Over the years, I’ve come to love falafel, a crunchy, protein-filled snack that is a staple in the Middle East. Recently, I was served falafel on a United Airlines flight in first class. Could United measure up?
Could United Airlines Pull Off Falafel?
United Airlines is expanding its meal service pre-order program, which allows first class passengers on select domestic flights pre-order their meal between 1-5 days in advance.
For my trip from Chicago to Los Angeles, I had five choices, including:
- Roasted vegetable enchilada
- Grilled chicken
- Italian ragu
- Mediterranean falafel bowl
- Cheeseburger
I tried every dish except the falafel bowl, so the choice was easy – it is not often you get to try something new on United (the standard choices of grilled chicken or Italian ragu have been unchanged for eight months).
I ordered the Mediterranean falafel bowl, which was described as a “hearty grain bowl with Mediterranean vegetables and falafel.”
Onboard my flight, the flight attendant confirmed my meal order had been loaded when taking meal orders after takeoff. For whatever reason, I expected the meal to be served cold (perhaps I was thinking of United’s mezze sampler, which is served cold).
Intead, it was served piping hot. I have to be honest – beyond the yellow bell peppers and green parsley, I could not tell what the other grains were. But it was delicious. Even better, the falafel was not a soggy mess, but crisp and delicious, almost (but not quite) as if I had just been removed from the deep fryer.
The meal was served with a bread roll, bowl of fruit, and chocolate-filled cookie.
CONCLUSION
If you ever are offered this meal or see it come up on you pre-order choices, give it a try. I was happy I diverted from my usual chicken to try something new and found it to be one the of better United Airlines meals I’ve had this year in a premium cabin.
Just one suggestion: don’t call it a falafel “bowl” if it is served in a casserole dish!
Glad it tasted good, because that is some of the ugliest looking falafel I have ever seen.
sounds good but looks like something they feed to Brandon every night: baby food for seniors.
Must everything be political? Airplanes. That’s what we’re talking about.
the left made everything political. we’re just living in their world.
I have to agree that our side started that first. It’s obviously bad to escalate things, but it’s not fair if folks on the left are the ones allowed to bash a president they didn’t vote for and the right at least aren’t dropping f-bombs like a lot of folks on the left did.
But will say for both sides, can we take the politics somewhere else? This is a travel blog for pete’s sake and I love my travel blogs just like how I like my coffee- without politics in it.
This reply has all the maturity of a third-grade playground. You started it–no, you started it! Cant, we talk about airplanes. And if you do want to talk politics, how about discussing that the GOP has endorsed an armed insurrection aimed at ending our constitutional system. and made a hero of a Russian dictator committing genocide. There was a time when an American of any party would oppose that. We need Ronald Reagan back. No matter what your party, none of this would have happened under Reagan.
Nah, not really.
Funny, I thought it looked like MTG
MTG?
Marjorie Taylor Greene, perhaps?
Most Thorough Grains. Obviously.
Your temper tantrum on unrelated topics is not nearly as amusing as you think. Lazy and dull.
Looks disgusting
I am Palestinian, and I determine the authenticity of Middle Eastern restaurants everywhere I travel by their falafel. As a child in Jerusalem, we ate this the way kids here eat burgers and fries. So if I see a place offer me “falafel with tzatziki and feta,” I giggle and walk on by. I LIKE both of those, but that’s not Palestine/Lebanon/Jordan/Syria–etc. That region, I will like it. WITH TAHINI. Matthew, you have traveled all over, and having read your Ben Gurion not-so-fun experiences, I know you have been to Israel and likely had GOOD falafel, so I will take your word you probably had something good there, but as an authentic ME lady who just had some really great falafel in Dallas the other night and even carried a cooler of it home from Chicago’s Bridgeview neighborhood so I could freeze and eat it for the next week, I have to say, that looks awful. Maybe it’s not. I would taste the falafel, but not the rest. I will try any falafel, but that honestly looks more like a round grain ball than the stuff that smells like the streets of Beit Jala or Aboud.
Yeah, opinions on falafel are probably like opinions on biscuits. It’s all awful unless it’s what your grandmother made. (Barbeque might be similar too).
You want real venom and arguments on the forum, bring up biscuits or bbq and watch the sparks fly!
It’s not a question of having it the way your grandmother makes it, it’s a question of how far away it is from what the dish is traditionally supposed to be. Rolled up as a wrap in pita-style bread to eaten as a sandwich is the most common way. In a multi-grain bowel? Not so much.
@Suz, your comment is very accurate. In fact, I almost added when writing the post that it would have been perfect with Tahini.
I’m just wrapping up a trip through the Middle East (I’ll be writing about it here) and have loved starting each morning with falafel and tahini. It’s really the best.
Oh, I am looking forward to reading the reports–and I am also insanely jealous of the real food you’re eating now!
Falafel is delicious and certainly not a terrible choice, but describing it as “protein filled” is not exactly accurate. Protein is the smallest macro by calories in most falafel and the protein is incomplete. Now, put it in a sandwich with a good pita and a healthy dose of cheese or yogurt and it’s much more complete.
If I saw this on the United menu, I’d definitely order it and bring along a Core Power from the airport.
Glad it was good, but WHEN will United get rid of those terrible plates that make everything look like a Swanson’s TV dinner?
I am wondering how and why you had five meal choices. On a recent flight from HNL to ORD (8.5 hours) I had no choices.
As a paid first class passenger I was not given the option of pre-ordering. Because I was seated pretty far back in first class I was not given any choice of meal either. I was told I was having cauliflower croquettes.
Hoping this makes an appearance on my upcoming NRT > LAX or EWR > NRT flights. I tend to avoid the meat entrees and almost always order the Ovo-Lacto veggie meals — but since they’ve eliminated that option, I’m dreading having to eat ravioli (which I dislike). The current crop of NRT Polaris meals I’ve seen leave a lot to be desired.
For my first time leaving Japan since late 2019, I want to look forward to flying business again. My last flight at that time from SFO > KIX had a lovely meal with an amazing salad. However, the closed NRT lounges, the dog dish meals and the lackluster menus (plus no cheese plate!) is making me bummed.
@Matthew Klint, did this meal have cheese on it? My wife is considering ordering it but we cannot find an ingredients list anywhere. Your pictures do not appear to show cheese, but the picture on the United Airlines meal selection (is very small) makes it appear there is cheese. My wife has a cheese intolerance (migraines). Thanks!
I believe there was some white cheese, but very faint tasing.