lounge. You’re allowed to use any, but budget ample time as the concourses are connected via trains.

Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A Entrance

The reception area had several desks, where the staff could check you in and offer any assistance you might need. I needed to change the destination for my chauffeur booking, which the receptionist took care of for me.

Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A Reception

The first thing greeting you upon entry was an enormous duty-free shop. The selection was broad. You could find all of the usual duty-free suspects here. They even had a 15% discount on Moutai, which I had to take advantage of.

Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A Duty Free

I found it interesting that only the duty-free area had Chinese New Year decorations and not elsewhere in the lounge, lol. Oh, and I love they said Chinese New Year and not Lunar New Year. Go cry about it.

One of the most consistent complaints I hear about this lounge was its lack of distinction among sundry areas. Truthfully, I don’t know whether Emirates can be faulted for that. The size of this lounge was just simply unprecedented. which explains why you have these seemingly random furniture all over the place.

Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A Seating

I will have to acknowledge that the current lounge aesthetics only exacerbate this sense of void. If it were to feature a more minimalist design, maybe even something like Frank Gehry, these spatial lacunae could make more sense. Although, imagine an Emirates lounge with slate gray sandstone walls, that wouldn’t be very Emirates, would it?

The center of the lounge opened to the concourse level below, which reminded you of how chaotic travel could be.

Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A

In addition to the endless seating, there was also a sprawling quiet area. The loungers weren’t as nice as the proper hotel rooms provided by Qatar, Turkish or Swiss, but they were readily available. An amenity is only great if it’s accessible by the mass.

Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A Quiet Area

I actually think you could get some decent rest here. It was dim and spread out. Only a couple people were there when I visited, so it felt quite relaxing.

There were plenty of restrooms inside the lounge. As was the standard in the region, the restrooms were kept spotless.

Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A Restroom

Adjacent to the quiet area were the shower suites.

Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A Shower Suites

The showers were functional yet compact. There was nothing luxurious about them.

Food and drink options were abundant throughout the lounge. First there was a restaurant with table service.

Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A Restaurant

A few hot items were on offer at the buffet. However, the majority of the food was made to order.

I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I wanted to gauge the quality of the food. So as a sacrifice to my waistline, I ordered a couple small things to try. I should note that service in the lounge was very good. Everyone from the restaurant to the shower was friendly and efficient.

I saw there was sushi on the menu, so I asked if I could have some sashimi, which the waiter gladly obliged. You can check out the menu here. I was really pleased by the fish quality. The tuna was slightly sus, but the salmon and hamachi were fresh and fatty. I also loved how potent the wasabi was.

Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A Restaurant Dinner

Since we were having seafood, I ordered the pan seared Hokkaido scallops as well, served with Jerusalem artichoke purée, cauliflower salad and beetroot powder. These were cooked perfectly, and the pistachio crumbs added some nice texture.

Dotted along the lounge were stations with beverages and light snacks.

Near the middle of the lounge was the sushi bar. In stark contrast to Qatar Airways, who similarly offered sushi bar in its lounge, The Emirates sushi bar had way more interesting rolls. Qatar didn’t even have any fish other than smoked salmon. Speaking of, does anyone know why they put smoked salmon in sushi in the Middle East? Emirates also put smoked salmon in its poke bowl. ChatGPT says Muslims can eat raw fish as long as it’s halal, so is that just a general preference in the region?

Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A Sushi Bar

Many of the items were on display, but your orders would be made fresh.

The menu reads as follows. As you can see, they even had a soft shell crab roll.

Later in the evening I was feeling a bit peckish, so I headed back to the sushi bar.

Of all the airline lounges that served sushi, I have to say this was my favorite. Yes, I even rank it higher than the sushi in JAL’s Tokyo lounges, who only had three basic nigiri options.

Digestif:

Emirates First Class Lounge in Dubai was, in my opinion, fantastic. While it stands a near-zero chance to be featured in Architectural Digest, it was a well-rounded lounge. The food and beverage were top-notch, with restaurant quality dishes and a respectable wine selection. The service was friendly and attentive. The lounge offered an excellent shoe shine service, which revived my old and battered New Balance. I swear I thought they went out and bought me a new pair. From there, I boarded the A380 to DC directly from the lounge.

Review - Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A

Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai Concourse A

January 20th, 2025

Review - Capital One Landing at DCA

Review - Chengdu Tianfu International First and Business Class Lounge Terminal 1

Satay Away