At LHR right now doing a mini-lounge hop.

First, to the comment about the lounges being far apart - that's true if you're talking about the distance between LH an the UA/CA/SQ cluster, but those three are very close together. Small rant - how can you design and build an entirely new terminal that requires you to go outside between the HEX/Tube stations? It's covered, but still outside.

UA first: Fanatastic Lounge, if UA could pull this off elsewhere they'd come closer to world class. This is what NRT, in particular, needs. The food was fresh, plentiful and tasty. I loved the selection of juices. The lounge was bright and airy, the bar had at least four bartenders at work as well as someone walking around the area closest to the bar, and a huge selection of beverage options, indeed including champers that they were constantly refilling glasses with. People were cleaning tables and sweeping minute crumbs off the carpet constantly. Only downside was that its arranged in such a way that the noise from the food area travels through the entire lounge - clatter, clatter, clatter, and there were like a million small children running around and making a general commotion.

AC is like one minute away, and in the same location as the SQ lounge, that I won't have time to check this trip (are mere mortals actually allowed into this one??). Anyway, AC is miles below the UA club, the food was tired and stale looking, the very small bar was unattended and there was no one making crepes and waffles. Very sad. The lounge is FILTHY, with no one picking things up and the floor has stuff all over it. I saw a very early post about people constantly walking around pushing drinks on you, certainly no one today. Is this maybe just an afternoon thing? Anyone my choice in the future will be to go directly to the UA lounge and stay there, even if flying AC since the gates aren't all that far away. UPDATE: they just switched to lunch, which is equally mediocre. There a gnocci in tomato sauce that is bland and tasteless, some some of chicken in cream sauce and rice. It all looks like it came out of a freezer. There's a panini station, but like with the crepes early, no one to make them. A bartender has shown up but he wanders about so isn't always there. Chips and salsa seemed a safe choice, but the chips are beyond stale. The marshmallows are delicious.

I'd go back to US to test their lunch but don't quite have time.