Gourmet Flyer The TAP (Transportes Aéreos Portugueses) or Air Portugal Premium Lounge in Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) can be a haven from the sometimes-chaotic terminal, especially during the city’s peak tourist travel season. It is a great place to avoid the long lines at the food court to grab a bite, find a place to get some work done, or just to sit back and relax with a cocktail before your flight. This post is a review of the club based on my several recent visits. One caveat though, is that all of my recent flight were morning departures. Therefore, even if I was able to provide a detailed menu of the club’s breakfast offering, my list of all-day snacks is incomplete.
Table of Contents
- Location
- Access
- Seating Areas
- Breakfast
- All Day Snacks
- Beverage Service
- Bar and Alcoholic Beverages
- Conclusion
Location
This TAP Premium Lounge is located in the Schengen area of Terminal One in Lisbon Airport (LIS). It is upstairs from the central shopping and dining area, and you can easily spot the two long escalators leading to the mezzanine floor.
Note that since the club is in the Schengen area, if you are travelling to a non-Schengen country – such as the US or Canada – you still need to clear passport control. Therefore, don’t indulge in the lounge too long and please leave early enough to allow sufficient time (which could be anywhere between one to two hours in peak travel seasons) to go through passport control.
Hours as of this writing is 5:00am – 12:00am.
Note: On January 30, 2024, TAP Air Portugal opened the doors to their new Atlântico Premium Lounge in Lisbon Airport’s Non-Schengen area. Go here for a complete review.
Access
In a nutshell, access to TAP Air Portugal’s airport Lounge is complimentary to:
- Passengers flying in TAP’s Business Class.
- Those with silver or above status with the airline’s Miles&Go frequent flyer program.
- Star Alliance Gold members traveling on a partner’s flight.
The above are just very general guidelines only and are incomplete. Rules to airport club admission are complicated so please visit Air Portugal’s website here for detailed information and policies.
Seating Areas
The main central area is furnished with large sofas separated by small built-in partitions between seats that could be used as a coffee table or workspace. AC and USB outlets are also equipped between seats for charging your devices. These sofas are soft and very comfortable and are great seats to sit back, enjoy a drink, and relax.
At one end of the club near and behind the bar is an area with a restaurant-like set up of small dining tables which are perfect for eating a meal or getting some work done with your laptop at the same time.
There are several large high-tops that seat six to eight people and are ideal for large groups. They are also used as a shared space just like a communal table, especially when the place is busy and crowded.
My favorites are the window seats! About a dozen or so two-tops line the window side of the club, providing more private space than the other areas, as well as a good view of the tarmac.
Breakfast
Breakfast is self-served at a large buffet counter at the far end of the club right next to the drink machines and beer and wine. One end of the counter is a cereal station with plenty of varieties to choose from.
Other goodies available on the counter include fresh fruits, yogurt, pancakes, and waffles.
Freshly baked bread, rolls, and croissants are place in baskets at the end of the second long counter where all the cold cuts are found.
Hot foods are served on chaffing dishes and hot plates on the other end. On a typical day, hot breakfast items include scrambled eggs, sausage links, ham or bacon, grilled tomatoes, baked beans, and other items that rotate from time to time.
Above is a picture of my yummy breakfast from one of my recent visits.
All Day Snacks
All day snacks include items that are displayed during breakfast hours and remain on the buffet counter for the rest of the day. There are usually one or two platters of cheeses and cold cuts, and a variety of these items appear to rotate on different days.
Among all the offerings that I have tasted, my top favorite is prosciutto. It is really good so grab some if you see them the next time you are there. It goes very well with a glass of red wine too!
There are always plates of pre-cut fresh fruits served alongside some grapes. A variety of cakes, scones, brownies, and many other baked goods are always on rotation.
As I have mentioned in the beginning of this post, one caveat of this review is that all my recent flights out of Lisbon were early morning departures. Therefore, although I can give you a detailed description of the TAP lounge’s breakfast menu, my list of all day snack offerings is incomplete. I look forward to updating this section in the near future.
Beverage Service
There are two main beverage stations, one located at each end of the place. On the wall right behind the buffet counter is a line up of espresso machines, soda machines, and adult beverages (more on that later).
One of my favorites amenities at the club is a drinking water fountain designed specifically to refill your water bottle. If you are not sure how this works, there is a label with English instructions if you look closely. It is actually very simple – push the button to start, push it again to stop.
At the other end of the club behind the bar is the other beverage station. You can find two more espresso machines there. A selection of teabags is also available.
For the true espresso connoisseur, notice that you can find authentic porcelain European espresso cups here at the bottom shelves.
TIP: People tend to line up to use the coffee machine near the buffet, but I never saw a line at these machines here. As you can see from the picture above, you can also refill your water bottle here.
Bar and Alcoholic Beverages
Beer and wine are self-served, and they are located at the counter right behind the buffet, next to the soft drink stations. They serve the well-loved Bohemia pilsner draft as well as Sagres – a popular local beer from Portugal. While Sagres is a good beer, my top favorite Portuguese beer is Super Bock.
Bottles of wine that are already opened and fitted with pourers are placed in a temperature-controlled compartment. There are quite a few varieties of reds and whites and most of them are from Portugal. This is great, as I always love to taste the local beers and wines of every country that I visit.
There is also a full-service bar with a bartender who will make your favorite cocktails. There are several bar stools if you like to sit there. Unfortunately, since all of my recent visits were for early morning departures, I do not have a lot of actions surrounding the bar to report.
TIP: Right next to the bar is a self-served area stocked with small bottled sparkling water and canned sodas. Glasses and ice cubes are also available there.
Conclusion
It is my pleasure to share in this review that my recent visits to the TAP Air Portugal Premium Lounge in Lisbon Airport (LIS) have been very pleasant. This is almost like an escape from the sometimes-chaotic Lisbon terminal, especially during peak tourist seasons. While this is not an opulent-looking or elegant space by any measure, it serves its purpose well. It is a comfortable space to relax or get some work done while you wait for your flight. The facilities and amenities are adequate. I really enjoyed all my breakfasts there and I think the food is on par with similar airport clubs in the same category. Last but not the least, the entire staff at the TAP Lounge has been wonderful in keeping the place clean, wiping down and resetting empty tables quickly, and replenishing the buffet in a very timely manner.
