IAD clubhouse

i'll be going to IAD for the first time next week and only just saw it has a clubhouse

i searched the forum, but aside from an old-ish warning of a poor CH burger with no chips ) did not see much info

probably will have a few hours to kill, so i'd like to get a decent meal before the flight and then try to sleep after takeoff

any advice on the current CH food? has it improved, or will it be better to eat elsewhere and then head to the CH for the bubbly?

The IAD lounge is small-but-perfectly-formed. Very bright, well-designed, large windows, with a good view of the planes etc. There's a small loft space above the small bar (not dissimilar to the one at JNB, although at JNB it's not above the bar).

It has a fairly small menu - roughly 3/4 each of starters, mains, desserts. Also, I don't remember any cocktails, but I might have that wrong.

It's open to VX, where access can be purchased for $45. Word has got out about the quality of the CH when compared to other US domestic lounges, so VX pax do buy access, as it represents pretty good value if you're going to have a few glasses of wine and a bite to eat. It was quite busy the times I've been there (late afternoon/early evening) because of this.

I once was surprised to gain access via Turkish Airlines (business class) too, but that was a much later flight and the CH was virtually empty.