Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong review: Not quite the best, but definitely the best

ByScott

Despite how awkward it is to say “The Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge”, I’m going on record as saying that this one (located at the Hong Kong International Airport) was probably the best airport lounge that I’ve ever visited. 

Was it the most stylish? Not by a longshot. Was it the quietest? Not quite. Did it seem dark and dreary? Yeah. It kinda did.

But one thing for certain: I arrived hungry, and left feeling fat and happy. The variety of food served in this lounge is what makes it worth a visit.

Overall Size of Lounge:5 star rating
Variety of Food:4 star rating
Quality of Food:4.5 star rating
Selection of Alcohol:3 star rating
Quietness / Privacy:2.5 star rating
Overall Rating:4 star rating

Location

You’ll find The Pier about halfway down Terminal 1 (near gate 65) at the Hong Kong International Airport. It’s located below the departures level, which makes the entrance a bit hard to spot if you’re not paying attention. 

Entrance to the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge at the Hong Kong national Airport
Welcome to The Pier (hands down the best Cathay Pacific business class lounge the Hong Kong Airport). Speaking of ‘down’, it’ll behoove you to know that it’s located one level under the departures level. You’ll never find it if you keep looking up.

You can access the lounge via a set of escalators or an elevator. The elevators seemed slow (I noticed some people waiting a long time for it), so the escalator is probably your best bet if you’re limited on time.

Going down the escalator into Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
I know this probably looks really scary to anyone who suffers from Escalaphobia, but trust me. Any amount of panic, anxiety, or vertigo you may feel while descending into this black hole will be worth fighting through.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong reception desk
And you have arrived. You know you’re in a good airport lounge when there’s someone greeting you at the entrance with a cheerful “welcome to the Black Hole!” OK, maybe she didn’t actually say that, but it seemed like that was what she was implying.

How to get in

All business class and first class passengers on Cathay Pacific (or any Oneworld Alliance airline) get complementary access to this lounge. I was flying Cathay Pacific business class down to Manila this particular afternoon. 

You can also access this lounge if:

  • You have Cathay Pacific Diamond, Gold, or Silver status
  • You have Oneworld Emerald or Sapphire status
  • You are a Cargo Clan Elite member

Note that entry rules and requirements can change, so I do recommend checking the official Cathay Pacific lounge entry requirements just to be sure. 

Layout

This is an extremely large lounge (35,000 square feet total). Although it’s not quite as nice looking as The Bridge (one of Cathay Pacific’s other lounges in this terminal), it is significantly larger.

Layout of the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
Honestly? It didn’t look all that impressive to me upon first glance. However…
Guests eating in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
… It didn’t take me long to realize that nearly everybody here was shoveling large amounts of food into their face. That’s exactly what I like to see in a good business class lounge.

The entire space is broken up into a variety of different rooms, each having their own look and feel. Some rooms (especially the ones all the way at the back) are dark and very nightclub-like. Other rooms (the ones near the windows) are bright and more library-like with natural wood textures. 

Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong main seating area
Just as the Grinch Learned that community and connection matters more than possessions, I learned that The Pier is all about the food (not the decor). Hang tight. I’ll show you all that food after I show you more of the general layout…
Large windows with natural light in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
I like the windows along the front wall (which provides a really good view of the airport). I did not like it as much as the variety of food served here. Just sayin.’

There’s not a lot of seating for a lounge this large. Of course there are chairs pretty much everywhere you look. But they didn’t fill every square inch with them. There’s a lot of open space. 

Individual seating areas with lots of natural light in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
Natural wood paneling inside of the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
Different seating types in the main room of the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong

Honestly? The design and decor feels a bit dated. Not only that, because it’s a basement lounge, the ceilings are low. This makes it feel more cramped than it really is. Speaking of which, remember the old United Global First Lounge at SFO? That was a basement lounge, but it still had high ceilings (which made it feel grand). Just sayin’. 

