United Polaris Lounge — Attraction in Newark

The United Polaris Lounge at Newark Airport is a spacious and luxurious lounge for international-bound business-class passengers. It features a full-service bar, a dining area with a la carte dining and a buffet, and several amenities, including showers.

On a recent trip from Dubai to San Francisco with a layover in Newark, I took the opportunity to visit the Polaris Lounge there. However, I was disappointed to find that the cleanliness of the shower facility was below par. The walls were smeared in soap scum, hair particles obstructed the drainage, and there was a smudge of poop stain in the toilet bowl. This was surprising, given that the lounge was almost empty at 7 a.m. and should be cleaned after every user.

The lounge's seating area also showed signs of wear and tear. A few chairs in a secluded corner with a view of the runway had torn fabric.

Despite these two issues, I found the lounge to be a comfortable and relaxing place to spend a few hours. The food and drink were excellent, and the staff was friendly and attentive.

One of the best things about the Polaris Lounges I've visited in San Francisco and Chicago is the food and beverages. The a la carte menu features a variety of dishes presented in fine dining style that include appetizers, main courses, and desserts. The buffet also has a good selection of salads, sandwiches, and hot dishes. The bar has a wide selection of wines, beers, and cocktails.

I would recommend the Polaris Lounge to business-class passengers flying through Newark Airport. It is a great place to relax, work, or enjoy a meal before your flight.

Pros: Spacious and airy Plenty of seating areas to relax or work Full-service bar Dining area with a la carte dining and a buffet Showers and amenities Excellent food and drink Friendly and attentive staff

Cons: Can be crowded during peak...

Had the privilege of flying United Polaris a couple of times recently. SFO Lounge was amazing and the service quick, efficient, and extremely professional/ helpful… Newark was a dud. The front desk was great, they were the highlight. The woman there located my bag and assured me of its routing to my destination.

After that, with an empty bar the bartender ignored me while he married Chambord bottles together (a health code no-no in the days when I was bartending); the restaurant maitre d’ was absent from the floor as I waited 5-7 minutes to even be acknowledged to grab a table, (again in a half empty restaurant);

then she didn’t even ask for a drink order; skip another few minutes to the waiter showing up, (I was ready to order immediately but to no avail)

Skip another 20 minutes and I have only received my coffee, but no sign of the yogurt appetizer or my food.

All in all, after waiting for the restaurant service for a half an hour, I left my table, without even being questioned or acknowledged by the manager/maitre d on the way out; hit the buffet to cram some food and left.

The lounge is beautiful, the buffet food is okay; but honestly not any better than other lounges or even the regular United lounge, and the Newark staff is inept. I would have been better served at my local Denny’s, where I would have enjoyed a chat with my waiter, maybe even the manager, had 3 cups of coffee, a fantastic breakfast, and been driving away before this staff deigned to acknowledge my presence. (I witnessed two other tables receiving the same treatment.)

As for Polaris, it’s awesome; just skip EWR, I’m hoping it’s an off day; but if not United wasted all that money on a beautiful space, just to come up short where it matters...

We landed at 11. Got to the lounge by 11:15. Waited till 11:25 for someone to come out and seat us in the dining room. Then we waited, while various wait staff walked by. One lady came by and said she would take our table if the server that is supposed to serve is even later. Server eventually showed up. We ordered. I ordered an appetizer and entree. My wife ordered an entree. Al the food showed up at once at 11:50. My food was cold, while her burger was hot.

No other Polaris lounge that I have been to has such poor quality service.

After I left the dining room I realized the dissfunctuon. The buffet and restaurant are located at the opposite end of the lounge. So servers have to walk 200 feet to the kitchen to pick up orders.

I have been to this lounge many times over the years and used to sit next to the bar

Whoever laid out the restaurant location has never taken a class in HRM or Ops Mgmt. The dining area should be in close proximity to the kitchen like it is in Houston ... so the server doesn't have to walk 200' to get the appetizer and then back 200' to get the entree; because apparently that it too much work for them and they would rather serve the food cold.

Skip the sit down restaurant and go to the buffet.

Hopefully this review get management attention and they can fix the operational issue. I have tried to avoid Newark over the decades. This experience does not help improve my...