United Adds 30 Chef’s Table Dishes to Polaris Menus Starting November 1
The seasonal menus feature dishes from 11 chefs, available exclusively by preorder for international business class passengers through Dec. 31.
Photo: Courtesy of United Airlines
United Airlines’ next round of Chef’s Table menus will bring Nancy Silverton’s spiral meat lasagna, David Barzelay’s grilled rack of lamb, and Fariyal Abdullahi’s chermoula-glazed chicken to international business class beginning Nov. 1.
The 30 new dishes, spanning appetizers, salads, and entrées, will be available through Dec. 31 for United Polaris passengers on lunch or dinner flights. The collaboration involves 11 chefs representing United’s seven U.S. hub cities and three international gateways: London, São Paulo, and Tokyo.
Travelers looking to try a particular chef’s food should check both the departure airport and the advance order options: each menu is offered on flights departing from the city it represents, and Chef’s Table meals are available only through preorder. Passengers can select their meals on United’s website or mobile app from five days until 24 hours before departure.
That means clients flying from Los Angeles can choose Silverton’s menu, which pairs the lasagna with a burrata appetizer and chopped salad. Departures from San Francisco will feature Barzelay’s rack of lamb with carrot barbecue sauce, while Newark passengers can order Abdullahi’s chicken with cumin-spiced carrots and preserved-lemon pearl couscous.
Other options include Justin Yu’s poached chicken with garlic, lemongrass and anchovy curry from Houston; Penelope Wong’s char siu pork from Denver; and a duck leg enchilada from Washington, D.C., chefs Isabel Coss and Matt Conroy. London’s menu, from Tomos Parry, includes grilled halibut with parsley-garlic potatoes and seaweed sauce.
The seasonal update follows the collaboration’s Aug. 1 debut. United said more than 60,000 customers have tried the meals, with satisfaction scores nearly 20 points higher than those for other preordered meals.
“The strong response to Chef’s Table reinforces the value of bringing perspectives of world-class chefs onboard in a way that reflects the destinations we serve and the dining experiences our customers seek,” said Aaron McMillan, United’s managing director of hospitality programs.
The airline plans to continue rotating the menus seasonally into 2027. Passengers can also watch exclusive seatback programming about the participating chefs and dishes, along with selected episodes of the “Chef’s Table: Talks” podcast.
