We got a peek inside the fancy new Capital One airport lounge

After the first Capital One airport lounge opened at Dallas Fort-Worth Airport in 2021, the banking company began rapidly expanding this offering to more and more spaces to compete with the extensive national networks offered by American Express and JPMorgan Chase.

As of 2026, Capital One has five lounges across airports in the U.S. and one Capital One Landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C. — a restaurant-style lounge concept driven by a partnership with a specific chef.

A second Capital One Landing location has just opened at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in February, and I had a chance to tour it with a group of other airline journalists for an early peek at the 12,500-square-foot space.

With a regular Capital One lounge operating at JFK since June 2025 (I toured it last year and was particularly impressed by the fact that travelers with time to spare can schedule a tasting with a professional cheesemonger), this is the second space that the bank opened in the New York area in the last year.

New Capital One Landing concept comes to LaGuardia Airport this February

Upon walking into the space near the skybridge to gates B11 to B30 in LaGuardia’s Terminal B, one immediately notices the abundant natural light from the 30-foot floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the runway and offering a Manhattan skyline view from the airport’s location in Queens.

The space is split into two main spaces. A main lounge area offers a reception area, an interior bar, and dozens of tables for working, eating, and watching planes on the airfield. An adjacent terrace evokes the vibe of a Spanish square or outdoor café with its greenery and overhead skylights flooding the entire area with more natural light.

As part of its lounge plans, Capital One also secured the ability to build an additional floor above that section of the terminal, so the terrace has a rooftop feel, even if it’s not located entirely outdoors.

The restaurant-style concept was first designed at DCA in partnership with Chef José Andrés, a Spanish restaurateur behind the Mercado Little Spain food market in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.

The menu at the new location follows the same tapas restaurant style, allowing visitors to order hot Spanish classics such as patatas bravas, gambas al ajillo, cheese croquetas, and a “pintxo” of egg-and-potato tortilla.

Some non-Spanish dishes, like a vegetarian mushroom donburi and a Mexican taco with steak, also grace the menu. Visitors can order through a QR code attached to every table.

Hot tapas, Basque cheesecake, and a pintxos and vermouth cart

Cold small plates, meanwhile, are laid out visually behind counters in the two bar areas — guests can also curate a plate of jamón, Spanish cheeses like Manchego and Cabrales, and anchovies sourced directly from Spain.

They can also select from dishes such as a portioned Caesar salad topped with Spanish cheese, pan con tomate, or gazpacho, without which no Spanish restaurant menu would make sense.

Dessert lovers will be pleased to see a few other national classics: a Spanish flan topped with caramel sauce and a Basque cheesecake with its signature burnt caramelized top.

The two bars have an extensive selection of rare liquors and specially-crafted cocktails (a sangria option is another non-negotiable). Another highlight is the circulating vermouth cart with different bottles of the fortified wine infused with aromatics that has become such a key part of Spanish drinking culture.

For a truly authentic experience, a wine expert circulating the cart at different times of day will also offer guests the option of a “pintxo” (small snack to accompany a drink), which is traditionally served on a skewer and originates in the Basque region.

How to get inside the new Capital One Lounge: cost and access

The concept feels extremely luxurious and, particularly for fans of Spanish cuisine, is about as good as even the most exclusive lounge experiences can get.

While you probably won’t have the stomach space to try every tempting tapa available on the menu, you will almost certainly be left feeling like you want to stay longer and keep eating.

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This experience not unknown to anyone who has whiled away an entire evening at a café in Madrid, Seville, or San Sebastián.

As with other Capital One lounges, access to the new LaGuardia location is automatically available for those with the $395-per-year Capital One Venture X and Capital One Venture X Business credit cards, according to The Points Guy.

Those who have the free Capital One credit card can buy a day pass at a discounted rate of $45, while non-customers can also enter the space for $90 per visit.

Given that most credit-card lounges offer no option for those without the premium card to enter, anyone with time to spare in LaGuardia’s Terminal B would do well to check it out when passing through the airport.

Related: We got a peek inside the swanky new JetBlue lounge at JFK