United Airlines has a secret. And despite being loyal to the airline for years, I was unaware that it was practically right under my nose at Newark Liberty International Airport. Then last year, a friend asked me if it was worth going to the “invite-only” restaurant in Terminal C.
Clueless (and embarrassed since she asked me as travel pro!), I asked what she was referring to—and that’s when I learned about Classified, an OTG-operated United restaurant hidden behind a secret door near gate C120, reserved for those who score a coveted invitation. Making its debut in 2017, the dining experience closed during the pandemic and reopened last year. Having once spent nearly 24 hours (because of flight cancellations) at Newark terminal’s Polaris lounge, I thought I had already seen the best of United’s offerings in Jersey, so I filed the information in my back pocket.
But then—in the most Hogwarts letter-like moment of my life—three days before my United flight from Estonia back to EWR airport in August, my inbox glowed with the subject line: “Here's the secret password—you're invited to Classified.” The message went on to say that, as one of the carrier's “most valued customers," I was “one of the select few” to receive an invite to the “contemporary" restaurant, which they described as an “upscale dining space, tucked away from the crowds in Terminal C, offers a seasonally influenced menu featuring fresh, locally-sourced ingredients.”
When I clicked on the page, it turned out my MileagePlus number served as the “code” to get me onto the site, where I could book a reservation. With my flight landing at 8:15 p.m., I snagged one of the last slots of the night at 8:30 p.m., and received confirmation for my reservation. Excited to end my trip with such an exclusive meal on my home turf, I tucked a change of clothes suitable for an airport speakeasy into my backpack, and carefully managed what I ate on the return trip to save space for the meal.
When we landed early, I was thrilled to have extra time in Classified, and eagerly read the instructions again. “When you arrive at the airport, please make your way to Saison, a restaurant located in Terminal C near Gate C120,” the confirmation said. “After you let the host know that you’re dining at Classified, you’ll be escorted to a private entrance and seated at your table.”
That’s when I came to the realization that—invitation or not—I had just flown in from Europe, and needed to go through immigration, which would lead me straight out of the terminal and nowhere near the C gates. Logically, I knew I couldn't defy border control just for a meal I really wanted to try—but I had to try! I started asking every single person—from United employees passing by to the border security officers at Global Entry—how to get to the “secret restaurant.” Everyone looked back at me with the same reaction: cluelessness.
That's when I started to think that perhaps this was all a ruse. I had nearly given up on things when I came upon a baggage claim employee who perked up the moment he heard, “Classified" and started jumping up and down. As it turned out, he had just received the invite himself a few weeks back and knew what a privilege it was, and started showering me with “Congratulations.”
“So, you can get me a gate pass, so I get to my reservation, right?” I asked.
Naturally, no luck. I left the airport defeated—and hungry.
A month later, I was back at Newark’s Terminal C, bleary-eyed for 7 a.m. flight, when I realized I was walking past Saison, the gateway to Classified. In my hectic week leading up to the flight, I realized I had received another invite. I assumed it was another mistake, but standing right there at 5:45 a.m., I gave it a try and was able to make a 6 a.m. reservation.
Standing on the right side of border control this time, I stepped up to the Saison waitstaff and said “Classified.” The hostess nodded in acknowledgment and scurried off. A few minutes later, another hostess arrived asking for “Ms. Chang” and led me through Saison to an innocuous black door in the back, and swung it open for me.
I found myself in another world, far removed from the busy airport. The hostess guided me down a dark corridor with teal walls and dark tiling, lit by exposed vertical fluorescent lights. We stepped around a corner, and I found myself in a chic (but still cozy!) 32-seat dining room with elegant white drapes, rust-colored chairs, artful lighting and ceiling fixtures, and plenty of room to breathe.
Running on just a couple of hours of sleep, I didn’t realize that what I needed was to be completely doted on in that moment—and that’s exactly what happened. The friendly server never let down her constant state of upbeatness, letting me choose any seat (there was only one other person who left as soon as I sat down), so I took a corner seat of a 10-seat booth and scanned the QR code for the menu.
Even more indecisive in the morning and worried about missing my boarding time, the server calmed me down and assured me that I had plenty of time. She helped me choose a farm omelet with caramelized onions, mushrooms, Havarti cheese, and potatoes, and let me substitute it with egg whites, for $25.75.
Another party of four soon came in and sat on the other end. But having an entire half of the restaurant to myself and watching the sun rise over the airport while ensconced in the meditative, soft colors of Classified turned out to be the pre-flight experience I didn’t realize I needed. As peaceful as the experience was, my quick half-hour breakfast cost $32.09—including tax and tip. Not terrible for an airport meal, but as a current MileagePlus Gold status member, I could have had similar eggs and potatoes in the lounge for free, had this been an international flight. Since this was a domestic flight where I didn't qualify for lounge access, perhaps the 4,020 miles I ended up using was well worth it for a different kind of lounge experience and a restroom I didn't have to fight anyone for.
After my experience, I reached out to United with a list of questions about Classified—including who gets access and whether there were similar concepts in the works for the future—and they didn’t answer my inquiry. But, in a way, that seems right in keeping with the spirit of it.
So, how do you get an invite?
Even though I’ve had a glance of this magical world, apparently I’ve retreated into Muggle territory—the most insight I was able to gather was from Classified's FAQ section after logging into the site. MileagePlus members are apparently all eligible to receive the invite, which can be for flights departing from or arriving at Newark. Diners do need a valid boarding pass to get to the restaurant (as I learned the hard way), and reservations can be made for parties of up to six, including children. All payments must be made with a credit or debit card, or using miles.
While the information is sparse and my personal experience was a brief half-hour before a flight, peeling back the curtain on this secret world in a terminal I know so well—especially something that so many of United’s own EWR employees don’t know about—still ranked my breakfast as one of the most brag-worthy, and classified, travel experiences yet.