Low light lounge seating in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
I also like how the designers of this lounge catered to the vampires. There are some dark ass rooms in this place.
Dark rooms with cafeteria style tables and chairs inside the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
Seriously guys. Some of these rooms are darker than a tax auditor’s soul.
Communal tables and chairs for eating in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
I’d say at least 50% of the seating areas in this lounge are designed for eating. Coming here and not eating anything is probably against the rules methinks.
Layout of the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong showing the food bar against the back wall and lounge seating along the windows
Of all the pics in this entire review, it’s probably this one which sums it up best. Basically, this is a multi room lounge. In every room, the food is on the back wall and the seating is near the windows. The fact that there’s really good food in every room (a lot of it) pretty much makes this the best lounge in the entire world universe IMHO.

Finally, this lounge features a business center and showers, but both were a bit hard to find IMHO. The designers obviously didn’t make them the focal part of the overall layout. 

Food and drinks

Any apprehension you feel about the style and design of this lounge will be quickly erased once you realize how much food is available. It’s basically everywhere, and totally unavoidable (even if you’re not hungry). Good luck not over eating during your visit. 

Deli with meat and cheeses inside the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
Let’s start with the cheese maybe? Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to the food. The variety is unlike anything else ever seen in any airport lounge anywhere in the world.

There is food available in every main room of this lounge. Not much of it is of the self serve variety, but there are plenty of staff members who will be more than eager to assist in your inevitable overindulgence.

Fresh pizza in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
OK, this pizza may not have made my knees wobble as much as the pizza I ate in the ITA Lounge in Rome did, but let’s be real here. There’s no such thing as a bad pizza. Amirite?
Fresh flatbread in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
When’s the last time you’ve been to an airport lounge with fresh pizza *and* flatbread on the menu? I wasn’t joking when I said the variety of food was off the charts in this place.
Hot food bar with chefs serving made to order Asian dishes in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
There’s also a walk up bar where you can get fresh / made to order traditional Asian dishes (things like noodles, dumplings, etc). Fear not. The Soup Nazi was nowhere to be seen.
Fancy a plate of dumplings but can’t stand the thought of direct human contact? You’ll be happy to know that there is a self-serve food bar offering traditional cold and hot Asian items as well.
Snack cart with things like pretzels and potato chips in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
Hot dumplings in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
Hot western dishes in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
Fresh desserts in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
I wasn’t able to find a dedicated food station with desserts, but there were little trays and plates all over the place with fresh pastries, cookies, and cakes (oh my!).

The selection of alcohol is just okay (at least if you compare it to what I saw in the Incheon Oneworld Lounge). The only way to get a drink in this place is from the bartender. 

Fully staffed bar in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
The bar (featuring a very lonely bartender). Usually this is the busiest place of any airport lounge! $20 says he’s counting down the minutes until his lunch break…
Self serve nonalcoholic drinks in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
There’s a pretty good selection of non-alcoholic drinks available as well. The question is: what pairs best with a plate of dumplings and white rice?
Scott eating fresh dumplings in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
Schweppes soda water of course. I didn’t even care if it sounded like a cheap brand of scented wet toilet wipes. It was perfect!
Dumplings and rice served in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
Hot dumplings that I ate in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong

Pros and cons

It’s been several months since I visited this lounge, and I’m still thinking about it. The style and design was far from perfect, but they were smart to assume that it’s the food that’s going to make all the difference. 

Snack station with drinks in the main seating area Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong
Bar style seating area in the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge Hong Kong

Pros

  • The food! Hot or cold, I guarantee that even the most pickiest of eaters will find something delicious to eat.
  • It’s a huge space. I wouldn’t necessarily call it cozy, but it’s pretty easy to find a spot to stretch out and get comfortable.
  • The variety of different room types makes it easy to get the exact type of lounge experience you’re looking for. 

Cons

  • The selection of alcohol was a little weak IMHO. 
  • Low ceilings made it feel somewhat dark and gloomy if I wasn’t sitting right next to the window.

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