United expands Newark Polaris Lounge with beautiful new dining room

United Airlines is breathing new life into its seven-year-old Polaris Lounge in Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) with the opening of a dedicated dining room.

The Chicago-based carrier took the wraps off the 1,500-square-foot space on Wednesday, and it’ll officially open to the public on Friday, June 20, timed perfectly for the start of the summer travel rush.

The entrance to the dining room is located in the corner near the lounge’s bar, and the granite-lined entryway should be easy enough to spot as you’re walking around the lounge.

There’s a host stand just outside of the dining room, which is where you’ll go if you’d like to sit for a meal.

With 60 seats, there hopefully shouldn’t be much of a wait during most of the day, except for possibly right before the afternoon and evening transatlantic departure banks.

The good news is that United will keep the existing dining space open for travelers looking to grab some bites from the buffet, which should hopefully help ease some of the crowding during the busiest times.

The dining room features a host of different seating options.

Lining the windows you’ll find a bunch of solo tables for single travelers, complete with phenomenal airside views of the C2 and C3 piers of Terminal C, as well as the New York City skyline in the background.

You’ll find the rest of the seating around the perimeter of the rest of the lounge. Interestingly, all of the remaining tables are in a two-top configuration, but they can be moved together in order to accommodate families or larger groups traveling together.

I love the design of the dining room — it feels a bit more modern than the rest of the lounge, though it still blends seamlessly into the space.

The use of frosted mirrors helps promote a feeling of spaciousness, while the gold sconces and light fixtures add some warmth to the dining room.

One thing missing from the dining room is flatware and dinner service pieces from Crate&Barrel. That’s a partnership that United debuted as part of the renovated Polaris Lounge in Chicago, and while the airline is still considering expanding the partnership beyond Chicago, the Newark dining room (as well as all the other Polaris Lounge dining rooms) feature non-branded service pieces.

Another amenity missing from the dining room is power outlets and USB charging ports. That’s partially by design, United explained, because it doesn’t want the dining room to turn into a workstation. There are a handful of power outlets throughout the space to charge a phone or laptop, but don’t expect to find one at every seat.

The dining room takes over the space of the former invite-only Classified restaurant, and the space will likely be far more utilized now that it’s in United’s hands than in OTG’s, the operator of the now-shuttered Classified.

Everything you consume in the dining room is served a la carte with waiter service. There’s a breakfast and all-day dining menu, and the transition between the two will happen at 11 a.m.

The airline is debuting slightly refreshed menus as part of the opening, including choices like a vegan signature burger with an Impossible patty and lump crab cakes.

You’ll also be able to order drinks from the cocktail, beer and wine list while seated at the dining room.

You won’t be presented with a check at the end of your meal, and while tips are certainly not expected, it’s worth noting that waiters are allowed to accept tips if you feel you enjoyed the service. (Tips are technically referred to as “gifts” to your waiter since no check is provided and no tip is expected.)

Once the dining room opens, the Newark Polaris Lounge will span more than 30,000 square feet, making it the second-largest business-class-only outpost in the United network (behind San Francisco).

Aside from the dining area, United has also refreshed the furniture and added more power outlets and seating options to the Newark space.

This is certainly appreciated as United keeps adding more long-haul flights from Newark, making Terminal C one of the busiest international gateways in the New York City area. In total, the airline offers the Polaris business-class experience on flights to 40 destinations served out of Newark, including the recently launched service to Palermo, Italy; Bilbao, Spain; Faro, Portugal and more.

“Newark offers business class travelers ample opportunity to travel across the Atlantic, and we’re excited to offer them more room to dine before or after their long-haul flights. For years, we’ve been investing in our club and lounge portfolio at Newark, and it’s our first hub to fully reflect our new designs and amenities,” said Aaron McMillan, United’s managing director of hospitality programs, in a statement.

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