Whenever I have been in the single digit gates of Hong Kong International Airport I have always visited The Wing First or the Qantas Hong Kong Lounge so I had never tried The Deck Lounge food experience. However with The Wing First closed for renovations in April 2026 when I visited I thought it was a great opportunity to visit The Deck Lounge. During the time The Wing First was closed The Deck acted as an interim First lounge and so I was interested in what the food was like during this time. I am a little skeptical of ‘interim’ lounges due to past experiences but The Deck Lounge food was of a high standard and the overall experience was lovely for an interim first lounge. I had come from The Pier First and I didn’t find too much difference in the food served – both were a delicious experience. The A la carte menu was slightly smaller with some different dishes than the The Pier menus however there was still a Noodle Bar menu.
What’s nutritious in The Deck Lounge?
Look at these amazing salads on the buffet at The Deck Lounge. The roast pumpkin and kale salad is a beautifully balanced salad of vegetables and quinoa. Perfect! Kale, pumpkin and tomatoes are sources of carotenoids which have antioxidant activity, while quinoa is a source of protein. Similarly the sweet potato and blue cheese salad is also nicely balanced with sunflower seeds and cheese for protein (and also taste!).
The pan fried pork and chinese chive dumplings were delicious – and I liked that the was a decent amount of chives within the filling helping to provide some balance to the dumplings.
Wholefood nutritious snacks such as cheese, walnuts, olives and apricots were available at the buffet. However the walnuts were spread throughout the cheese plate which while aesthetically pleasing poses danger to people with a nut allergy and also removes the opportunity for people with nut allergies to have cheese or dried fruit as a snack.
Not so great. Caution.
The small hot snacks on the buffet were heavily pastry based with quiches, parmigiano lattices and sausage rolls available. The sausage rolls were delicious – as an Aussie I just had to try one! Pastry based snacks can be high in energy and fat and so if you enjoy these foods try choosing 1-2 pieces and add salad to the dish. The Chicken Bun dim sum had a small amount of filling and so if you enjoy dim sum before a flight be mindful of how many you have and try including vegetable based dim sum such as the vegetable dumplings on the menu.
Friandises including macarons and madelines were available along with tarts and chocolate rolls for people looking for a sweet dish. Reducing added sugars can assist with travel wellbeing especially before boarding long flights (as I was about to). It was good The Deck focused on small bite sized sweet desserts making it easier to have small portions. However be mindful not to choose too many pieces as these can add up quickly.
Final word on Cathay Pacific The Deck Lounge Food
I really enjoyed The Deck Lounge food experience and was not sorry at all I had ventured out of The Pier First – it was a great interim first lounge. The Noodle Bar provided a really enjoyable experience and the variety between the a la carte menus and buffet helped provide a balance between indulgence and nutritious options. I hope to revisit The Deck Lounge now The Wing First is reopened and see whether the food offering differs now the lounge isn’t acting as an interim first lounge.
NOTE: All pictures of the The Deck Lounge food are my own and I review a lounge from just the foods I see during my visit. There may be different options available at other times.
See food and nutrition review of Cathay Pacific business class flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne and food and nutrition review of The Pier First Class Lounge.
