Racu Travel Lab: May 2026

Location: Terminal 1 East, near gates 1 to 4 at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG).

Opening hours: Daily from 5:30am until the final departure of the day.

Access: Cathay Pacific First class passengers or Cathay Diamond members. During the initial reopening period, oneworld Emerald members may be directed to The Pier, First or other eligible lounges instead.

Cathay Pacific The Wing, First Class Lounge is Cathay Pacific's flagship First class lounge at Hong Kong International Airport. It reopened after its redesign on 22 April 2026, with the latest refresh created in collaboration with London-based design studio Studioilse.

What stood out most during my visit was not flashy luxury, but a calm sense of order. The lounge sits inside one of the world's busiest airports, yet the atmosphere feels composed and quiet. The Dining Room feels much closer to a proper restaurant than a typical airport lounge. The menu is divided by time: breakfast is served from opening until 11:00am, then the lunch and dinner menu starts from 11:00am onward.

Entrance to Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport — The entrance to The Wing, First Class Lounge near gates 1 to 4. After the redesign, the first impression is calmer and more refined.

Entrance And First Impressions

The Wing, First Class Lounge entrance sits in a part of the terminal where the high ceiling and glass structure of HKG are easy to see. Once inside, the mood becomes softer, with wood, green tones and low lighting doing most of the work. The Dining Room entrance appears early in the flow, and passing through it feels like stepping into a separate restaurant within the lounge.

Entrance to the Dining Room at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge — The Dining Room entrance. Beyond the doorway, the space shifts into a quieter restaurant-like setting.

Wood interior and green booth seating inside The Wing First Class Dining Room — Warm wood, green booth seating and low lighting inside the Dining Room.

Dining Room bar and service counter at The Wing First Class Lounge Hong Kong — The Dining Room counter, with generous spacing between seats and attentive table service.

Spring menu at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Dining Room — The Spring menu during my visit. The Dining Room menu changes by time of day, with breakfast followed by the lunch and dinner menu.

Before 11:00am: Breakfast Menu

The breakfast menu focuses on lighter, easy-to-eat dishes. There are warm breakfast plates, wellness-style choices, fruit and drinks, so it works well before a long flight without feeling too heavy. If you have enough connection time, I would choose a seated breakfast in the Dining Room over a quick stop at the Pantry.

Breakfast menu at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge — The breakfast menu served from opening until 11:00am.

Detailed breakfast menu at Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge Hong Kong — The morning menu combines lighter options with warm cooked dishes.

Breakfast menu page at The Wing First Class Dining Room — Breakfast choices for different pre-flight appetites.

Morning Dining Room menu at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge — The Dining Room breakfast selections for the morning service.

Acai berry bowl at The Wing First Class Dining Room — Breakfast ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **Acai berry bowl**. It comes with frozen banana, mixed berries, almond milk, goji berries, coconut and granola.

First Light smoothie at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge — A drink ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **First Light**. It is a smoothie made with strawberry, banana, yoghurt, almond milk and honey.

Smashed avocado toast at The Wing First Class Lounge Hong Kong — Breakfast ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **Smashed avocado toast**. It is served on sourdough with vegan feta, cherry tomatoes, toasted cashews and za'atar.

Dining Room Review: Lunch And Dinner From 11:00am

After 11:00am, the menu changes noticeably. The lunch and dinner offering includes monthly specials, Mott 32-inspired Chinese dishes, signature noodles, mains, cheese and desserts. It would be easy to lower expectations because this is still an airport lounge, but the menu structure and plating feel much closer to a restaurant.

Several full meal options stood out, including Tiger prawn "mapo tofu", Grilled Australian wagyu hanger steak, Iberico char siu with honeyed soy beans and Braised New Zealand lamb shoulder with roasted tomatoes. If you are departing Hong Kong on a long-haul flight, eating properly here before boarding can make a lot of sense.

Lunch and dinner monthly specials at The Wing First Class Lounge after 11am — The lunch and dinner menu served after 11:00am, starting with monthly specials, starters, mains and desserts.

Mott 32 delights menu at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge — The Mott 32-linked Chinese menu page, one of the clearest expressions of the Dining Room concept.

