Review: United Polaris Lounge Houston IAH
Review: United Polaris Lounge Newark EWR
Review: United 767-300 Polaris Business Class  Newark to Munich
Review: Lufthansa Business Class Lounge Munich MUC Gate G28(Schengen)
Review: Lufthansa Cityline CRJ900 Economy Munich to Berlin
Trip Photos: Munich and Berlin
Review: Lufthansa Business Class Lounge Berlin BER
Review: Lufthansa A320-200 Business Class Berlin to Munich
Review: Lufthansa Business Class Lounge Munich MUC Gate H24(Non-Schengen)
Review: Lufthansa A350-900 Business Class Munich to Los Angeles

YOUTUBE: United: Newark to Munich
YOUTUBE: Lufthansa: Munich to Berlin
YOUTUBE: Lufthansa: Berlin to Munich
YOUTUBE: Lufthansa: Munich to Los Angeles

---

The Polaris Lounge in Newark is located in the central part of Concourse C right after security and a little closer to the C120 /130 gates.  The entrance is relatively large and pretty tough to miss. And one thing’s for sure: Once you see it, there’s no mistaking a Polaris Lounge. But given its exclusivity, there are special entry requirements.

Access Requirements

• Travelers flying out of Newark in United Polaris Business Class
• Travelers flying intercontinentally on a Star Alliance Airline in Business Class (+0 guests) or First Class (+ 1 guest)
• Travelers connecting same day to a United Polaris Business Class flight out of another airport
• Travelers connecting same day to domestic flight after getting off a United Polaris Business Class flight

So as you can see, no level of status will get you into this lounge, it’s truly only for premium cabin travelers. With that said, let’s check out the lounge.

Check-In and Entrance

The Polaris Lounge in Newark is large and has lots of amazing features that define a world-class lounge. The entrance is shortly after security and a little to the left of security after you clear. Unlike other Polaris lounges like Houston or Los Angeles, this entrance is pretty hard to miss.

The entrance itself is also clean, fresh, and grand with a little Christmas decor.

The agent at the front desk was a little cold in welcoming us but once our passports and boarding passes were checked, we were in.

Below is looking back at the entrance to the Polaris

Seating

This lounge was quite large to cater to the large Polaris presence Newark has and it was well equipped to do so, from a size standpoint.

The first room had a fair number of normal lounging options and this area wasn’t quite full yet.

Back against the wall, there were more comfortable seats.

Between these seats, you had a USB port and a normal power plug for each person which is pretty standard, but nice to see nonetheless.

There were also phone booths and these were being used pretty much at every point I was there. I did get to try one and I thought the sound going in and out was pretty insulated so well done by United on this one.

Back in the main room where the bar is, there were lots of seats along the wall though quite frankly I’m not sure I understand the utility of these seats. They are indeed right next to the bar but a bit of a walk from the buffet.

Back behind the bar there were a few more seats with spectacular tarmac views.

Directly behind the bar is a pretty sizable dining section that we’ll have a look at in a little bit.

On the south side of the bar closer to the windows was where the main seating areas were. We have the signature Polaris cubicles. These have 2 power ports and 2 USB ports each. I quite like the amount of outlets but in this day and age I think it would be optimal if one of those USB ports were converted to a USB-C.

There were more seats adjacent to the window for a long stretch.

And then more of the exact same seats further behind

And after what seems like endless walking you each the end of the primary seating section of this lounge. Given that the lounge was right along large windows, the room was well lit as well which I was super happy with.

And right beside the buffet section were more table-style seats optimized for eating rather than relaxing or working.

Food and Beverages

The buffet section had quite a number of selections. For breakfast, I was impressed with the selection and quality. For lunch and dinner, I was happy with the selection, but not so much with the quality

Breakfast Buffet

 Lunch and Dinner Buffet

The buffet section had quite a number of selections, but I wasn’t especially impressed, to be honest.

There was a good variety of hot items but here’s the issue: Most of them weren’t hot. Unfortunately, they got cold, and they stay cold and they aren’t replaced quickly enough. This comes back to the staffing issues this lounge is currently having. They could really use a few more hands and eyes and I hope they are able to get them quickly.

One thing I did like was that there were a lot of nutritious snacks which I think are always valuable.

Dining Room

As I was saying earlier, the dining room is directly behind the area where the bar is, and the main entrance can be accessed via the right side of the bar, not the left side like what is shown below.

Here is EWR’s menu for the dining room. The text maybe small to a picture, but zooming in should make the details of the menu more readable.

And of course once you decide to dine, then you are given actual menus for your reference.

 

The cauliflower was so crisp to the edge but soft on the inside and went well with the yogurt. It was quite enjoyable.

The heirloom tomato salad was good. I didn’t eat the tomatoes because I hate tomatoes but the aragula, burrata cheese, and the vinaigrette were all good together.

The lamb was absolutely delicious and spectacular in every regard.

This was also very flavorful and the fish was cooked great.

The cookie skillet was just so rich and gooey and you could eat them forever.

This was also really tasty and rich.

Overall, the actual dining room food was great, it just took so long to get everything, and the service was slow.

Beverages

The bar had lots of options that you could choose from. Pre-pandemic I remember this lounge having a cocktail menu, but I don’t see it anywhere in my latest visit here.

There were also cold beverages and juice and water stands throughout the lounge in different places, you could not miss them.

Restrooms, Showers, and Nap Rooms

Anytime you see a ceiling like this, this is the walkway to the general bathrooms.

There were 2 sets of these on either end of the lounge.

The showers and nap rooms are behind the glass door pictured below.