- Introduction: An Aria Suite Adventure To Hong Kong
- Review: Capital One Landing Washington National Airport (DCA)
- Review: Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
- Review: Etihad & Chase Sapphire Lounge Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
- Review: Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
- Review: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
- Review: Lufthansa Business Lounge Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
- Review: British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
- Review: British Airways Club Suites Business Class Boeing 777 (IAD-LHR)
- Review: Qantas Lounge London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
- Review: Cathay Pacific Business Lounge London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
- Review: Cathay Pacific First Lounge London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
- Review: Cathay Pacific Aria Suite Business Class Boeing 777 (LHR-HKG)
- Review: St. Regis Hong Kong (Great Marriott Bonvoy Property)
- Review: Kyra Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
- Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class Airbus A321neo (HKG-ICN)
- Review: Korean Air First Lounge Seoul Incheon Airport (ICN)
- Review: Korean Air First Class Airbus A380 (ICN-JFK)
- Review: Delta One Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Review: Delta One Business Class Boeing 767 (JFK-LAX)
- Review: Delta One Lounge Los Angeles Airport (LAX)
During my Aria Suite Adventure to Hong Kong, I had the chance to check out several lounges at Washington Dulles Airport (IAD), starting with the Capital One Lounge. The Capital One Lounge network has been growing nicely, and prior to this, I had only visited the Capital One Lounge Dallas Fort-Worth.
While the Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles isn’t huge, it’s nicely appointed, with an excellent selection of individually plated food, barista coffee, grab & go items, and friendly service. This is one of my favorite lounges I visited during my time at the airport, along with the Chase Sapphire Lounge.
In this post:
Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles location
The Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles has an ideal location if you’re originating at the airport, though it’s less convenient if you’re connecting. If you’re starting your travels at Washington Dulles, just pass through the main security checkpoint. Rather than taking the escalator or elevator down toward the gates, instead walk straight ahead on the same level, right by where the TSA PreCheck checkpoint is.

To the right of the escalators, you’ll see the entrance to the Capital One Lounge straight ahead.


If you’re connecting at Washington Dulles, it’s a bit more complicated, given that the lounge is separated from most gates by the AeroTrain system. So for most passengers, it’s a bit of a trek to get here, especially if you don’t have a long connection. I’d say that works in the lounge’s favor, in the sense that it helps with limiting crowding a bit, especially given the lounge’s relatively small size.
So if you do want to visit the lounge while connecting, you’ll need to take the AeroTrain to the Z gates. Then you’ll want to take the escalator or elevator up to level C. At that point, the lounge entrance is right next to the elevator.


For context, below is a map of the terminal (and the lounge is right near where the TSA PreCheck logo is).

Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles hours
The Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles is open daily from 5:30AM until 9PM, so that covers most departures from the airport, but not all. Of course hours remain subject to change, so always check Capital One’s website or app for the latest on that.
Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles entry requirements
The Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles can be accessed by the following travelers:
- Capital One Venture X (review) cardmembers can get unlimited access to Capital One Lounges, and can bring two guests with them for free, and can bring additional guests with them for $45 each; keep in mind that authorized users can be added to the card for free, and they get the same lounge access perks
- Capital One Venture X Business (review) cardmembers get unlimited access to Capital One Lounges, and can bring two guests with them for free, and can bring additional guests with them for $45 each; on the business version of the card, authorized users don’t get access
- Kids under two can enter Capital One Lounges for free, with an adult who has access
- All others can enter Capital One Lounges for $90 per visit
Getting the Capital One Venture X Card for lounge access can be totally worth it. The card has a $395 annual fee, but offers a $300 annual travel credit and 10K bonus anniversary miles every year, so having the card should cost you very little if you’re going about it right. Furthermore, you’ll be able to add four authorized users to the card at no extra cost, and they’ll receive the same lounge access perks. That makes this the ideal card for families.
Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles layout & seating
The Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles is roughly 8,500 square feet, so it’s a bit smaller than the Dallas location, which is roughly 10,000 square feet. The lounge is broken up into a few areas, and has a pretty intuitive flow. There’s a main “path” that goes all the way through the lounge, so if you just keep walking on it, you’ll end up back at the entrance, but on the other side.
Once you’re all checked in, you can turn right, and find yourself in one of the lounge’s first main areas. The first space of the lounge has some coffee tables with benches and chairs, plus some communal tables. There are just two relatively small area, which you’ll find in the four pictures below (with a picture taken in each direction).




Then there’s what I’d consider to be the main part of the lounge, which has the most seating, plus the bar, which kind of acts as the center of the lounge.

There are a variety of seating arrangements here, from seats for lounging, to dining tables in a variety of configurations.




You can also grab a seat at the bar, which has some high-top seating (and a super friendly bartender, at least during my visit).

Then when you’re in the back of the lounge and turn left, you’ll find an area with a few semi-private nooks. I’m not sure I totally get the execution of these, as you’d think that they would be set up as workstations, rather than just a couple of chairs that are partitioned off.


Lastly, if you continue down that hallway, you’ll be back at the entrance to the lounge, where you’l find the coffee bar, the grab & go selection, and more seating.


I quite like the lounge’s art and decor, including some art reflecting the airport’s original design and air traffic control tower, as the lounge is located in the base of the former tower. But not all the art is aviation specific, as you can tell…

Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles food & drinks
Capital One Lounges have a phenomenal food and beverage concept, and the Washington Dulles location is no exception. When it comes the food, everything is available at the buffet. What I appreciate is that food is already individually plated, so there’s no need to touch serving utensils. There are trays located underneath the buffet, so that you can easily help yourself to a selection of items.