All day wellness selections on The Wing First Class lunch and dinner menu — Wellness selections with salads, vegetables and a vegan dessert.

Wonton noodles and dan dan noodles on The Wing First Class menu — Signature noodle dishes, including wonton noodles and dan dan noodles, are available from the lunch and dinner menu.

Lunch and dinner mains at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge — Main courses including Iberico char siu, roasted French chicken and Australian wagyu hanger steak.

Cheese and dessert menu at The Wing First Class Lounge — The menu continues into cheese and desserts, giving the meal a proper finish.

Brioche French toast at The Wing First Class Dining Room — Ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **Brioche French toast**. It comes with mixed berries, red fruit compote, creme fraiche, hazelnuts and maple syrup.

Tiger prawn mapo tofu at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Dining Room — Lunch and dinner dish ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **Tiger prawn "mapo tofu"**. It arrives hot in a clay pot, with a warm, spicy aroma.

Grilled Australian wagyu hanger steak at The Wing First Class Lounge Hong Kong — Lunch and dinner main ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **Grilled Australian wagyu hanger steak**. The menu lists chimichurri sauce and French fries.

Iberico char siu with honeyed soy beans at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge — Lunch and dinner main ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **Iberico char siu with honeyed soy beans**. The dark plate gives the dish a strong visual presence.

Braised New Zealand lamb shoulder with roasted tomatoes at The Wing First Class Lounge — Lunch and dinner main ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **Braised New Zealand lamb shoulder with roasted tomatoes**. The menu lists artichoke, roasted bell peppers and romesco sauce.

Octopus carpaccio starter at The Wing First Class Dining Room Hong Kong — Starter ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **Octopus carpaccio**. It is served with grapefruit, orange and rocket leaves.

Dining Room Drinks Menu

The Dining Room drinks list is also quite strong. It covers champagne, wine, classic cocktails, speciality cocktails, beer and non-alcoholic drinks, so it is easy to pair something with a meal. Names such as Bollinger Special Cuvee, Taittinger Cuvee Prestige Rose, Hong Kong Bloody Mary, Ume Old Fashioned and Cathay Delight appeared on the menu.

Champagne and wine menu in The Wing First Class Dining Room — The Dining Room drinks menu, with champagne, rose and white wine options for pairing with a meal.

Classic and speciality cocktails menu at The Wing First Class Dining Room — The Dining Room cocktail menu.

Beer non alcoholic drinks and signature drinks menu at The Wing First Class Lounge — The beer and non-alcoholic drinks menu.

Dining Room Desserts

All of the desserts below were also eaten in the Dining Room. Beyond the standard dessert menu, there were monthly specials and wellness selections, so there was a good mix of richer and fresher options. It is the kind of dessert list that works particularly well if several people want to share.

Hazelnut praline choux with warm chocolate sauce at The Wing First Class Lounge — Dessert ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **Hazelnut praline choux with warm chocolate sauce**.

Mango sago and pomelo dessert with nata de coco at The Wing First Class Lounge — Dessert ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **Mango, sago and pomelo dessert with nata de coco**.

Raspberry sorbet ice cream at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge — Dessert ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **Ice cream, Raspberry sorbet**.

Red dragon fruit chia pudding with lemon cream at The Wing First Class Lounge — Monthly special dessert ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **Red dragon fruit chia pudding with lemon cream**.

Vegan pavlova dessert at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge — Wellness selection dessert ordered in the Dining Room. Menu name: **Vegan pavlova**. It is served with mixed berries and whipped coconut cream.

Canele served with coffee at The Wing First Class Dining Room — A canele served in the Dining Room with coffee. Finished with cream and nuts, it made a nice final bite with the drink.

The Atrium And Pantry

Outside the Dining Room, the lounge opens into the Atrium and Pantry areas. Natural light comes in from the high terminal ceiling, while plants and wood partitions soften the view. If you only have a short connection, the Pantry alone may be enough, but with more time it is worth looking at the Atrium order menu as well.

Atrium seating and plant interior at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge — The Atrium lounge area, where natural light, plants and low lighting work well together.

Atrium bar and open lounge view at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge — The Atrium bar and open lounge view. The high ceiling keeps the space from feeling cramped.

