Lufthansa Senator Café

The Lufthansa Senator Café at Munich International Airport, Departures G (Schengen), features a pretty unique concept: it is a cozy, exclusive, and complimentary coffee shop for Lufthansa’s Miles&More Senator members and Star Alliance Gold passengers.

Lufthansa operates five full service lounges at their Munich hub, and the nearest ones, the Senator Lounge and Business Lounge by gate G28, are located a stone’s throw away just across the hallway. The Senator Café isn’t just another lounge — at around 700 sq. ft., it is a much smaller space, serving a single purpose: providing premium customers with a coffee and sugar fix in an upper scale setting.

Design and amenities

The entrance is rather discreet, and the manual door might be intimidating, Just come in, and a friendly associate will promptly check your credentials. You’ll then find yourself in a small, enclosed space, that’s both stripped to the bare essentials, and a marvel of design and comfort. Indeed, the room itself is a simple affair — a free standing space at the center of the concourse, made of office-like translucent partitions. Inside though, dark hardwood floors, lighter wood panels, indoor plants and recessed lighting create a cozy, welcoming vibe. There’s a sample of just every bit of the typical Lufthansa Senator Lounge furniture: a couple high counter-style tables with barstools, a handful of signature black chairs with individual lamps, and dining tables.

The piece de resistance is of course the large bar, staffed with a barista. The selection of the day (including wines!) is featured on a chalk board. Go ahead, and order whatever you’d like — all beverages are hand crafted, and you may spice them up should you wish to do so. The barista also concocts smoothies and various other drinks. Next to the bar is a buffet area with a small selection of high quality savory and sweet bites, but if you prefer something more substantial, you may order a sandwich.

The food and drinks are tasty, and the calm, serene ambiance of the lounge, that contrasts sharply with the bustling and ever crowded Senator Lounge, makes the Senator Café an ideal place to recharge in between two flights and catch up on email. Our only pet peeve — all beverages, including soft drinks, need to be ordered from the barista; but that’s a factor of the lack of real estate.

Indeed, the small space means that Lufthansa had to make a number of tradeoffs. The lounge has no windows, even on the concourse, so it might feel a tad claustrophobic to some, and the lack of daylight might be bothersome. There are also none of the basic amenities that Lufthansa patrons have grown accustomed to — a bathroom, Wi-Fi, or a business center. Bathrooms are available nearby in the terminal (and showers just across at the Lufthansa Senator Lounge by gate G28). As for Wi-Fi, the airport does offer a public network, though it’s not the most reliable and access is limited to 30 minutes and requires creating a login.

Considering the size of the space, and the immediate proximity of a full service lounge, these trade-offs make complete sense. The Senator Café is a coffee shop for travelers on the go or on a short layover (which is pretty typical in Munich) and was not designed for extended stays. That being said, we really wish that Lufthansa did offer a dedicated access point, as the public service is no substitute.

Lufthansa Senator Café MUC bottom line

Overall, the Lufthansa Senator Café at Munich International Airport is perhaps the best kept secret at Franz-Josef Strauss airport. Cozy, elegant, upper scale, comfortable, quiet, and an oasis of service, it epitomizes the best of what Lufthansa has to offer. The experience is a close as it gets to the Lufthansa First Class Lounge, yet with a much more generous access policy. The space certainly has its limitations – such as the lack of a bathroom and dedicated Wi-Fi – but if it helps keep the lounge quiet, perhaps that’s for the better.