My 13.5-hour journey from Taipei to Chicago on EVA Air on the 777-300ER in “Royal Laurel” business class was very pleasant and the Taiwanese carrier is able to pull off something most carriers cannot: offer what is in many ways is a very “old school” product but pull it off so well.

In This Post:

EVA Air 777-300ER Business Class Review (TPE-ORD)

I redeemed 87,500 Aeroplan miles for a business class award on EVA Air from Bangkok (BKK) to Chicago (ORD) via Taipei (TPE). After a smooth flight from BKK-TPE, a nice stay in Taipei, and some time in both the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and EVA Air Infinity lounges, it was time to board my flight to ORD.

Well, take one step back. I like window seats when I fly in general and especially on aircraft with 1-2-1 seating, but there was only a single seat in the middle section showing available when I did online check-in. However, I stopped at the counter in TPE and an agent assigned a bulkhead window seat, 8A, which apparently was blocked on the seat map.

Boarding was very efficient and the entire plane boarded in about 20 minutes, even though the flight was full. We left on time for Chicago.

EVA Air 56
Taipei (TPE) – Chicago (ORD)
Sunday, February 1
Depart: 8:05 PM
Arrive: 7:35 PM
Duration: 13hr, 30min
Aircraft: Boeing 777
Distance: 7,457 miles
Seat: 8A (“Royal Laurel” Business Class)

Entering through door 2L, I appreciated the warm greeting onboard and was directed to my seat.

Seats

The seats on this aircraft were darker than the seats on my 777 flight the day before, but the same reverse herringbone seats I first experienced on EVA back in 2013.

EVA Air’s 777 business class cabin includes 39 reverse-herringbone seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration (divided into a front and rear cabin). These are Zodiac Cirrus seats, the same general seat platform found on many carriers around the world, and while no longer cutting-edge, I still consider this one of the most comfortable and practical business class seats in the sky.

“Royal Laurel” seats have 43 inches of legroom, are 20 inches wide, and convert into a 180º lie-flat bed.

a man standing in an airplane

Each seat has automatic seat controls, a universal A/C 110-volt outlet, and a USB-A outlet.

The beauty of reverse-herringbone seats is that every passenger has direct aisle access and a good amount of privacy. Window seats angle toward the windows, while the center seats angle slightly toward one another. If traveling with someone, the center D/G seats are conducive to conversation, though there is also an adjustable divider if you prefer more privacy.

The flight attendants prepared the seat in lie-flat mode for every passenger and bedding included a thick mattress pad and thick (almost too thick) duvet (the cabin has no individual air vents). With my bare feet sticking out, I slept well for several hours under the “stars,” awaking about four hours out of Chicago.

EVA has announced plans to update business class on its newer 777 jets and will also take delivery of its first A350 this year, but the retrofit seems almost unnecessary to me…the seats (Safran Cirrus reverse herringbone seats) are very comfortable as is, in all positions. But yes, the color scheme and the pastel painting hanging on the bulkhead wall of the cabin due make the cabin looks very dated (though the mood lighting helps).

Food + Drink

This flight featured dinner after takeoff, a mid-flight a la carte snack menu, and a second meal prior to arrival in Chicago. Menus were offered after boarding, including a separate wine list.

Drinks included Champagne Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle N.V. as well as an impressive wine list, spirits, cocktails, beer, soft drinks, coffee, tea, and water:

Dinner

Dinner was a multi-course feast which began with a mix of nuts and dried fruit. I tried one of EVA’s signature cocktail, a “Pink Sakura Drift” (Vodka, Cointreau, Cranberry Juice, Lemon Juice) hoping for refreshing aperitivo. It was okay, but no Aperol Spritz…

Unsurprisingly, for regular readers, I went with the Western menu (though the Braised Beef Cheek with Lions Mane Mushroom on the Celebrity Chef Menu designed by Wen-Kuang, Hsu also sounded good).

The appetizer included smoked trout and salmon roes, served with honeydew melon and asparagus (and hot garlic bread).

Next came lobster bisque soup, which was rich and creamy with big chunks of lobster and the highlight of the meal.

I am avoiding most alcohol this year leading up to my “round” birthday and had some “de-alcoholized” sparkling white wine, a French chardonnay. But like decaf coffee or oat milk….nah, go with the real thing or just skip it altogether.

