The Etihad Airways Lounge is a limited-access venue on the Event level, 2-3 flights of stairs from the main concourse level. Lounge access comes with some seats or can be purchased at certain times as part of packages. I got one-time access as part of a ticket charity auction.
You can gain access to the event via the stairwell opposite aisle 108 on the concourse level. It feels like 3 flights of stairs going down. There is also an elevator at the top of the stairs on the concourse level. There was an elevator operator in the elevator the day we went. It feels like the venue was jammed into some empty place under the event floor but it still works.
They scan your lounge pass at the entrance and then give you a wristband that you use for later access. This was a fast process. The scanning entry area is small and I could see people getting caught on the stairs if they came in closer to game time.
The lounge opened about 1 hour before the game and stayed open until the end of the 2nd intermission. Food and drinks were available the whole time it was open. Pre-packaged Ice Cream was available during the 2nd intermission. Food, non-alcoholic drinks and I think beer was free.
Staff
The staff was great. Everyone in our group had a great experience. The servers at the stations were friendly and helpful. They had people positioned around the space to help with directions and questions. We were really surprised at how good the staff was.
Seating
I didn't get any pictures of the seating. The venue claims that it can hold events of up to 500 people. 2/3 of the "table" space is stand-up high tops. There is also a section of high-top tables with chairs and a much smaller set of table-height locations.
Bathrooms
There are two sets of bathrooms in the lounge. One set just inside the entrance and one at the back of the event space. Neither set of bathrooms was large. They were never as crowded as the main arena probably because of the limited access.
Beverages
Beer, Wine, Liquor
There were two main bar areas in the lounge and a specialty bar. The main bars served complimentary beer. I believe the drinks were extra cost.
There was a specialty mobile cart bar just inside the entrance.
Non Alcoholic Beverages
The lounge featured unlimited beverages. There were canned sodas, some flavored sparkling water, fountain sodas, bottled water, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.
I did not take any pictures of the upright drink refrigerator, soda machine, or coffee-tea area.
Food
There were 5 main food areas plus a salad station, popcorn, and a large 3-table desert area. The main stations were:
- 2 roast beef, one with stuffing and frittatas / small quiche,
- 2 hotdogs, sausage, nachos and toppings
- 1 crispy beef, maybe 2.
Main Course
Roast Beef, Fittatas and Green Beans
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| Nachos and potato pastires |
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| Hot Dogs and Sausages |
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| Crispy Beef |
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| Nachos |
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| Hot Dogs and Sausages |
Salad
The salad stand included sweet potato mash. The cones are prosciutto, meat, and cheese.
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| Salad Stand |
Deserts
There was a variety of dessert items and sweets on a U shaped serving area towards the back.
I didn't get any pictures of the ice cream or the Deep-fried Apple Empanadas in the center of the front dessert case.
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| Right side of the dessert case |
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| Left side dessert case. |
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| Cookies down the left wing of the dessert table. |
The hand dip ice cream available the whole time but was pretty melty so none of us tried it. There were ice cream bars in a freezer near the canned drinks during one of the intermissions.
Revision History
Created 2023 11
The pictures look the way they do because I didn't want to include anyone's face if possible.
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