Atrium seating and bar area at The Wing First Class Lounge — Atrium seating and bar area. It feels lighter and more casual than the Dining Room.

Atrium Order Menu

The Atrium also has its own order menu. It includes small plates that work well with drinks, mains such as salads and burgers, and a note about the Pantry. The menu included dishes such as Stracciatella with fresh cherry tomatoes and basil, Lobster roll, Smash wagyu cheeseburger and Chicken satay.

Spring menu cover for the Atrium at The Wing First Class Lounge — The Atrium Spring menu cover. The Atrium has orderable dishes separate from the Dining Room.

Atrium all day small plates menu at The Wing First Class Lounge — The Atrium all-day menu.

Atrium all day mains and pantry menu at The Wing First Class Lounge — The Atrium all-day menu.

Stracciatella with fresh cherry tomatoes and basil at The Wing First Class Lounge — Ordered in the Atrium. Menu name: **Stracciatella with fresh cherry tomatoes and basil**.

Lobster roll at The Wing First Class Atrium menu — Ordered in the Atrium. Menu name: **Lobster roll**. It pairs creamy lobster salad with toasted brioche from Bakehouse.

Smash wagyu cheeseburger at The Wing First Class Atrium menu — Ordered in the Atrium. Menu name: **Smash wagyu cheeseburger**. With fries and pickles, it is enough for a casual meal.

Chicken satay at The Wing First Class Atrium menu — Ordered in the Atrium. Menu name: **Chicken satay**. The menu lists red onions, prawn crackers and Massaman curry sauce.

Pantry

The Pantry is closer to a self-service area. Drinks, fruit, snacks, pastries, hot dishes, cheeses and charcuterie were available, making it especially useful for passengers who do not have time for a full seated meal.

Fruit cakes and macarons at The Wing First Class Pantry — Fruit, cakes and macarons in the Pantry. This is separate from the made-to-order Dining Room desserts.

Hot food buffet at The Wing First Class Pantry Hong Kong — The hot food station in the Pantry, useful for a quick meal without going to the Dining Room.

Cheese charcuterie and salad cold buffet at The Wing First Class Lounge — The cold buffet line with cheese, charcuterie and salads.

Self service drinks fridge at The Wing First Class Lounge — The self-service fridge stocked with canned drinks, juices and water.

Showers And Retreat

Further inside the lounge, there are shower facilities and the Retreat area. The shower suites are practical for freshening up before or after a long-haul flight, with enough private space to get changed and reset. The vanity area and amenities were also neatly prepared.

Shower facilities corridor at Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge — The route toward the shower facilities, in one of the quieter parts of the lounge.

Private shower suite inside The Wing First Class Lounge — A private shower suite, useful for getting ready before or after a flight.

Vanity and amenities inside The Wing First Class shower suite — The shower suite vanity and amenities, all arranged neatly.

The Retreat also offers short wellness treatments. According to the card, options included Signature Foot Massage (15 minutes), Signature Neck and Shoulder Massage (15 minutes), Head Massage (15 minutes) and Subtle Energies Eye Revive (15 minutes). If you book one, it is worth timing it around your meal and shower because guests are asked to return to the Retreat reception within the requested window after being paged.

Retreat THIA Wellness Treatments card at The Wing First Class Lounge — The Retreat THIA Wellness Treatments card, showing short 15-minute massage and eye revive options.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Cathay Pacific The Wing, First Class Lounge feels less like something simply new and more like something carefully reset. The space is calm and generous, the Dining Room has a clear time-based menu, and the Atrium and Pantry make shorter visits easy. Add the showers and Retreat, and this becomes a lounge worth arriving early for.

The highlight for me was still the Dining Room. Breakfast was light and polished, while the lunch and dinner menu after 11:00am felt far more substantial than typical lounge dining. If you are eligible to use this lounge when departing Hong Kong, it is an experience that can genuinely improve the airport part of the trip.

Official information referenced: Cathay Pacific official article, Cathay Pacific lounge admittance, Cathay Pacific Newsroom

Racu Travel Lab

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Cathay Pacific The Wing, First Class Lounge Review: Newly Reopened First Class Lounge at Hong Kong Airport