So are the new Middle Child sandwiches at PHL any good?

An under-caffeinated, sleep-deprived shadow of myself recently rolled through Terminal D security at PHL for an 8 a.m. flight to Hawai’i, my home state. I headed straight to the new Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club, in the connector between Terminals D and E, eager to try the food developed in partnership with Philadelphia’s Middle Child.

At 6:30 a.m., the Middle Child-designed breakfast items included an egg-and-cheese bao with sweet, lacquered bacon and a breakfast burrito stuffed with steamed eggs, cheddar, and bacon, that came with a ramekin of smashed avocado-based salsa verde on the side. (The team also prepared mini versions of Middle Child’s Shopsin Club, which is normally not available until 11 a.m., because they knew I was writing about it.)

I ordered a bowl of grits topped with a sunny-side-up egg and cauliflower florets drizzled with basil pesto from the standard menu — created by Sodexo, which manages the Chase Sapphire lounge, among countless others — which could have served as a well-rounded, vegetable-forward breakfast in itself.

The Shopsin sandwiches weren’t too far off from the version served at Middle Child’s original Washington Square West location, with roasted deli turkey stacked an inch high, layered with fresh avocado, lettuce, and bacon, and served on a slice of toasted brioche. They arrived cut into miniature squares, pinned in place with white flags bearing Middle Child’s happy-face logo.

The Middle Child menu items — the burrito, bao, and sandwich — are made to order via QR codes taped to tables throughout the lounge. Other amenities, like showers and facials, are booked through the same system. Travelers can also order Philly-themed cocktails, such as the Philly Special with local Union Forge vodka, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and tonic water, and a Clover Club, which was born in the late 1800s at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, consisting of Bluecoat Gin, lemon juice, and raspberry puree.

Both specialty cocktails are available in non-alcoholic versions, which is what I opted for because, again, it was 6:30 a.m. and I was more interested in drinking as many Elixr oat milk cappuccinos as I could. The lounge also has a cold-brew coffee dispenser.

Travelers holding eligible Chase credit cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve are granted access to the expansive 20,000-square-foot lounge with sapphire blue velvet banquettes dominating the space. It is currently the largest lounge in Chase’s airport portfolio, which includes lounges in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Hong Kong International Airport.

“Our roots with Middle Child go back a few years – as one of The Infatuation’s highly rated restaurants in Philadelphia, we hosted a dinner with The Infatuation exclusively for Sapphire Reserve cardmembers, and the relationship blossomed from there. This partnership allows us to offer a taste of the city’s vibrant culinary scene,” said Dana Pouwels, the head of airport lounge benefits at Chase, over email, when asked how this partnership came about. (Chase acquired the restaurant recommendation site the Infatuation in 2021.)

Besides the kitchen turning out made-to-order food, there is an almost improbably long buffet spread (frequent travelers will find the options significantly more plentiful than in the American Express Centurion Lounge in Terminal A); enviable sports memorabilia and art collections adorning the walls (including a mural by local artist James Burns); and no shortage of amenities, including resting pods separated by curtains in front of large windows facing the tarmac, a mini spa for complimentary facials, shower rooms, throwback video games, a children’s playroom, and a beer garden.

Card membership doesn’t come cheap, at $550 for the Sapphire Reserve annual fee. Holders of the Ritz Carlton and JP Morgan Reserve cards also have free access to the lounge. Priority Pass members are permitted one visit a year. Anyone, even non-cardmembers, can access the lounge for a $75 fee. Like almost all airport lounges these days, the Chase Sapphire Lounge is for departing passengers only, for up to three hours before their flight.

The lounge’s capacity is 655 people, which seems like a lot, but in the five weeks since the lounge has been open, it has had to use a waitlist twice (for 15 minutes). “We have a density meter at the entrance, which sends us notifications when we’re close to capacity,” said general manager Shamus O’Connor. “You don’t want it to feel like an Irish bar on St. Patrick’s Day. Most people spend about 90 minutes at the lounge.”

Front-of-house operations are managed by Hyde Park Hospitality, and the kitchen is overseen by Sodexo. Our servers were brisk, animated, and polite, bringing sandwiches and cocktails within minutes of us placing our orders. Sodexo is responsible for the large buffet menu, and on the day I visited, it included breakfast biscuits with sausage gravy, French toast, beet smoothies, and salmon quinoa bowls. The wine list is designed by New York’s Parcelle Wine Bar.

Non-alcoholic beverages may be taken to go, but food and alcohol are not permitted to leave the lounge. Knowing I had 13 hours in economy in my near future, I asked O’Connor to please turn around while I wrapped up the leftovers of my Shopsin Club in napkins to tuck into my purse for the flight.

As someone who frequently flies United, I have spent about a decade trekking between Terminal A’s Centurion Lounge and United’s departure gates in Terminal D. The Centurion Lounge has long been PHL’s best option for a pre-flight, non-restaurant or non-fast-food meal. The quality of its buffet, curated by chef Mike Solomonov of CookNSolo, has been reliably good for the last four years, with excellent tahini cookies, pomegranate-flecked herbaceous salads, and a rotating variety of quinoa- and farro-based dishes.

Both the Centurion and Sapphire lounges offer far better menu options than any of PHL’s airline lounges, likely because they partner with local chefs. (As a frequent traveler, I have held memberships to the United Club, American Airlines’ Admirals Club, and the Delta Sky Club over the years. None of their buffets can compare to either credit card lounge, even with the United Club’s recently revamped menu.) I’ve also spent time at the Chase Sapphire Lounges at La Guardia and Hong Kong, and can attest that PHL’s Sapphire Lounge is the nicest, with the widest array of food and amenities.

At 7:15 a.m., when I needed to hightail it to my gate to board my flight, I had to force myself to leave. The Chase Sapphire Lounge will be stiff competition for the Centurion Lounge, and I expect that even on the rare occasions that I fly American (departing from Terminal A), I’ll be doing the reverse of my longtime lounge commute, settling in at the Sapphire Lounge before my flights. “From Terminal A, we’re a 12-minute walk. But if you’re coming with kids, it’s more like a 20-minute walk,” O’Connor helpfully advised.

For non-cardmember travelers, worry not, because several more significant restaurant openings are slated for PHL in 2025, including outposts of the Oyster House and Federal Donuts.

The Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club is open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. At 11 a.m., the lounge switches to all-day menu with BBQ nachos, whipped feta dip with toasted pita bread, that aforementioned Shopsin Club, and, in the beer garden, a dedicated menu that also features soft pretzels with homemade beer cheese and Philly cheesesteak sliders.