United Airlines is making its biggest play yet to elevate business-class dining. After taking heat for its onboard food, including a viral “bowl of sadness” served on one of its flights earlier this year, the airline wants to be known instead for applaudable in-flight cuisine.
Starting August 1, United is handing its Polaris business-class menu to a roster of globally lauded chefs across 10 cities, in partnership with Chef’s Table, the Emmy-winning Netflix documentary series. Each chef will create a menu inspired by the city they call home that will then be served on the corresponding United departure flights from that city’s airport.
For instance, fly Polaris out of Los Angeles International Airport, and you get Nancy Silverton’s California cooking; out of São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, Manu Buffara’s Brazilian home cooking.
I got an early taste in Los Angeles at a preview event with Silverton, the James Beard Award–winning chef and author. She walked through each course, starting with an appetizer of burrata and braised leeks (fitting, since Silverton is widely credited with popularizing burrata in the U.S. in the mid-2000s).
Then came a shaved brussels sprouts salad with mint, almonds, and pecorino Romano, and a hearty beef brasato over garlic mashed potatoes with horseradish gremolata. That last dish was the standout, and a smart choice for a flight. Braised, tenderized meats tend to reheat far better in flight than a grilled steak, for example.
Nancy Silverton, a James Beard Award–winning chef and co-owner of Mozza Restaurant Group, has created several new menu items for United Polaris fliers out of LAX.
Courtesy of United Airlines
Andrew Nocella, United’s chief commercial officer, says the whole endeavor meant rethinking how airline food gets developed and tested.
“Food translates to airplanes at 35,000 feet really differently than it does to a restaurant,” he told Afar, pointing to the lag between preparation on the ground and serving in the air. “We’ve combined the skills [of the globally recognized chefs] with our own chefs that have been doing airline food for many, many years . . . We have to design food that can withstand that challenge.”
Silverton, who calls United her longtime airline of choice and is a Global Services elite member (an invitation-only elusive top status tier), put it plainly that the biggest challenge wasn’t to cook great food, but to cook great food that holds up at altitude. “I think what’s really important is that the food is flavorful and fresh, but not ambitious, because ambitious food on an airline just doesn’t work,” she noted.
Passengers can preorder the Chef’s Table meals on United.com or in the app, as early as five days out and up to 24 hours before departure, starting on August 1. United will also debut original behind-the-scenes content on its seatback screens as a natural extension of the streaming series.
This first run of menus will be served through September, with a new lineup from the same chefs starting in October and continuing into 2027.
Braised chicken in vadouvan coconut curry, a new United Polaris menu item from chefs Isabel Coss and Matt Conroy that will be served on flights out of Washington Dulles.
Courtesy of United Airlines
A different menu out of every city
Here’s the full lineup, sorted by departure airport, with each chef, their corresponding restaurants, and the menu items being offered in Polaris business class on those flights.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) by Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza): Burrata with braised leeks and mustard vinaigrette; shaved brussels sprout salad with mint, almonds, and pecorino; beef brasato with garlic mash, salsa verde, and horseradish gremolata
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) by Fariyal Abdullahi (Hav & Mar): Chilled tomato soup with jumbo lump crab; berbere-spiced gem-and-endive salad; Ethiopian-coffee–glazed short ribs with purple mashed potatoes
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) by Jenner Tomaska (Esmé): Braised leeks with charred scallion vinaigrette; arugula, endive, and radish salad; halibut in sauce matelote with smoked onion and bacon lardoons
Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) by Justin Yu (Theodore Rex): Deviled eggs with white soy and aged cheddar; chicory salad with spiced bacon and chickpeas; braised Texas short rib with mushroom ragout and red miso
Denver International Airport (DEN) by Penelope Wong (Yuan Wonton): Shokupan with smoked trout and trout roe; kale salad with cherries and golden beets; five-spice duck wontons in duck brodo with chili oil
This lobster salad with grilled peach and fennel by chef Tomos Parry will be offered to Polaris passengers departing from London.
Courtesy of United Airlines
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) by David Barzelay (Lazy Bear): Hash browns with pickled relish and cured trout roe; peach panzanella with dry jack and wild arugula; black cod broiled in tomato tare over gold rice grits
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) by Isabel Coss & Matt Conroy (Lutèce, Pascual): Melon-and-burrata salad with chorizo vinaigrette; quinoa salad with currants and butternut squash; braised chicken in vadouvan coconut curry
London Heathrow Airport (LHR) by Tomos Parry (Mountain, Brat): Grilled beef fillet with beetroot and Caerphilly cheese; lobster salad with grilled peach and fennel; slow-roasted lamb with smoked potatoes and green sauce
São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) and Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport (GIG) by Manu Buffara (Manu): Collard-green roll with shrimp and heart of palm in passion-fruit sauce; white bean and celery salad; Brazilian shrimp stew with coconut rice and cashew farofa
Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT) and Haneda Airport (HND) by Tashi Gyamtso (Jimgu): Poached scallop with yuzu-ginger glaze and edamame puree; napa-and-mizuna crunch salad; miso-marinated sea bass with Koshihikari rice and shiitake
