As part of my recent flight (SEE: My first flight since the pandemic ), I spent some time in the Portland Airport (PDX). We didn’t arrive until 9pm local time, so most of the airport was closed. On the other hand, my return flight left at 11:30 a.m., so I had more time to explore the airport then. I had to get up pretty early for an east coast work meeting, and with my hotel (Candlewood Suites Portland Airport) not doing breakfast, I decided to head to the airport a little bit early. I knew there were multiple PDX Priority Pass lounges in the Portland Airport, so I figured I would check them out and get some breakfast.
How to get Priority Pass Select access
Priority Pass Select membership is a perk that comes with many of the premium and ultra-premium credit cards. Here is a brief sample of some of the credit cards that come with Priority Pass Select membership:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- Hilton Aspire
- U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
- Citi Prestige® Card
- Hilton Business card (10 visits per year)
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (10 visits per year)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
Priority Pass membership is a credit card perk that has definitely seen a lot less usage with the lack of travel. It will be interesting to see how Priority Pass (and its parent company Collinson Group) handle those changes. It would not surprise me to see credit cards change if/how Priority Pass is included as a benefit, or to see Priority Pass make changes as well. It would also not surprise me if Collinson Group went bankrupt / out of business. 🙂
PDX Priority Pass – Capers Cafe et le Bar review
My first PDX Priority Pass lounge stop of the day was at the Capers Cafe et le Bar. Capers Cafe et le Bar is located in Concourse C, immediately to your left after passing through security. All three of the PDX Priority Pass lounges are connected airside, so there’s no problem accessing any of them, no matter where your gate is or where you go through security.
Capers Cafe et le Bar is mostly a sit-down restaurant, though due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is less seating than there previously had been. I was there between around 8:30 and 10 a.m. and in addition to myself, there were no more than 2 or 3 other parties.
I had the Meat Lover’s omelette and a fountain drink. Wanting to use all of my $28 up, I also got a cookie to-go. I asked my server about whether you could use the Priority Pass benefit to take from their Grab and Go section. She said that with the downturn in travel lately, they had been allowing pretty much everything. The terms and conditions of the Priority Pass section state that to-go is not allowed, so it’s probably a YMMV situation.
Priority Pass PDX – Capers Market
If you want a true “to go” experience with Priority Pass, you can walk a few hundred feet over to Concourse D to the Capers Market. Capers Market is located immediately after security in Concourse D, and not very far from the Capers Cafe.
Capers Market is similar to a convenience store, with many items available to grab.
There was not any indication of whether Capers Market was still taking Priority Pass, or how the benefit worked, so I asked the cashier. You get a $28 benefit, but you are not able to just take $28 of any product. Instead, you get a “Meal Kit”, which is defined as one sandwich / entree, a side item and a drink. I picked out a turkey sandwich and a Diet Coke, but whiffed on my side item.
The Bob’s Bar was NOT eligible for the meal kit – instead you need to pick one of the items that is made by Capers. I grabbed a small slice of cheesecake in a plastic container. The official Priority Pass site says that you can get double meal kits if you have a guest, but I have also heard from people that guests are not allowed at Capers Market. Again, your mileage may vary…
Portland Airport Priority Pass PDX – Westward Whiskey
The third Portland Airport Priority Pass PDX lounge is Westward Whiskey. Westward Whiskey is also located in the C Concourse, near gate C6.
They have a variety of different whiskeys and related products. When I asked about the Priority Pass benefit, I was directed to the large screen behind the register, and told that I could pick any of the things on the screen.
Since I don’t drink, I can not vouch for the quality of any of these items. I assume they are decent at least.
So what’s the best Priority Pass lounge at PDX?
The great news if you’re wondering what’s the best Priority Pass lounge PDX is that you don’t have to choose! Unless you have one of the cards that only gives you a certain number of visits, there is nothing stopping you from visiting all three of these lounges if you have the time. Depending on the restaurant, you may be able to even go back after 2 hours. Priority Pass generally has an every 2 hour limit, though some restaurants limit to once per 24 hours. I did not see any specific restrictions at any of these 3 restaurants, so your mileage may vary.
I don’t know that I would get to PDX super early just to hang out at these restaurants multiple times, but it’s nice to have different options, depending on what you’re in the mood for.
What do you think? Which is your favorite Priority Pass lounge PDX? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
THanks, im going wed and wanted to know how good these lounges were. I had read the wiskey was fun experience. Glad to know they are open. You think we could get away with arrival at the market?
My husband and I always eat at Capers Cafe et le Bar when we fly, since we fly out of PDX. We generally have enough left over that we can buy sandwiches to take along for lunch, as well as having breakfast. (The servers always encourage us to use up the full amount.) We have found the food to be quite good for airport food. We have not flown since Covid, but will certainly eat there again once we feel safe to fly again.
It’s good to know that they are open. I have never used one at PDX. Since we are in Seattle, we usually fly out of Seattle and drive to Portland when visiting family there. Thanks for explaining how it works right now. -Andrea
Great post! I usually drive to Portland. Portland is the largest city in Oregon, located next to Columbia and Willamette rivers and Hood mountain in a privileged sitting. Thanks for explaining.
Hi there,
I did the same tour last year; it was nice specially if one likes whiskey!
Can you clarify if these merchants take or don’t take the PP offered by the Amex cards? I believe they don’t as they may be considered restaurants and not real lounges.
Used to be you could use priority pass at both Capers. Today I went to concourse D first and then to C. Capers in C recognized my priority pass had already been used and would not allow it to be used again.
Update as of 03/23/2021. The air bridge is closed between the terminals. This means you cannot go to both Capers market and Capers cafe without having to go out of security. Also hours were significantly reduced at Capers cafe. When I went at 5pm, Capers cafe was already closed. I was able to visit Alaska lounge. Staff there were very attentive and awesome. There was limited assortment of fresh prepared meals and packaged snacks to go. Lounge was clean and overall pleasant escape.