Emirates Food Review: A Journey from JFK to Milan

The travel day started at 5:30pm.

We locked up our Upper East Side sublet and said “ciao!” to the tiny two bedroom we’ve called home for the last six weeks. “We’re traveling for six weeks… let’s take public transit instead of an Uber to save money.” The route ahead involved riding the Q to the F to the E to the Airtrain…. during rush hour. As we shoved our way onto each crowded train I silently cursed the frugality that runs through my veins.

The whole process took around 90 minutes. Were the crammed subway cars and steaming hot platforms worth saving $70? Yep!

The Journey Through JFK

We made it to the Emirates check in counter with ease, then joined the winding security line. Thirty minutes went by surprisingly fast, culminating in a few odd encounters. First, I took out a box to put my items in for the Xray machine and the man next to me snatched it out of my hand with a “thank you.”  Weird. Then, the woman in front of me for the xray body scanner body slammed me as she took a few step backwards. She proceeded to give me an intense death stare that I felt in my soul. My bad for being behind you… I guess?

The journey to gate A7 was smooth sailing. At the gate, fifty odd Italian students were lounging around. Families were chattering away. Business men were clacking away on their laptops.

Boarding was meant to begin at 9:05pm for the 10:20pm flight. An announcement rang through the speakers that the flight would be delayed to 10:45pm. First boarding didn’t start until 10:20pm. And it was madness.

Our plane was an Airbus A380, which can typically seat 525 passengers. Hundreds of people trying to line up according to the Emirates “Zone” signs was as chaotic as you think.

Eventually, everyone made it on (I hope) and I popped my Advil PM ready to knock out. I scrolled through the movies, and, as per usual, I picked something people around me might not wish to watch: The First Omen. Sleep consumed me faster than expected, and I startled awake at midnight to find that the plane still hadn’t left. Something about runway traffic. By 12:15am the plane zoomed off and we were officially headed to Milan.

At 1:40am the first and only meal came rolling down the aisle.

Let’s dive into my Emirates food review!

We were presented with the option of chicken with rice or fish with pasta. Jeremy said, “pasta!” Which I suppose meant I wanted that as well because the flight attendant handed over two full trays.

The main was a bowl of cheesy pasta with shrimp and hunks of mystery fish. The noodles were perfectly fine, as were the shrimp. I can’t say I loved the fish— it tasted far too fishy with no shortage of salt. I also can’t say I love the concept and flavors of a cheesy fish pasta.

The side was a curried vegetable dish of sorts with broccoli, carrot, potato, and pomegranate seeds. My taste buds were totally accosted by the salt, and I’m not too sure how this one made it past the taste testers.

Dessert was a caramel toffee pudding. It was overwhelmingly sweet, which helped erase the lingering flavors of salt and fish from my palate.

The meal also came with a roll in a bag, hard breadsticks of sorts, a little snack mix which was delightful, and a pillow chocolate, which was also delightful.

I wouldn’t describe this Emirates food experience as “good.”

Which surprised me, because I’ve had excellent food on Emirates flights in the past. (Get a review HERE!) However, it did calm my grumbling stomach and got me through to some tasty food finds in Milan.

Stay tuned for details on our upcoming adventure: 6 weeks of traveling through Europe!