The New Lufthansa Lounge in Milan (MXP)
I passed through the Lufthansa Senator Lounge at Milan Malpensa (MXP) airport last year, which was small and a bit drab. But this year I was treated to an entirely new lounge, with plenty of airplane views and natural light, and a wonderful selection of food!
Interestingly, this lounge is simply called "Lufthansa Lounge," instead of being separated into "Senator" and "Business" lounges. I always thought that was kind of an odd setup, especially in airports where the lounge is small, like Newark (Trip Report here).
The Senator Lounge usually has a bit of a nicer food selection than the Business Lounge, and I'm happy to say that the combined Lufthansa Lounge at MXP has even nicer food than I'd encountered at any Senator Lounge. I think overall the focus of this lounge is to better reflect local culture.
First, you enter into a space with large communal tables looking out onto the airplanes, and a beverage area.
The space is like an L-shape, and when you turn right, you're in the main area with food, bar, and more seating.
The bathrooms, decorated with old maps of Milan, were labeled "Premium Restrooms from Villeroy & Boch." I didn't really notice anything especially premium about them.
Arriving more or less at dinner time, I decided to have a sampling of the food on offer!
There were a couple soups, one of them being this Parmentier potato soup topped with fried leeks. I took just a couple spoonfuls since it looked very dense and filling. And it was indeed hearty, but also had a savory, robust flavor.
I suppose in a nod to Italian cuisine, there was a tray of bruschetta and mixed pizza. I took a piece of bruschetta, sprinkled with that oregano like at breakfast. From the cold buffet, I tried a plate of melon and prosciutto with some cheese.
The hot buffet area was even better. There was a baked halibut on green beans and carrots, and green cheese tortellini. The halibut, despite being served on a heating tray, was amazingly moist! The crust gave a textural contrast and brought a lot of flavor to the fish. There was also pork with sweet and sour sauce, and grilled tomatoes in the hot buffet.
One thing that I love about some Italian airport lounges, like the ones in Bologna and Naples (but not Bergamo), is that there's a barista who pulls espresso for you. The Lufthansa Lounge did not disappoint in this regard!
I really don't know why coffee just tastes so superior in Italy, but I really needed to have my last shot before leaving.
To accompany my coffee, I had a slice of what was labelled "Pasticciona Cake" which they said was made with "Rice and Corn." Now, I can't find any reference to this cake on the internet, but I can describe it as kind of a sweet, firm custard cake, with the texture kind of a cross between an egg tart and butter mochi.
I was also excited to find these circular crackers which a friend had gifted me last year as part of a gift basket of gourmet Italian items. I remembered these circles well - crispy with a surprisingly deep flavor - and found some space in my tummy for them along with dessert!
Lufthansa really hit it out of the park with this lounge. I can safely say that the Milan Lufthansa Lounge, which really just serves the short hops from Milan to Germany and Switzerland, tops the intercontinental Senator Lounges in Frankfurt, Newark, and Washington-Dulles (which I think are high quality already). I hope this lounge is a sign of things to come!
