I Tried The Denver Omelet Breakfast Burrito On United Airlines…

By Leila

a burrito with a bite taken out of it

I tried the Denver omelet breakfast burrito on a recent United Airlines flight and quite enjoyed it–another win for United’s Bistro On Board menu in economy class.

Taste Test: Denver Omelet Breakfast Burrito From United Airlines Bistro On Board Menu

I was traveling from Chicago (ORD) to Los Angeles (LAX) and in my experience, upgrades simply do not clear any more on United, even if you have top-tier status. If I’m traveling alone and have some flexibility, I just book directly into first class, but here the upcharge to first class was $1080, which I would never waste on a 4-hour 757-300 flight, even if money were not a concern.

After leveling off, flight attendants began service and I looked over the menu before settling on the Denver omelet burrito (the other hearty option was a French Toast Monte Cristo (cinnamon swirl French toast bread with smoked ham, roasted turkey, and Swiss and Gruyere cheese, which just seemed a bit too sweet and heavy to me):

Denver Omelet Breakfast Burrito
Scrambled eggs, diced ham, bell peppers, onions, crispy potatoes, and melted cheese wrapped in a warm flour tortilla

The cost was $10 or 1,180 miles. However, as a Premier 1K traveling in economy class, it was comped (along with a cold brew coffee from illy…one of my favorite drinks in the United onboard line-up).

It was offered with bamboo utensils and a side of Cholula hot sauce.

a brown bag with white text on it

As always, the ingredient list on anything United serves onboard is a mile long…but closely looking at the ingredients, I did not see any particular ingredients that raise a huge red flag (the “mono- and diglycerides” sound bad, but I think those are used to keep the ingredients together…I also wish xanthan gum, a polysaccharide that is used as a food additive and thickener, would not be used nor water added to the ham).

a package of omelet on a table

Opening it, I cut it in half with a knife and then went to work on it.

food on a table

a burrito with a couple of pieces of food

a burrito with eggs and vegetables on a napkin

a burrito with eggs and cheese on a napkin

Solid. Very solid. The tortilla was not necessary, but it made it easy and relatively clean to eat. It was not dripping in grease or other liquid and I quickly polished it off…a nice breakfast that fueled me until late afternoon.

United’s Bistro On Board breakfast menu is available on flights over 1,190 miles between 5:00 am to 9:59 am. I would order this again.

As always, I think United could charge double if it plated this and served it with a croissant and side of fruit…it’s something I’d certainly appreciate.


Each week, my Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over two decades ago.