Location
The King David lounge occupies two floors on the left side of the D concourse just before gate D1.
How to Access
ELAL offers lounge access exclusively to ELAL business class passengers as well as elite members of their Matmid frequent flyer program. Premium passengers and elite members on all other airlines may only use the Dan Lounges at Ben Gurion airport.
The Lounge
Lounge Entrance
The King David lounge has a spacious entrance where staff at the front desk with check your boarding pass and guide you left to the business class lounge.
The ground level mainly consists of traditional lounge seating with dozens of large, comfortable armchairs.
Floor to ceiling windows give the lounge a nice amount of natural light during the daytime as well as a great view of the planes outside.
Towards the back you’ll also find a small dining area adjacent to the buffet.
The lounge has a long reception desk with ELAL staff to help resolve any possible issues.
The second floor is accessible by both elevator and staircase.
I prefer sitting up here as it’s usually less crowded. This level is much smaller than the level below and consists of mostly traditional lounge seating.
You’ll also get a nice view of the floor below.
At the back of the upper level is a bar, small buffet area, smoking room and cigar bar, two shower suites, and a spa.
Food and Drinks
All food at the King David lounge is strictly kosher, so you won’t find any meat or poultry on offer as meat and dairy products cannot be served together.
I’ve visited the lounge during breakfast as well as their all day dining which is served from noon until late night. Quality and quantity are okay for a snack, but the food on offer can’t really substitute a full meal.
Breakfast consisted of various pastries and fresh bread, dips, cheeses, salads, vegetables, fruits, yogurt, fresh juice, and coffee. Shakshuka was the single hot option available which I didn’t try.
Overall the breakfast selection was reasonably good, though I was disappointed they didn’t provide more hot options.
All day dinging included many of the same cold dishes that were available for breakfast. In addition, the lounge provided couscous with vegetable stew, soup, fleshly made focaccia bread and pizza, and some additional cold salads which weren’t available in the morning.
Fresh Pizza and Focaccia
Soup
Once again, the hot dishes were limited and couldn’t really amount to a full meal.
Couscous and Vegetable Stew
Beer on tap, wine, spirits, and other soft drinks are available throughout the day.
Amenities
Although I didn’t have the time to make use of them, the King David lounge offers a spa, shower suites, and a cigar lounge. Unfortunately spa treatments are not complementary.
There are only two shower suites which looked clean and relatively spacious.
Bottom Line
The King David lounge is fantastic in terms of design and comfort, though lacking when it comes to amenities and food. I wouldn’t arrive early to use this lounge, however it’s certainly the best place at Ben Gurion airport to relax before your flight.