arshi007

Thursday afternoon might be tough. You will likely get in but finding a "quiet" corner might prove to be difficult.

wakesetter93

Will be there between 10:30a-1p local time. Hoping that should be pretty slow.

arshi007

10:30 am might be ok. It starts getting really busy after 11 am because of the lunch crowd. 11 am to 2 pm on Thursdays is usually peak time.

wakesetter93

Thanks for the update. Seems you're DEN based, any guess on if the UA club will be better? I know the East club was closed for renovations when I was last there in January

arshi007

Yes, if you have access to the UA club, it will have space. Many times i've ended up just going to the UA club instead of the CL, specially if i'm flying UA. They also have some phone booths there which are good for taking a call. The UA club also does get crowded because the east side is closed but you have much better chance of finding some quite space for a work call.

esc2476

No wait today about 3 PM MT, but it was pretty crowded.

krazykanuck

As I posted in the CL waiting/crowding thread, there was no wait to get in on a recent Tuesday at 5:30 pm. Unfortunately that was about where the good ended. The dinner on offer was probably the most miserable selection of food I've seen in a CL since the microwaving cod in the breakroom experience of the CL at PHL in 2019.

The "chef station" pasta which was called "Spaghetti Aglio E Olio" was literally just spaghetti with nothing of discernable taste. On the main buffet they had some pork stew, which I was perplexed as an entrée. It also was completely tasteless. The pear and cherry cobbler dessert was also not very good, but was somehow the least bad part of the meal.



I also really wish they would lean into the beer bar; most of the craft beer options have been unchanged since this lounge opened. Please branch out.

mpw81

Agree wholeheartedly with the beer bar comments. I'm not trying to defend or give them a pass on the food since I know it can be hit or miss, but "Spaghetti Aglio E Olio" literally translates to "spaghetti with garlic and oil" so it's meant to be fairly simple. WIth that said, the quality of the oil and the thoughtful preparation of the dish obviously make it a classic, neither of which are likely to be found in a crowded airport lounge.

arshi007

Uggg.. that is indeed a sad looking dish. I completely understand your point. I usually fly out of Concourse B for United so now i've completely given up on even trying to get in the CL, mainly because the last few experiences (which i did last year) were all sub-par food and barely any place to sit. I don't know about other CL's but DEN CL feels more like a free student cafeteria (without the students) and personally for me, not worth visiting even for "free". Its sad because I actually remember the day when the CL opened and I actually visited the CL during its first week of opening and was excited with the experience. Lets hope the new AU AF change can help "elevate" it back a little.

freshmargs

Trekked over despite flight in A since I was curious after reading this thread how bad it might be. No wait Monday 1030 AM. 3-4 people at check in desk, one explaining to someone on the side why they couldn't get in. Seemed like she was stressed about taking a meeting but if she would have read this thread or looked inside clearly this is not the place for it :-) Very very crowded, area near the craft beer bar was a bit quieter. Staff seemed to be hustling replenishing/clearing. One coffee machine broken. Omelette station in action and reasonable selection for breakfast. The bar has now clearly posted the 1 drink/15 minute policy (30 minutes for liquor neat). NO SHOTS. I'd never seen a sign like that in any lounge Amex or otherwise so asked the bartender about it. Colorado law, people don't realize the effect of altitude, etc. Sounds reasonable as it seems like people were there to get lit up on a Monday, (unsuccessfully) trying to order double pours and/or protesting having to display their ID. Satisfied my curiosity, no plans to wait for it or rush to try and get there if traveling DIA in the future. Denver might be the definition of "this is why we can't have nice things" in the CL family.