REVIEW: Capital One Landing “Lounge” at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

On a recent trip to Washington, DC, I was finally able to check out the Capital One Landing “lounge” at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)! I say “finally” because the concept and the food provided through a partnership with José Andrés really appealed to me and I had easy access to the lounge as a Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card cardholder.

Introduction

I looked forward to flying out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), swiping my card, and seeing what it was different about this “lounge.”

When Capital One announced the new Capital One Landing at DCA, here’s what they had to say:

Capital One Landing is a new concept that brings elevated food and beverage and essential airport amenities like luggage nooks and private restrooms to the heart of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). That means you don’t have to stray far from your gate to find first-class treatment, inventive food and refined vibes.

The world-renowned José Andrés Group is again partnering with Capital One to bring to life the deep connection between food and travel. Together, they’ve previously curated memorable moments for Capital One customers via Capital One Dining and exclusive food-focused Venture X trips.

Location and Access

Capital One Landing sits airside in DCA’s Terminal 2, with an entrance from the National Hall main thoroughfare near Concourse D.  Its location is closest to American Airlines’ gates, though it was a less than 10-minute walk for us to our Delta gate B19, which is about as far as you can get from Capital One Landing at DCA.

TIP – You may want to get dropped off at the North Security Checkpoint, where the American Airlines check-in is located, as it’s the closest security point to the Capital One Landing at DCA.  If you don’t need to check a bag or get a boarding pass with another airline this can save you some time walking the length of the National Hall.

The lounge is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business cardholders can enjoy complimentary access for themselves and one guest.  This policy is different from the current access rules for other airports’ Capital One Lounges, which allow cardholders to enter with up to two guests without incurring a fee.  These rules are February 1, 2026, as Chris previously covered here, but for now, here are the cards that grant access, as well as the current rules.

• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business members and up to two guests can enter the lounges for free. (Each additional guest is $45.)
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Spark Miles for Business can enter the lounges for $45 a person.
• Guests without one of those cards can enter the lounge for a $90 fee per visit.
• You can enter up to three hours before your flight departs. Entrance is not granted to people arriving at their final destination.

At 5,500 square feet, the Capital One Landing at DCA has a max capacity of 90 guests.  This is meaningfully smaller than the Capital One Lounge at nearby Dulles International Airport, with 8,500 square feet and a capacity of 120 guests.  But that lounge is also a more traditional layout while Capital One Landing at DCA is really laid out like a sit-down restaurant and bar with a few quirks.

The Experience

The Capital One Landing at DCA accepts reservations that can be made through the Capital One App.  Unfortunately, this proved to be extremely glitchy for me.  It started over a month ahead when I had booked my flight.  I went in to see if I could make a reservation to ensure that we would be able to visit.  Unfortunately, the calendar showed only sporadic availability with no availability on the day we were flying.  Once we were in DC I tried again to see if I could secure a reservation and again it didn’t show any availability for our travel day.

I tried one more time on the drive from our hotel to DCA and the app was showing that the lounge as at capacity.

Despite the app showing a lack of availability, we decided to see if we could get in anyway.  Well, we were pleasantly surprised to see that there were at most 15 guests in the Capital One Landing at DCA.

To gain access, I needed to present my boarding pass and my Capital One Venture X personal card.  My wife only had to show her boarding pass.  We were immediately seated and the friendly host let us know how food and beverages could be ordered via their app.

When we arrived a little before 11:00am and they were still serving breakfast.  There were a few buffet bakery, fruit, and yogurt options.

Here are the options from the breakfast menu.

I started our adventure with a Cold Brew AND an Espresso Martini and the Pincho de Tortilla the classic Spanish dish.  What I appreciated was that you could input any allergies in the app and the kitchen and wait staff seemed to take it very seriously.

Double-fisting coffee beverages isn’t something I recommend for everyone.  But as a certified coffee addict, I really enjoyed both beverages which were restaurant quality.  While I was waiting for my tortilla to arrive I went up to the buffet to get a Greek yogurt with berries.

I really appreciated that the Capital One Landing at DCA uses really cloth napkins, water glasses, and silverware.  Along with the interesting crockery it made you feel like you were in a José Andrés Group restaurant.

The natural light coming in the generous windows and the views reminded you that you were at an airport.  With the quality of the food and service you might have otherwise forgotten.

Around 11:30 they began to change over to lunch options both on the buffet and on the app.  Here’s what the lunch buffet looked like.

I couldn’t help but sample some of the cured meats and cheeses while perusing the lunch/dinner menu options.

Here are the lunch/dinner menu options.

Once again we appreciated that they noted which items were gluten free, vegetarian, etc.  I couldn’t resist ordering the Carne Asada, the shrimp, and the corn.  Oh and a taco too for research purposes.

The food was really delicious.  I think that it’s possibly the best “lounge food” that we’ve ever had though admittedly we are huge fans of Spanish cuisine.  When I think of lounges that we’ve visited with cooked to order food like the Virgin Clubhouse or Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge this food blew them out of the water.  Full disclosure we haven’t (yet) experienced any of the top lounges in Asia or First Class lounges operated by Air France or Lufthansa where the food is arguably the best.

I was unbelievably full at this point but my sweeter half insisted that the review would not be complete without sampling dessert.  She selected the flan and ice cream from the buffet.

Unable to eat any more and thankful for the 10 or so minute walk to our gate we visited the restrooms and headed out.  It’s nice that the lounge includes two unisex restrooms within the space.  With upscale finishes including cool lighting and art it added to the feeling that we were in a restaurant and not an airport lounge.  We also appreciated that the wood tones and other design elements relate to other Capital One lounges we’ve visited at DFW and IAD.

Final Approach

When I tally up everything that the two of us ate and drank over our nearly three-hour visit, we easily could have racked up a $200 bill for food and drinks of this quality at an airport.  That’s incredible value out of my Capital One Venture X card.  We enjoyed our Sunday Brunch at the Capital One Landing at DCA and would very much like to do it again soon.  We might need to make a point to visit the next Capital One Landing scheduled to open at LGA in Terminal B in the near future.