For this year’s final Meal of the Week, I count down my top 10 airline meals of 2023.
To be clear, these are only the best meals I have enjoyed over the last year, not my top 10 all-time list. I traveled all over the world in 2023 and experienced so many superb airline meals that it was hard for me to narrow the list down, but I’ve done my best. My focus is only on main courses and as seems to be the case every year, reveal my great love for lamb.
Note that many of these meals are from my big Bali – Cambodia – Nepal – Bhutan trip that I have not yet reviewed (something to look forward to next month).
Top 10 Airline Meals Of 2023
10. Flat Iron Steak On United Airlines 777 Business Class
When it comes to red meat you can mostly expect short ribs on United, but I enjoyed a rare flat iron steak from SFO-TPE and it was vey good (and the sauce had a quite a kick).
9. Thai Dinner On Nepal Airlines A330 Business Class
I enjoyed a spicy but delicious dinner of Thai rice with white fish in green curry sauce and fried Thai zucchini with egg while flying from BKK-KTM on Nepal Airlines.
8. Pork Belly On Singapore Airlines A380 First Class
The pork belly was fatty but flavorful while traveling from JFK-FRA in Singapore Suites.
7. Steak + Eggs On United Airlines 777 Business Class
United’s catering out of DXB is tops and the steak + eggs served prior to landing in EWR was the best breakfast I had all year on any carrier. Somehow even the hollandaise sauce was perfect.
6. Beef Satay in Malaysia Airlines A350 Business Class
When it comes to satay, Malaysia Airlines does an even better job than Singapore Airlines, as proved once again on my KUL-HND flight.
5. Beef Short Ribs On SAS A350 Business Class
The short ribs were tender and flavorful enroute from BKK-CPH and the bone marrow butter, thyme sauce, and mashed potato made for a great combination.
4. Steak Dinner In Singapore Airlines A380 First Class
I enjoyed a delicious herb-crusted beef filet from FRA-SIN in Singapore Suites.
3. Rare Steak In JAL 777 Business Class
When I asked for a rare steak from HND-SFO on JAL…I got it. A high-quality piece of meat made even better with Café de Paris butter.
2. Lamb Cutlet In Singapore Airlines 737 Business Class
I was so impressed with the lunch Singapore Airlines served (via Book the Cook) on my sub-two hour flight from SIN-REP. Perfect lamb. I just wish there were seconds…or thirds!
1. Lamb Cutlets In Qantas A380 First Class
Qantas service may have been a letdown, but the lamb chops served from SYD-LAX were top-notch.
I am very thankful for all the great meals I enjoyed this year and look forward to many more in 2024.
What was your favorite airline meal in 2023?
Lobster tail in Qsuites was pretty awesome
I have to be honest…other than the JAL steak..it all looks so awful! I never eat on planes anymore
“A high-quality piece of meat mad even better with Café de Paris butter.”
The spell checkers here have their whole 2023 ruined due to you! I hope you’re happy!
I think it was on Austrian that I had a very nice filet about 5-7 years ago.
The UA cheeseburger didn’t make the list? What is wrong with you?
Right? Paired so perfectly with a packaged muffin.
I just took my last United flight of the year and made a big mistake by not ordering the cheeseburger. I do love the cheeseburgers…
I notice you only list entrees, which makes some sense to simplify. That does tend to exclude some exceptional appetizers though. The only place I tend to eat caviar is on a first class flight these days but now that I think about it you don’t tend to eat much caviar. Not your thing?
I will eat caviar when offered, but never on the ground…it’s just not something I particularly enjoy (cf. foie gras, which I will not even eat in first class). I did have the caviar courses in Singapore Suites. Full review coming.
I had an excellent smoked salmon and cream cheese breakfast dish flying Aeroméxico in J from CDG. One really has to wonder why most airlines serve those horrible powdered eggs, or at best some dry omelette, for breakfast even when the rest of their premium class meals is absolutely fine.
Do you fly for the food or to get somewhere? Why the focus on so much food? Food has nothing to do with flying. It’s just food on a plane. 🙂
Food is a big part of the flying experience for me.
Yes, I may be irrational.
If you think food has nothing to do with flying, you’re on the wrong blog.
That is correct. But we invite CR to stay and learn! 😉
I generally like this blog, but the article above was stomach – churning. One slab of bloody red meat after another in a world where red meat consumption is declining ( though not as fast as it needs to) and the majority of premium flyers don’t order it.
Frankly, it also requires far less culinary skill or creativity than most other dishes served by airlines.
There used to be an Australian named Paolo who would comment all the time on my meat consumption – I know the top 10 was really stacked in favor of red meat this year, but we’ve actually really downsized it from our diet at home. Mostly fish and chicken these days. And that probably explains why I always order it on planes…
I don’t know what ‘the majority of premium flyers’ are ordering (though I suppose that, if you are thinking about those flying ‘First Class’ within the USA, their choices are probably limited to cereal bars and sandwiches full of preservatives), but this is plainly a political comment.
The way chickens are reared in most parts of the world is disgraceful and far worse in terms of both hygiene and animal welfare than what one will encounter when it comes to cattle. As if that wasn’t enough, in the UK and other places, chicken consumption is increasing as certain religious minorities are imposing their eating habits on the rest of us through economics [when 10% of the population doesn’t eat pork but nearly everyone eats chicken, anyone who has to cater for schools, hospitals, events etc will prioritise chicken], meaning that those of us who don’t belong to those religions end up eating religiously slaughtered meat even if that’s not always the best for the animal (and also financially supporting the certification bodies, some of which aren’t fantastically transparent).
Overfishing is also a huge issue in many parts of the world, and I am not sure about how sustainable fish consumption is (and I certainly don’t trust anything that the likes of Vietnam and other big seafood producers in Asia may say about that).
I basically suspect that insects are the only really sustainable protein source for humans. I have recently been able to try some grasshoppers, and I have to say that they weren’t bad at all. Unless and until they become more widespread, however, I will continue to consume red meat and read posts about airline meals that contain it!
If all that undercooked red meat is what these airlines serve them I’m much better off with a Grilled Chicken wrap from Potbelly. And there S’mores Cookies are awesome as well.