It’s the battle of the airport lounges in Miami — and the fight focuses on food
The battle over airport lounges is heating up in the kitchen.
American Express is boosting food and beverage offerings at its Centurion Lounges across the United States — open to Amex platinum card users — by adding items from James Beard-winning chefs and a respected cocktail creator.
Travelers at Miami International Airport, one of 15 U.S. airports with a Centurion Lounge — in the north terminal at Level 4 across from Gate D14 — stand to benefit from the newly created menus. The initiative, dubbed the Culinary Collective by the Centurion Lounge, debuts on July 29.
The chosen chefs include Mike Solomonov, behind South Beach’s Aviv at the 1 Hotel, which opened earlier this year, and Philadelphia’s Zahav, which popularized Israeli cuisine and won a Beard award for Best Restaurant in 2019.
Kwame Onwuachi, known in New York and Washington, D.C., plans to open Las’ Lap Miami, a restaurant and rum bar at The Daydrift Hotel in Miami Beach this year.
American Express is hoping that if you’re normally hesitant to arrive at airports two to three hours before your flight, or you try to minimize the amount of time you spend at MIA, the opportunity to try pomegranate glazed salmon topped with tabbouleh or paprika chicken or vegan lemony orzo with artichokes and dill might change your mind.
Across U.S. airports
The menus will regularly rotate and vary by location. But some items will be available in each of the 15 U.S. lounges. The company said that what’s chosen by this Culinary Collective “will be about half of the menu at U.S. Centurion Lounges.”
The new offering comes as competition for airport lounges is increasing, as more Americans travel and MIA in particular continues to set records for passenger volume.
In June, American Airlines said it would build a new flagship lounge at MIA and expand its Admirals Lounge there. The flagship lounge will be built from scratch and offer champagne and local food items to members on arrival.
In 2024, Delta Air Lines upgraded its VIP lounge at MIA. In March, Avianca and TAP Portugal unveiled a renovated space.
Financial firms and VIP lounges
American Express is different, though, as it marks a move by financial services companies to get more active in the lounge and loyalty business. It opened its first airport lounge in Las Vegas in 2013.
Capital One and Chase have both gotten into the lounge business, too.
In 2024, the American Express Platinum was awarded Best Card for lounge access. by The Points Guy, an industry website.
That was in part because the Amex Platinum card also gives members access to the Delta Sky lounge and certain Priority Pass lounges.
In May, The Points Guy wrote a more comprehensive analysis of the value of Amex Platinum cards in using airport lounges.
For more information on the rules locations and how to become a member, go to the Centurion lounge website.
Chefs working with Culinary Collective
▪ Kwame Onwuachi
Restaurants: Tatiana in New York, Dōgon in Washington, D.C.
Type: Afro-Caribbean flavors
Sample items to expect: suya short ribs, tamarind ice box cake
▪ Mashama Bailey
Restaurants: The Grey in Savannah, Georgia, soon L’Arrêt by The Grey in Paris
Type: Modern Southern cuisine
Sample items to expect: torched espresso creme brûlée, paprika chicken
▪ Mike Solomonov
Restaurants: Zahav in Philadelphia, K’Far and Aviv
Type: Israeli
Sample items to expect: pomegranate glazed salmon topped with tabbouleh, charred broccolini with kashaval cheese and lemon
▪ Sarah Grueneberg
Restaurants: Monteverde
Type: Italian
Sample items to expect: vegan lemony orzo with artichokes and dill, grilled corn and cucumber salad with avocado and cilantro salsa verde
▪ Harrion Ginserberg
Restaurants: Bar director at Overstory
Sample items to expect: vodka-based drink with yuzu, soda, and lime and non-alcoholic green tea tonic; green tea, lemon, grapefruit and a botanical spirit
This story was originally published July 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM.