Airplane Chefs - Cooking Game

Review by eFreeware

Airplane Chefs is a free arcade cooking game from Nordcurrent Games, available on Google Play with more than 10 million installs and a 4.5 average from 133,948 ratings. It first arrived in January 2021 and carries an Everyone content rating. The premise is simple to grasp: you work as a stewardess on a plane, cooking and serving meals to passengers as flights move between cities around the world.

The main reason to consider it is the setting. Plenty of cooking games put you in a restaurant kitchen; this one moves the whole routine into a galley at altitude, which changes the rhythm of the work and gives the level list a travel theme. The developer promises hundreds of levels, and the destination list runs from Sydney and Singapore to London and New York, with each stop introducing local dishes and techniques.

It is a free download with ads and in-app purchases, so the cost of entry is low. I would treat it as a game for short, repeatable sessions rather than long sittings, because the time-management format rewards quick decisions and clean execution.

A galley instead of a restaurant kitchen

What separates this from a standard cooking game is where the cooking happens. You are not managing a dining room or a street stall; you are working a plane's galley while passengers wait, which the developer frames as the life of a professional stewardess. That framing shapes everything from the food you prepare to the upgrades you buy.

Each destination brings its own menu and its own techniques. The developer lists burgers, steaks, sandwiches and desserts among the meals to prepare, and says you learn about famous foods from major cities as you go. That gives the level progression a travel structure: new city, new dishes, new timing demands, rather than the same orders reskinned.

The recent Manila update follows the same idea, adding Lechon, Tapa and Halo-Halo to the rotation. If you like the sound of working through a menu that changes with the map, this structure is the strongest argument for the game.

Cooking under time pressure

The core loop is time management. Orders come in, you prepare and assemble dishes, and you serve them before passengers lose patience. The gameplay is built around addictive, fast-paced rounds, which is the standard promise of the genre: the challenge comes from sequencing several tasks at once rather than from any single dish being difficult.

There are hundreds of levels, which suggests a long progression curve with new mechanics introduced as you advance. The game was last updated on September 30, 2026, so the level list is being extended rather than left as it was at launch.

Because the game is free with ads and in-app purchases, that is part of the experience. I would go in expecting a steady drip of new levels and dishes rather than a single campaign you finish in a weekend.

Upgrades, ingredients and the galley you build

Between the cooking itself, the game asks you to improve your workspace. You can upgrade the galley and unlock finer ingredients, which lifts the standard of the dishes you serve. That gives the levels a second layer: you are not only cooking faster, you are investing in the equipment and stock that make faster cooking possible.

There is also a decoration side. A wide variety of decorations sits alongside the upgrades, so the plane becomes something you shape over time rather than a fixed backdrop. For players who like visible progress, that is a meaningful draw; for players who only care about the cooking challenge, it is optional dressing around the core loop.

The ingredient system is worth noting. The upgrade choices you make affect how the galley looks and how you play.

Who this cooking game suits

I would expect Airplane Chefs to land best with players who already enjoy order-based cooking games and want a change of scenery. The plane setting, the city-by-city menus and the stewardess role give it a distinct identity within a familiar format, and the 4.5 rating across a large number of ratings suggests the formula works for a broad audience.

It also suits anyone who prefers short sessions with clear goals. A level is a contained task: take the orders, cook the food, serve it, move on. That structure fits a few minutes at a time, and the upgrade and decoration systems give you something to work toward between levels.

Players who dislike ads or prefer to pay once may find that trade-off less appealing.

A strong pick for players who like cooking on the clock

Airplane Chefs takes a well-worn genre and gives it a setting that does real work. Cooking in a plane galley, serving passengers as you cross between cities, and building up your workspace with upgrades and decorations is a coherent package, and the Manila update shows the developer is still adding destinations and dishes rather than letting the level list stand still.

The trade-offs are the ones that come with a free game: ads and in-app purchases are part of the deal. That is not a problem if you enjoy the format.

If you like time-management cooking games and want one with a travel theme and a long list of levels, this is a sensible pick. If the cooking-on-the-clock format has never appealed to you, the plane setting is unlikely to change that.

What's new in version 16.0.0

Step into Manila’s kitchen, where every dish brings a new combination of flavors to the table. Roast tender Lechon, fry up savory Tapa, and layer refreshing Halo-Halo. Experience the tastes of the Philippines and put your cooking skills to the test with exciting new challenges.