United Airlines has introduced 30 new dishes created by internationally renowned chefs for its Polaris business class passengers, expanding its partnership with Netflix's award-winning Chef's Table series with new menus available on selected international flights from 1 November until 31 December 2026.
For UK-based business travellers flying with United Airlines, the new menus offer an opportunity to enjoy restaurant-inspired dining during long-haul journeys, including dishes created by London-based, Michelin-starred chef Tomos Parry. The initiative also gives passengers greater choice over their onboard meals, with the ability to select their preferred dishes before departure.
The latest menus feature 30 new starters, salads and main courses created by 11 chefs representing ten cities, including London, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo and São Paulo. Each menu reflects the culinary traditions of the city from which the flight departs, bringing a distinctive local flavour to the international business class experience.
London chef brings Michelin-starred inspiration to the skies
Among the participating chefs is Tomos Parry, founder and co-owner of three London restaurants, including Michelin-starred Mountain in Soho and Brat in Shoreditch, alongside Brat x Climpson's Arch in Hackney.
Known for his open-fire cooking techniques and influences drawn from his Welsh and Celtic heritage and the culinary traditions of northern Spain, Parry has created three dishes for passengers departing from London.
His menu includes smoked trout with golden beetroot, fennel mayonnaise, toasted buckwheat, watercress and dill salad as a starter, followed by roasted pumpkin with rosemary stracciatella, pickled apples, spiced pumpkin seeds and hazelnuts as a salad option.
For the main course, passengers can choose grilled halibut accompanied by parsley and garlic potatoes, seaweed sauce, lemon spinach and crispy garlic and lemon oil.
The London menu forms part of a wider initiative designed to connect the onboard dining experience with the destinations served by United Airlines.
International chefs offer regional specialities
Across the airline's international network, the menus feature dishes from chefs associated with United's seven US hub cities and three major international gateways.
In Los Angeles, Nancy Silverton of Osteria Mozza has created a menu featuring spiral meat lasagne with passato and taleggio sauce, alongside a caprese starter with burrata, slow-roasted cherry tomatoes and basil pesto.
Silverton, who received the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award in 2014, is widely recognised for her contribution to contemporary American Italian cuisine.
Passengers departing San Francisco can enjoy grilled rack of lamb with carrot barbecue sauce, cured carrots and chicories, created by David Barzelay, whose restaurants include the two-Michelin-starred Lazy Bear.
Other participating chefs include Fariyal Abdullahi of New York's Hav & Mar, Jenner Tomaska of Chicago's Esmé, Justin Yu of Houston's Theodore Rex and Penelope Wong of Denver's Yuan Wonton.
In Washington, DC, chefs Isabel Coss and Matt Conroy have developed dishes combining French culinary techniques with Mexican influences, including duck leg enchilada with queso Oaxaca, crema, roasted sweet potatoes and salsa roja.
Internationally, Brazilian chef Manu Buffara has created a São Paulo-inspired menu featuring roasted beef with natural jus, bean pirão, sautéed collard greens and fresh herb cumari pepper relish.
For flights departing Tokyo, chef Tashi Gyamtso has developed dishes including ginger and soy-glazed chicken with Japanese curry ratatouille and sesame-crusted potatoes.
Strong customer response to the first menus
The new dishes follow the initial launch of United's Chef's Table collaboration on 1 August 2026.
According to the airline, more than 60,000 passengers enjoyed the first selection of meals, with customer satisfaction scores nearly 20 points higher than those recorded for other pre-ordered meals.
The initial menus included dishes such as slow-roasted lamb with smoked potatoes and grilled broccoli from Tomos Parry, beef brasato with garlic mashed potatoes from Nancy Silverton and black cod with tomato tare and gold rice grits from David Barzelay.
United's Managing Director of Hospitality Programs, Aaron McMillan, said: "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."
He added: "With this next menu rotation, we're building on that foundation, introducing new flavors and chef-driven dishes that bring a greater sense of culinary discovery to the inflight experience."
President of Chef's Table Projects, Justin Connor, said: "At Chef's Table, storytelling has always been at the heart of what we do, and our collaboration with United has been a great way to introduce millions of travelers to the incredible chefs we work with and the stories behind their food."
He continued: "We're excited to build on that relationship with new dishes from these chefs, giving travelers a chance to experience even more of their creativity and unique culinary perspectives."
How business travellers can pre-order their meals
The Chef's Table menus are available exclusively to United Polaris international business class passengers on eligible flights serving lunch or dinner.
Each chef's dishes are offered on flights departing from the city that inspired their menu, rather than across the airline's entire international network.
Passengers can browse and select their preferred meals through the United Airlines website or mobile app, with pre-ordering available from five days before departure until 24 hours before the scheduled flight.
This advance selection is particularly useful for business travellers who want to organise their onboard experience before leaving for the airport.
The latest menus will remain available until 31 December 2026, with United planning further seasonal rotations throughout 2027.
Improving the long-haul business travel experience
The partnership forms part of United's broader investment in its onboard hospitality offering.
The airline invested more than $150 million in improving its dining experience during 2025 and has continued to introduce changes across its cabins and airport lounges.
These include expanding advance meal ordering to millions more Economy passengers, introducing four new and refreshed snack boxes, improving its onboard wine programme and testing enhanced dining concepts in United Club lounges.
The lounge trials have included upgraded buffets, made-to-order food stations and individually served appetisers.
Paul Baker, Sales Director of Global Travel Management, commented:
"For business travellers, particularly those taking overnight or long-haul flights between the UK and the United States, the quality of the onboard experience can make a real difference to how they feel when they arrive.
"Good food, a comfortable environment and the ability to plan ahead all contribute to a more enjoyable journey. Being able to choose a meal created by a leading chef before departure is a welcome addition, especially for travellers whose schedules leave little time to enjoy a proper restaurant meal.
"It's encouraging to see airlines continuing to invest in the business class experience and recognising that the journey itself is an important part of business travel."
Entertainment extends beyond the dining experience
The collaboration also includes exclusive Chef's Table entertainment available through United's seatback screens.
Passengers can watch behind-the-scenes content exploring the inspiration, ingredients, culinary traditions and creative processes behind the dishes served onboard.
Selected episodes of the Chef's Table: Talks podcast are also available, featuring conversations hosted by David Gelb, creator and director of the Emmy Award-winning Netflix series.
The podcast explores the experiences, memories and influences that have shaped some of the world's most celebrated chefs.
First launched on Netflix in 2015, Chef's Table has become internationally recognised for its documentary portraits of leading culinary figures. The series explores the creativity, discipline and personal stories behind their work, bringing the world of fine dining to audiences around the globe.
United Airlines operates major US hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, DC, providing connections across North America and to international destinations.
For UK-based business travellers, the latest dining initiative is another example of airlines looking beyond seating and cabin design to differentiate their premium travel offering, with greater emphasis on personalisation, service and the overall passenger experience.
For further information about United Airlines' new Polaris dining experience, eligible flights or business travel arrangements, please contact your Global Travel Management Account Manager.