Below you can find the lounge’s current menu, though of course the selection rotates throughout the day, and also over time. I really think Capital One does a stellar job with the quality of the dishes it serves, unlike many other lounges.





Then there are several drink stations, with a variety of options on “tap.” This includes water, iced tea, lemonade, cola, lattes, cold brew, and more.



There’s also of course a full bar, with drinks crafted in partnership with Unfiltered. I didn’t have any alcohol, but there’s everything from signature cocktails, to beer, to wine.

Then there’s my favorite feature of the lounge, which is a full service coffee bar, just inside the entrance and to the left. You can order anything from a cold brew, to a cappuccino, to a chai latte, to a hot chocolate.


I ordered a cappuccino in a to-go cup, which was delicious.

I was also offered a pastry, but resisted the urge, and passed.

As is standard at Capital One Lounges, this location also has a selection of grab & go items, which guests can help themselves to as they leave. This included everything from salad jars, to sandwiches and wraps, to fruit cups, to drinks. I love this feature, and frankly I’m kind of shocked it has survived, and that we’ve collectively been able to show enough restraint…


Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles bathrooms
The Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles has six gender-neutral restrooms, located along a hallway in the interior of the lounge. I like how Capital One Lounges have individual restrooms, which are a bit more dignified than your typical airport lounge bathrooms (I don’t know how it is in the ladies room, but the mens room often sounds like a cross between a war zone and a maternity ward).

I found the bathrooms to be large and well appointed.


Note that the lounge doesn’t have any showers, so if you require one, you’ll want to check out one of the other lounges in the airport.
Bottom line
The Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles is an excellent credit card lounge, with a pretty design, delicious food that’s individually plated, a full-service bar (and coffee bar), and even a grab & go selection. Capital One does a phenomenal job with its lounge network, and this lounge is no exception.
I’d say the only room for improvement is that the lounge doesn’t have showers, and it also doesn’t have any out-of-the-ordinary amenities, which are becoming increasingly common at some lounges. Of course the lack of that makes sense, given that the lounge isn’t huge.
If you’re passing through Washington Dulles, I’d highly recommend giving this lounge a try.
What’s your take on the Capital One Lounge Washington Dulles?
This is a great lounge. Where it has the others (except Polaris lounge) beat is the on-site coffee bar near the entrance. It's the best coffee in the airport. The location as noted is only good for originating passengers - not connecting ones. The lack of showers is very peculiar, though. Decor, pre-plated buffet, and outstanding bar are the highlights.
Home airport, do like this lounge but wish they would spend a little and have brand name soft drinks. The unbranded 'coke' or whatever is definitely substandard. Besides that, a good experience. Note that best to use your credit card to enter. Tried to use the wallet/app and they could not scan it.
"I really think Capital One does a stellar job with the quality of the dishes it serves"
But if you didn't try any of the food, can you say that? I mean yeah it looks good, but presentation doesn't always correlate with tasting good...
I’d go so far as to say that this lounge is sited to cater to originating traffic (vs transfer traffic) more than any other lounge I’ve encountered.
It’s a haul to get there if you’re transferring between mainline flights.
exactly! that's the biggest flaw in this lounge
When did you take the pictures? I have never seen this lounge less than full!
Ben’s famous work ethic typically has him first into a lounge when it opens.
I have used that lounge several times around 8:30 am and never even close to full.
Being my home airport I am so happy its here. I've been to other lounges at IAD and this is my favorite. The food is well prepared and delicious. The service staff is continuously cleaning tables and removing plates you are finished with. Great layout and relaxing. The only thing that was negative and this could have changed by now - was the restroom toilet seats. If you lifted it up it does not stay upright and you need one hand to hold it up.
Still that way, super annoying.
Frankly, I was a bit underwhelmed by this lounge. Staff were great, and the grab-and-go was very useful as I was about to board a transcontinental flight so I was able to bring plenty of substance with me. But the actual buffet...I agree with another commenter, why not also have the basic go-to comfort food things, in addition to rotating the more creative dishes?
Capital One lounges are nice and I get why they chose DCA/IAD for early lounges since they're a Virginia based company.
But on a practical level, why are they doubling up so much in airports that have plenty of existing lounges already?
It seems like there's better opportunity for market penetration in airports that have far less lounge options. For example, one of their next openings is JFK T4, which already has Amex and Chase Sapphire lounges in T4.
Unhealthy food & tiny portions, not a huge fan
Being based in the DC area, I can say every aspect of the lounge is great except it gets crowded very fast. The amount of seating is insufficient for the number of people in the lounge. A lot of people seek to use this lounge and Capital One's is aggressively marketing its Venture X credit card, so this lounge will be in even more demand in the future. The footprint of the lounge is definitely not sized properly for the number of people which will use it.
Yes, last time I was in Dulles, there was a 45 minute wait to access the lounge. I was less than pleased.
Will the line be as long as some Amex lounges?
Menu seems to skewed to unhealthy items.
Capital One Lounges have definitely impressed me. I'm lucky to have one at my home airport, but the other ones I've been to have left a strong impression. Wait times sometimes suck, but if you time it right (like getting onto the online queue right after landing), it really is not that bad. I hope they expand to more airports in the future.
Also need to be aware that capital one generally enforces a 2 hr window to get into the club before your flight, unless you are connecting. I believe it’s also like this at DEN and DFW.
Drinks are great, but I wish the food options weren’t so…exotic. Like chicken noodle soup or chicken tenders boring.
But my picky eatings shouldn’t influence this.
I still like it here better than the Etihad/Chase Sapphire Lounge which many readers may also have access to.