Over the past year we’ve seen several airport restaurants and bars in the US join Priority Pass. The concept is that at some airports Priority Pass has a tough time striking a deal with a major lounge due to crowding issues, so when that’s not possible, they instead work with a restaurant.
Priority Pass pays a fixed amount for each guest who enters a lounge, so instead Priority Pass is just paying these restaurants a fixed amount, and then you can spend some dollar amount at that restaurant (typically $28-30). So far in the US, Priority Pass restaurants & bars include the following (it’s amazing how much this list has grown in a short time):
- House Spirits Distillery Portland Airport
- Capers Cafe Le Bar Portland Airport
- Capers Market Portland Airport
- Timberline Steaks & Grille Denver Airport
- Corona Beach House Miami Airport
- Viena Miami Airport
- Air Margaritaville Miami Airport
- The Pasta House St. Louis Airport
- Kentucky Ale Taproom Lexington Airport
- Bobby Van’s Steakhouse New York JFK Airport
- Bar Symon at Cleveland Airport
- Johnny Rockets at Syracuse Airport
- Barney’s Beanery at Los Angeles Airport
- Bracket Room at Washington Reagan Airport
- The Fan Zone Indianapolis Airport
- RJ Rockers Flight Room Greenville-Spartanburg Airport
- Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar & Grill Boston Airport
- Stephanie’s Boston Airport
- San Francisco Giant’s Clubhouse San Francisco Airport
- Yankee Pier San Francisco Airport
- American Tap Room at Washington Reagan Airport
- Campanile at Los Angeles Airport
- Landry’s Seafood at Houston Airport
- Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar Houston Airport
- P.F. Chang’s Los Angeles Airport
Priority Pass has just added yet another US restaurant location, this time at a smaller airport – Noble Hops at Tucson Airport.
As a reminder, the following are some of the most popular credit cards that come with Priority Pass memberships (I’ve also listed the respective guesting privileges):
| Card | # Of Guests Who Get Free Access | Authorized User Access | Cost To Add Authorized User |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | 2 | Yes | $175 For Up To 3 People, $175 For Each Additional Person Beyond That (Rates & Fees) |
| The Business Platinum® Card from American Express | 2 | Yes | $300 Per Person (Rates & Fees) |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | 2 | Yes | $75 Per Person |
| Citi Prestige® Credit Card | 2 | Yes | $50 Per Person. ($75 Per Person for Cardmember Anniversary dates after September 1, 2019) |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | 2 | No | $0 |
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card | 2 | No | $0 |
Noble Hops at TUS
Noble Hops is open daily from 5AM until 10PM, and it’s located landside (before security) on the second floor, opposite the “Arroya Trading Post.” Tucson Airport is fairly small, so this should be convenient for passengers traveling on all airlines.
Here’s how the restaurant describes itself:
Noble Hops is Tucson’s original gastropub, serving an ever-changing menu of craft beer and fine fare.
You can find the menu for the restaurant here.
Priority Pass members will be entitled to $28 worth of food & drinks per person. In order to be eligible you need to have a same day day confirmed boarding pass, though there’s no explicit requirement that it needs to be an outbound boarding pass (so in theory you could visit on arrival).
The Priority Pass member will be responsible for any overage beyond the $28 credit, and that credit can’t be applied towards gratuity (and personally I think it’s appropriate to tip, as a Priority Pass membership is just a form of payment here).
Bottom line
Obviously Tucson isn’t exactly a global hub, though it’s fantastic to see some smaller airports get Priority Pass restaurants. For an airport restaurant this one also looks pretty good in terms of the food and drink selection.
Does anyone plan on visiting the new Priority Pass restaurant at TUS?
(Tip of the hat to dselby)
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Business Platinum® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees).
Lucky – sure you saw, but the new AMEX gold is live. I have some minimum spend to meet but I will definitely be adding that card before January 9.
Are they ever going to open anything in Chicago outside of T5? What’s holding them back!?
I wish they would add a restaurant at OMA which is completely devoid of lounges. It would take some of the sting out of visiting the in-laws.
I’ll be there in a couple weeks. They’re in-town location has a great beer selection and some awesome small bites. Hoping the airport location stacks up.
I agree with Ishan. They need to partner with a restaurant in ORD. Unless you are departing on an international flight, you have zero options via Priority Pass.
@Lucky, their website says they are open from 4AM to 8PM rather than the 5AM to 10PM you listed.
Went there a few weeks ago, great beer selection and decent food. Much more valuable to have a credit here as opposed to the generally awful US Priority Pass lounge network.
So tired of this nonsense. The value to me is *lounges* — not restaurants where the tip on the restaurant food might cost even more than the fast food I would buy in the airport.
This isn’t really new. I visited this twice two weeks ago, and it even showed up in the app and website at least two weeks before that – a surprise since I had assumed TUS wouldn’t have any.
Their menu is pretty good price-wise, and while their non-beer selection is underwhelming (just one sparkling wine and their bloody marys are just clamato and vodka), their beer and food is enough to satisfy.
They only asked for a boarding pass one time, and it was on my arrival. I showed my PHX->TUS pass and they just glanced at it and nodded. On my way back out the next day TUS->PHX they didn’t even ask for the boarding pass. The landside part is nice, particularly as they have a little patio outside where you can eat and drink.
Sweet! I’m in Tucson next week.
it’s a beautiful airport and the restaurant’s portobello burger is delicious