For this year’s final Meal of the Week, I count down my top 10 airline meals of 2025.
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 2025 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 there are a few meals from flights I have not yet reviewed.
Top 10 Airline Meals Of 2025
10. Shake Shack Cheeseburger In Delta Air Lines 737-800 First Class
Delta offers a Shake Shack burger from its preorder menu in domestic first class and it is a delicious dish worth trying, even if the salad or beef short ribs represent a healthier choice.
Review here.
9. “All Day Roast” In American Airlines 787-9 Business Class
Ordering a beef on any carrier is always a risk, but the “all day roast” (roasted beef served with roasted potatoes, peas, turnips, and carrots with apple cider demi sauce) was tender and flavorful.
Flight review.
8. Mushroom Risotto In Finnair A350-900 Business Class
Mushroom risotto is a comfort dish for me and this particular version was creamy and delicious. I also appreciated the side of beet hummus and dark bread.
Full flight review.
7. Pan-Seared Pink Snapper In SAS A350-900 Business Class
My pan-seared pink snapper with artichoke barigoule, San Marzano tomato confit and smoked eggplant puree, exclusively from the pre-order menu, on my LAX-CPH flight, was very delicious.
Full review.
6. Osso Buco In United Airlines 757-200 Business Class
United’s catering has been disappointing, but the braised osso buco (with savory braising jus, golden Milanese risotto, and char-grilled asparagus spears) was a winner…delicious and unique.
The pre-arrival meal (salad) was also very, very good:
Flight impressions here.
5. Slow-Cooked Beef Brisket In SAS A330-300 Business Class
SAS not only managed to served edible beef brisket, but pulled it off masterfully. It included red wine sauce with fermented black pepper, mac and cheese, green beans and beets with thyme butter. It was a home run…so delicious.
Flight review.
4. Lobster Thermidor In Starlux A350-900 Business Class
While not quite as good as the Lobster Thermidor on Singapore Airlines, Starlux did a great job on this and I found it very enjoyable.
And we musn’t forget my Mexican feast mid-flight, which included pork carnitas and nachos with pico de gallo and guacamole…one of my favorite all-time airline mid-flight snacks.
More flight details.
3. Beef Tenderloin In Korean Airlines 747-8 First Class
My grilled beef tenderloin with rosemary brandy sauce was a perfect medium-rare and served with a nice blend of potatoes, white asparagus, and tomatoes.
Flight review.
2. Lobster Thermidor + Lamb Shoulder In Singapore Airlines A380-800 Suites Class
I’ve had better lamb, but the lobster Thermidor was absolutely exquisite…I understand now why it is a hallmark of Singapore’s Airlines First Class.
Flight impressions here.
1. Lamb Shoulder + Cheeseburger In Cathay Pacific A350-1000 Business Class
I pre-ordered lamb shoulder as part of a menu collaboration between Cathay Pacific and French restaurant Louise. The dish included lamb shoulder braised in lamb fat served over a bed of bulgur wheat salad with mint, coriander, and dried fruits, and finished with lamb jus infused with the North African spice mix of ras el hanout and toasted pine nuts…it was sublime.
Shoutout to the burger on this flight as well…my best burger of the year.
I am very thankful for all the great meals I enjoyed this year and look forward to many more in 2026.
What was your favorite airline meal in 2025?
Lobster thermador I had on QR J a few years back was nothing to sneeze at either.
Did not get to fly QR this year…sad.
Happy new year.
My observation is that items which cook low and slow and are forgiving of reheating predominate. Fatty lamb entrees are excellent on the ground as well reheated in a tight galley. Even better with fava beans and a nice chianti.
Airlines should take heed of the recent popularity of boneless chicken thighs (I now must pay for for boneless thighs than breasts) and develop a flavorful, saucy dish for 30,000 feet. It does not require the name of some high falooting celebrity chef – I will settle for someone anyone has spent some time in the kitchen.
Happy New Year!
I agree 100%.
No seared sea bream this time? I wished the FA waited for the burger to be reheated before topping with the cheese.
The sea bream on JAL was superb…missed that this year!
This may be hard to believe, but it was a breakfast choice, early morning flight CDG-SFO, UAL Business. Yogurt with mango puree and tons of fresh fruit, served with a side of more fruit and a croissant. Outbound flight was an insedible steak, soggy asparagus and tasteless roasted potatoes. WWell, that’s what I get for ordering beef on a plane.
Sounds very good (and much better than my breakfast on the same flight!), which would have made my worst-10 list if I were doing one.
https://liveandletsfly.com/review-united-airlines-777-200-polaris-business-class/
A mango and passion fruit yogurt is unparalleled…
Didn’t you find any dessert you liked during your flights this year?
I’m much more addicted to salt than sugar, but I still love the ice cream sundaes on the U.S. carriers. Most meals I prefer just to conclude with fruit.
So healthy. Delta’s sundaes sprinkle Biscoff crumbs…
The Shake Shack Cheeseburger in Delta Air Lines B737-800 First Class, the “All Day Roast” in American Airlines b787-9 Business Class and the Slow-Cooked Beef Brisket in SAS A330-300 Business Class are my favorites…
Some form of ground beef in a big bun shouldn’t be in bus. or first class ; you never know what the quality of the beef could be; sometimes they use pork instead of beef in those burgers; its an insult to be served that crap when you’ve paid so much for a bus. class tic.
Delta has the best burgers of the US-3. In addition to Shake Shack, they do different burgers sometimes for lunch on westbound TATL (includes lettuce, tomatoes, etc.)
United’s cheeseburger is fine.
American’s sliders are awful. Yuck.
No matter what is done with chicken thighs they are still awful and do not have enough meat to be worth the time to debone it…Even in Centurion and DL lounges –horrid chicken thighs.. Please stop with them already