Centurion Lounge, SFO Airport Lounge Guide

Location

Terminal: Terminal 2, Concourse D

Where to find it: Right after the TSA security checkpoint, near Compass Books and Napa Farms Market. You can't miss the desk — it's the first thing you see walking into the concourse.

Hours: 5:00 AM – 11:00 PM, daily

Important note: This is a temporary location. The permanent Centurion Lounge in Terminal 3 is closed for the Terminal 3 West Modernization Project and is expected to reopen in 2027. The temporary lounge is smaller than the original, which explains the capacity issues.

Review & overall experience

6.5 / 10

Anecdotal thoughts: The food is the reason you come here. The tikka masala alone would be worth the visit, and the salad bar is legitimately one of the best I've seen in any lounge. The cocktails are solid. But the space itself? It's fine. It feels like a holding pen — and that's because it basically is one. This is a temporary lounge crammed into the old Alaska Airlines space while Terminal 3 gets renovated, and it shows. We waited 20 minutes at 100% capacity to get in, then jostled for seats once inside. If the food weren't this good, it'd be a 5.

Ambiance: Generic. Functional. It's clean and well-lit, but there's nothing memorable about the design.

Cleanliness: Spotless — staff stays on top of it despite the crowds.

Service: Friendly and efficient, especially given how packed it gets.

Comfort: Comfortable enough seating, but good luck finding any. Bring patience.

Crowding level: 100% capacity when we visited. We waited about 20 minutes to get in. Pro tip: Add yourself to the waitlist on the Amex app before you even clear security. Peak hours are 7–10 AM and 4–7 PM — aim outside those windows if you can.

Access requirements

How we got in: Ricky's Amex Platinum Card (personal). I paid a $50 guest fee.

Cards that get you in:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express (personal)
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
• Centurion Card® from American Express
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (only when flying Delta, booked with the card)

Guest fees: $50 per adult, $30 per child (ages 2–17). Guests are free if the cardholder has spent $75,000+ on the card that calendar year. All guests must be on the same flight as the cardholder.

No Priority Pass. No day passes for non-cardholders. This is Amex-exclusive — there is no other way in.

Amenities

• Premium hot food buffet (breakfast, lunch, and dinner service)
• Full complimentary bar with craft cocktails
• Wine-tasting area featuring Napa Valley wines
• Shower suite
• High-speed Wi-Fi
• Semi-private workspaces and computer bar
• Family room
• Member services desk
• Flat-screen TVs and flight monitors
• Magazines and newspapers
• To-go coffee cups (take your coffee straight to the gate — underrated perk)

Private areas: Semi-private workspaces are available, but don't expect a door that closes. There's also a family room if you're traveling with kids.

What's missing: This is the temporary location, so it's smaller and more stripped-down than the original Terminal 3 lounge. No open-air terrace, no spa services. Showers are available.

Food & drink

Food: This is where the SFO Centurion Lounge punches way above its weight. The menu is from Chef Ravi Kapur, James Beard–nominated chef behind San Francisco's beloved Liholiho Yacht Club. Breakfast runs 6:30–11:30 AM (cage-free scrambled eggs, egg frittata, pancakes banana foster, home fries). Lunch and dinner pick up from 11:30 AM–9 PM with dishes like kochujang marinated chicken thighs, wild rice and coconut soup, and black vinegar honey-glazed baby carrots.

What we ate: the tikka masala chicken and tofu was genuinely excellent — restaurant-quality, not reheated-buffet-quality. The salmon over rice was solid. But the real star is the salad bar — one of the best I've seen in any airport lounge, period. Fresh, well-stocked, actually thoughtful. The dessert counter has cookies, cannoli, fruit tarts, éclairs, and candy. And they have beet and carrot juice shots if you want to feel virtuous before boarding.

Drinks: Full complimentary bar with real cocktails — not just rail liquor and canned beer. The cocktail program is solid, and the Napa-focused wine selection is a nice San Francisco touch. That said, there was a line at the bar when we went, which tracks with the overall capacity problem.

Bar quality: High. This is a proper bar with a proper menu. Just budget time to actually get your drink.

How to get into this lounge for free

There's only one way: carry an American Express Platinum Card yourself. That's it. There's no Priority Pass access, no day pass for non-cardholders, no walk-up option.

If you're tagging along on someone else's card (like I was on Ricky's), you're paying $50 per visit. Is it worth it? If you're there during a meal service and you drink, absolutely — you'll eat and drink more than $50 worth without trying. If you're just popping in for Wi-Fi and a seat, probably not.

The Amex Platinum runs $695/year. If you fly out of SFO regularly, the lounge access alone starts to justify a chunk of that fee — especially since the card also gets you into Centurion Lounges nationwide, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), Priority Pass lounges, and more.