The Capital One Lounge at New York JFK airport opened last month, and I had a chance for a pre-opening first look. I really liked it, but also wanted to return under ‘real’ travel conditions.

Although the space is their largest at 14,000 square feet, and although there’s plenty of lounges in JFK’s terminal 4 (American Express, Chase, 3 Delta lounges, Virgin and several more) I still wondered how crowded it would get.

I took a Delta midday flight home from New York to Austin and decided to arrive three hours before the flight. There was no line to get in, so didn’t need to join a virtual queue in the car enroute to the airport. I cruised right through the Delta Sky Priority lane (that and my free exit row aisle seat thanks for Air France KLM Flying Blue Gold status, which comes with my Bilt Rewards Platinum). Then I went downstairs to the Capital One lounge.

I was welcomed in after showing my Venture X card and boarding pass. I think I might have shown up 3 hours and 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure, but they didn’t give me a hard time about this, since access technically isn’t until 3 hours out. The lounge was mostly empty.

What I was most excited about was doing a cheese tasting. Was that actually going to be available, or was it going to be too long a wait? I’ve wondered whether most people who want to do one actually are able to get in, since it can last half an hour or longer and there are only a handful of seats. In fact, the Cheese Monger opens at Noon and I was there just a bit before that. There was no wait for me. I still signed up and they texted me in four minutes when they were ready for me.

While I was there I tried a couple of the items on the lunch and dinner hot food menu – there were only four things to order via QR code. Both that I tried were quite tasty, but I have to say that if you want the pork maybe order 3 or 4 of them?

I passed by the buffet and didn’t actually take anything, since I was saving myself for cheese and charcuterie.

I sat down with two other travelers at the cheese counter, and we all got to talking. Both read the blog, and one was a writer for another (non-travel focused) publication, and she was reviewing the lounge.

We got descriptions of all of the cheeses they had available that day, learned our preferences, and customized a tasting around it (though you could try as many things as you wished, including trying everything). I will try most anything but tend to prefer cow’s and sheep’s milk cheeses over goat cheeses.

They offer you wines, and make suggestions. I started with a dry sherry to accompany my first bite but then switched to a sparkling white. The tasting ends with a black and white cookie and an offer of lemoncello. (This also serves as a nudge that your time is up, to subtley make room for other lounge guests on the wait list.)

After the cheese tasting I found a seat at the window, plugged in my laptop and charged my ear buds, and pounded out some work until it was close to time to leave.

While I was working one of the ‘rituals’ carts came by. They were offering tea and an absolutely decadant and delicious cake and I couldn’t say no. It was just a love ‘work and recharge’ snack. And having this surprise and delight show up, serving you, is just so… civilized. It makes the experience feel akin to a members’ club.

My flight was delayed, but I was still leaving out of B47 so had a pretty good hike. I stopped off at the restroom – there are individual restrooms in the lounge, which is great except when there’s a line. Fortunately, even though the lounge had filled up quite a bit in the time I was there, there was no line.

Then I stopped by the Bodega near the front. That’s where they have barista made coffee, bagel sandwiches, and their grab and go case. Unlike at other Capital One lounges, the grab and go here is served rather than self-serve.

I asked for a couple bottles of water, and ordered a couple of bagels. I love that they have Ess-a-Baegl, 75% par baked off site and then finished in the lounge throughout the day so that they’re fresh. I ordered their pastrami sandwich on a plain bagel (I’m a bagel purist – sorry – plain, salt, egg or poppyseed that’s it, no ‘everything’). Their mustard is actually an aoili so I skipped it.

I also ordered a plain bagel with smoked whitefish salad. And that’s where things got weird. I asked if I could have sliced tomato on the whitefish? And I was told no. “You can only subtract items, you cannot add.” Smoked whitefish isn’t a sandwich they offer. They offer bagels with spreads, and list that as a spread. And you cannot add onto a bagel with a spread.

Ok, I wondered, coud I separately just order a slice of tomato? Then I’d be happy to put it on the bagel myself? Two of the workers started arguing amongst themselves, and finally they agreed: I could have tomato on my bagel. (I had planned to ask about onions, but decided not to push my luck.)

That strange interaction aside (even if this is somehow a limitation of their POS system), I really like this lounge. It probably wouldn’t be as great at peak transatlantic departure times but midday it was super low key. It has plenty of different kinds of seating, plenty of power, airfield views and a good food and beverage program.

There’s even something interactive to do in the lounge – that cheese tasting was just so excellent. And I’m a sucker for a good bagel – which can be eaten in-lounge of course or easily taken to go.

At this point I think that Capital One has the two best credit card lounges in the United States – their JFK lounge, and their ‘Landing’ tapas restaurant at Washington National airport in D.C. (their second landing will open at LaGuardia). I rate both ahead Capital One’s other lounges, ahead of Chase’s LaGuardia and Philadephia lounges, and ahead of Centurion lounges. There’s no question that Capital One’s lounge at JFK airport outdoes the Chase and American Express lounges one level up in the terminal.