Review: Plaza Premium First Lounge – Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Int’l, Terminal D

Small luxurious lounge with superlative food and an incredible staff

The summary

The Plaza Premium First Lounge at DFW (Terminal D) marks the operator’s initial US foray of an elevated “first” lounge. Located near gate D15, it shares an entry with a traditional Plaza Premium Lounge, which looked very nice (but I did not visit). Plaza Premium also offers a smaller traditional lounge in Terminal E, which houses most US carriers other than American Airlines.

Guests must ascend an escalator to enter the lounge. The reception desk is to the right. Most passengers will enter the traditional lounge to the left. With an upcharge of $45, I could access the elevated First lounge: It was worth every penny. The “First” lounge is to the right of reception and you venture past a pretty bookcase and painting before entering the lounge.

Not only are guests directed into the First lounge, but one of the amazing receptionists escort you into the lounge and explain where things are. Once you pick a seat, a server immediately arrives and announces that he or she will be taking care of you on your visit: and they do!

The lounge itself is rather small but very has a sophisticated and luxurious décor, which rivals that of the Sapphire lounge further along the concourse. I loved how the booths were adorned with cowboy hats, which lent the space a Texas vibe. Guests can sit at the bar or at the booth style tables. I loved the fact that there were many booths thoughtfully designed for solo travelers. Another plus, outlets were accessible from every seat in the lounge. There are no tarmac views; the lounge looks out over the gate concourse in Terminal D.

The fact that all the seating was table seating gives guests a clue – this lounge is all about the food!

The buffet itself is nothing that exciting. Oddly, the menu presented featured lunch/dinner items. There are coffees, teas, and water to drink. For food, the buffet options include scrambled eggs, sausage and potatoes for hot options. There are biscuits, breads, and muffins. For cold options, there is fresh fruit, peach cobbler, chia pudding, and yogurt parfait. One plus, the buffet also offered orange marmalade, salted butter, honey, and raspberry jam. But if the buffet is underwhelming: the lounge makes up for it with its made-to-order menu options.

Once seated, I was immediately approached by a server (Nico was awesome), who presented me with the menu. One side has drinks, the other food. I struggled with what to order. But being in Texas, I selected Brisket Biscuit Beni. I am not going to write out what’s in it  – see the menu below. What I will say is that it was one of the best breakfast sandwiches I ever had.  A couple of people ordered the shakshuka, which looked excellent.

The bar starts serving alcoholic drinks at 10 AM on Sunday. While I stuck to water, a neighbor ordered a pecan old fashioned – that had nuts! All drinks are complementary. The bar itself was elegantly appointed. There are coat hooks along the bar, as well as the outlets hidden underneath.

After breakfast, I went back to the reception desk and asked to take a shower in the lounge’s sole shower suite. The shower itself was huge, and the water pressure was great. The shower suite itself was perfectly fine – not on par with Singapore’s Private Room but perfectly suitable. I suggest that if the lounge is crowded, reserve the shower suite with the receptionist on entry. In addition, near the shower were a few individual restrooms and a prayer room.

Internet access was password protected by very fast. As noted, outlets were everywhere. With the opening of the Plaza Premium First lounge, Terminal D at DFW has one of the largest selection of premium lounges in the US. There is a Chase Sapphire Lounge, a Capital One Lounge, a Centurion lounge (which has a 20 minute wait to get in), and an American Flagship Lounge. There is also the adjacent traditional Plaza Premium Lounge and The Club in the terminal. Note, access is limited to 3 hours before departure – so if you are departing from another terminal consider the time to take the efficient skylink train. The  Plaza Premium First Lounge might have the most exclusive feel of any of the lounges at DFW. The staff was the best.

A server told me that the small base can get crowded before some international departures as some non-US carriers send their premium cabin passengers to this lounge

The wrap:

…the details: Date: August 9, 2026. Rating: Exceptional.  Access: American Express Platinum (+$45)

….what I like: The staff, the made-to-order food, the bar, the décor, outlet availability.

…what I don’t like: When bank of internation flights begin, crowding could become an issue, the smallish buffet