My seafood meal continued with a seafood entree I had pre-ordered from the expanded menu, available on the EVA website up to 24 hours before your flight. The entree included shrimp, scallop, calamari, and halibut, served with vegetables and mushroom risotto. It was delicious and also not overly heavy, such that I still had room for the final three courses without already feeling stuffed.

Dessert was served via cart with a choice of fresh fruit, cheese, and Häagen-Dazs ice cream (or all three). The cheese selection included:

Camembert, Boursin Garlic, Edam, and Blue Cheese
Served with Original Table Water Crackers, Whole Wheat Crackers, Dried Guava, Walnut, Crudités, Apricot Chutney

I did have all three and appreciated the generosity of not having to choose only one.

Mid-Fight Coffee Tasting

After several hours of sleep, I woke up and there was still about four hours left in the flight.

There began my coffee tasting binge…EVA not only has espresso, but a great coffee menu with local coffee from Taipei. I enjoyed coffee from Simple Kaffa and from VWI from Chadwang, both highly recommended and better than the Starbucks espresso onboard (which I also tried).

With one of the coffees, I had a salad followed by a plant-based meat pastry with “Camembert Miso Sauce, Vegetable Consomme with Truffle, and Cheese Tortellini.” I find plant-based meat disgusting…a pathetic substitute for animal protein. No thank you. At left the salad was good (I loved the avocado).

The galley also had packaged snacks like cookies and crackers:

Pre-Arrival Meal

About 90 minutes before landing, a second meal was served. Although it was breakfast time in Taipei, it was nearing dinner time in Chicago, so a “dinner” was served (on the Western menu).

The appetizer included mozzarella cheese with cured meat (salami) and figs (more coffee to drink…somehow I avoided the jitters).

For the main course, I had fish again…this time pan-seared salmon with lemon butter sauce served with potatoes (the other choices being Shanghai braised pork noodle soup or Chinese plain congee).

Fruit for dessert:

If anything, the pictures do not do justice to the food onboard, which was excellent and a very pleasant treat. I particularly appreciated

IFE + Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi (Panasonic) is free for business class passengers, though it worked only intermittently during the flight.

The IFE section is more limited than on other carriers, including fellow Taiwanese carrier Starlux, but I really enjoyed a German movie called The Tasters (about Hitler’s female taste testers during WWII).

Content included movies, TV shows, music, games, and a moving flight map. In addition to the printed menus, menus were also available on screen.

Noise cancelling headphones worked well:

Amenity Kit + Pajamas

EVA partners with Maison Kitsune for its amenity kit and pajamas in business class and I love that amenity kits come in drawstring bags like a high-end purse.

Contents included:

brush/comb
dental kit (With Marvis toothpaste…one of my favorites)
ear plugs
eye shade
Maison Kitsune skin proudcts
- facial mist
- lip balm
- hand + body lotion

Notice that there was a shoulder strap included too…I guess it’s cool to wear this amenity kit out and about?

The pajama were super-soft and very comfortable…I’ve worn them at home several times since the flight.

(I requested large and they fit fine…not too big for me at 6’1″ and 175 pounds)

Slippers too:

Duty Free

For the first time since an ANA flight nearly six years ago, I purchased a Duty Free item onboard (via my screen)…a 3D airplane puzzle for my kids. I thought it would be a nice little memento they would enjoy putting together (and they did).

Service

Service was simply fabulous onboard, with flight attendants who were very kind, friendly, and attentive. They also had an excellent command of the English language (of course my Mandarin fails to get me further than a simple greeting, but this is a big issue on Mainland carriers, a big distinction between the People’s Republic and the Republic…).

A special shout out to Lesley Chen who took care of me during the flight and could not have been better. I loved that she loved coffee and so carefully made my (many) cups of coffee.

CONCLUSION

As pleasant as this flight was, I was happy to get off the plane..well rested and sated after 13.5 hours, it was good to be on the ground. But this was a fabulous flight and I am very glad I chose EVA Air for this trip. While not a modern cabin compared to many competitors, I really enjoyed the food, service, and seat onboard and look forward to flying the 787-10 and A350 next time on EVA.