Review: ANA First Class Suite Lounge Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT)

For the return portion of our winter trip to Tokyo & Niseko, I flew ANA’s Airbus A380 first class from Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Honolulu (HNL). Prior to my flight, I spent several hours in the ANA Suite Lounge, which is the Star Alliance carrier’s first class lounge at one of its two hub airports.

The ANA Suite Lounge is a perfectly pleasant place to pass some time, with comfortable seating, and a decent selection of food and drinks. However, for an international first class lounge, I can’t help but find this facility to be underwhelming. It certainly doesn’t rank among the best first class lounges in the world, and for that matter, I’d argue that there are better business class lounges.

The lounge doesn’t have much of an x-factor, and the food and drink selection, amenities, and service, could all be elevated, if you ask me. But admittedly ANA’s top tier elite members also get access to the lounge, which is why it probably doesn’t feel as private as you’d hope.

ANA Suite Check-In Tokyo Narita

Since I was arriving in ANA’s 737 Premium Class on a domestic flight, I actually started my journey in the landside portion of Narita’s Terminal 1. There’s a dedicated ANA Suite Check-In facility, which is for ANA and SWISS first class passengers.

So I proceeded there. The facility has a bunch of private check-in counters, as well as some seating.

Since I already had my boarding pass, I just headed straight to the private security channel, which is a nice feature.

ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo Narita location

The ANA Suite Lounge is located in Narita Terminal 1, in Satellite 5, near gate 53. Once you pass security and immigration, just follow the signage in the direction of that gate. When you get to that section of the terminal, you’ll find escalators and elevators leading to airline lounges.

The ANA Suite Lounge is located one level above the main concourse.

The standard ANA Lounge and ANA Suite Lounge share an entrance, with the ANA Lounge to the left, and the ANA Suite Lounge to the right.

ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo Narita hours

The ANA Suite Lounge Narita is currently open daily from 7AM until the last departure of the night. That covers virtually all Star Alliance departures from the airport. Of course the schedule remains subject to change, based on flight schedules.

ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo Narita entry requirements

The ANA Suite Lounge is the carrier’s first class lounge, so it’s primarily open to passengers traveling in first class on ANA. First class passengers on other Star Alliance airlines, like Singapore Airlines and SWISS, are also invited to use the lounge.

Furthermore, ANA Mileage Club Diamond members are granted access to this lounge, though their Star Alliance equivalents don’t receive access. All people eligible for entry are allowed to bring one guest into the lounge.

ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo Narita seating & layout

The ANA Suite Lounge is quite large for a first class lounge, though doesn’t necessarily have the most inspiring layout or design. Below you can find a map of the lounge.

The largest part of the lounge is one large room that just has a sea of seating, broken up into smaller sections with the use of partitions. There’s honestly nothing interesting or particularly “premium” about this seating, which elevates it beyond your typical airport lounge.

The lounge then has a second large room, with similar seating, as well as rows of chairs along the wall.

As you can see in the above pictures, the lounge looks pretty empty. However, that’s because I took the pictures toward the end of my stay, and I was on one of the last flights of the night. When I first arrived at the lounge (around 4PM) it was packed, with most seats occupied.

Perhaps my favorite part of the lounge was the view, as the space looks out over the apron.

I even had a direct view of the gorgeous “Flying Honu” Airbus A380 that would be taking me to Honolulu. Gosh, I love ANA’s A380 liveries!

The lounge has a limited number of other amenities, mostly located down a hallway near the entrance.

There’s a business center area of sorts, with cubicles, each featuring a workstation and TV. I appreciate when lounges have proper places you can work from, though I don’t love how there’s no natural light here.

The business center area also had a printer.

The lounge also has a relaxation area with two massage chairs, plus one pre-reclined chair, intended for relaxing. Some of the furniture has definitely seen better days.

There’s also an area for making phone calls, as you’d expect, in Japan.

Lastly, the lounge has a smoking room, which has quite a nice view.

It’s a pretty underwhelming first class lounge, no? I wouldn’t say it’s impressive as a business class lounge, let alone as a first class lounge.

ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo Narita food & drinks

The ANA Suite Lounge Narita has a variety of self-serve food and drinks, plus a small selection of items that can be ordered at a window. Again, for a first class lounge, I find the selection to be quite underwhelming.

There’s one main buffet area, which is basic but high quality. I’ll let the pictures and the menu speak mostly for themselves.

Then the lounge also has a noodle bar, where you can order everything from noodles, to sushi, to curry.

Below is the ANA Suite Lounge’s full menu (this includes the items at the buffet).

The drink selection includes a coffee machine, a soda fountain, a beer machine, and a variety of liquor, wine, and sake.

Below is the ANA Suite Lounge’s full drink list.

I enjoyed the sushi set that I ordered from the noodle bar, but other than that, I found the selection to be underwhelming. For example, there’s not even a bartender who can prepare cocktails for guests.

ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo Narita bathrooms & showers

The ANA Suite Lounge Narita has bathrooms located inside the entrance and to the right. The men’s room had three sinks, three urinals, and three stalls (each with a bidet style toilet).

The lounge also has showers, though in reality, this is part of a shared facility with the main lounge. Inside the ANA Suite Lounge is a kiosk where you can make a reservation for a shower. There’s typically a wait, though ANA Suite Lounge guests are prioritized for showers ahead of standard ANA Lounge guests, so shouldn’t have to wait long.

The lounge has a total of 10 shower suites.

They’re well appointed, with a walk-in shower, toilet, and sink.

Toiletries are in reusable containers, and there are a good number of other amenities, like slippers, cotton swabs, and more.

Bottom line

The ANA Suite Lounge Narita is a comfortable enough place to pass some time prior to a flight. However, personally I’d describe this as being more like a solid business class lounge, rather than an amazing first class lounge. The lounge has unmemorable decor, and has a selection of food and drinks more in line with what you’d expect in a business class lounge.

The lounge also lacks the quiet environment you’d expect from a first class lounge, given the number of ANA elite members who get access. For what it’s worth, I’d consider Cathay Pacific’s The Pier Business Lounge Hong Kong to be significantly better than this (and that says nothing of The Pier First Lounge).

As an additional example, while the Japan Airlines First Lounge Haneda has the same issue with a lot of guests, Japan Airlines just tries harder, with a unique bar and restaurant concept that elevates the experience.

What’s your take on the ANA Suite Lounge Narita?