What the Celebrities Ate at the Oscars 2026 Menu Revealed

Hollywood was buzzing as the world’s biggest stars gathered for the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15. While most of the attention went to the winners, including One Battle After Another taking Best Picture over Sinners, another team of professionals had a different focus: the food.

At the Governor’s Ball, a massive feast awaited the 1,200 invited guests. Chef Elliott Grover, head chef at London’s 45 Park Lane, was back for his fourth year cooking for the prestigious after-party.

“You can hear them coming, and you know it’s go-time,” he said. Grover worked alongside legendary chef Wolfgang Puck, who has handled the event’s catering since 1994. Grover admitted that working with Puck can be unpredictable. “He is very fun, but he’s crazy, so I go in with the mental preparation of knowing something will change,” he explained.

Puck is famous for making major menu adjustments just days before the Oscars. This year, for example, fish and chips were planned ahead, but the roast beef in Yorkshire puddings got final approval only a few days before the event.

The fish and chips are always a crowd favorite, Grover said. “We get slammed on the fish and chips – and thankfully it’s the easiest thing to make.” The version served at the Oscars is a fancy, bite-sized take on the British classic, with crispy chips and a small piece of sea bass topped with tartare sauce.

Grover chooses the fish based on what is freshest in Los Angeles. In past years, he has served Wagyu beef in Yorkshire puddings and even a complicated beef Wellington. Grover got the job years ago simply by asking.

“I asked if I could go along, and Wolfgang said, ‘Yes, why not?’” He recalled. Now a regular part of the team, Grover trusts the process in the high-pressure kitchen and no longer over-prepares for the event.

Even though the guests are some of the richest people in the world, their requests are often simple. Grover said the most popular off-menu request is just a side of plain chips. This year, the British-themed dishes were exclusive to the Oscars guests, and the kitchen worked 16 hours straight to make sure everything was perfect.

While the food impressed, the awards themselves also made headlines. One Battle After Another, a 1970s-set thriller directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, won six Oscars, including Best Picture.

The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro. Michael B. Jordan had a big night too, winning Best Actor for his roles in the vampire thriller Sinners, which had a record-breaking 16 nominations.

Jordan has been busy recently, working on the fourth Creed movie and preparing to star in a remake of The Thomas Crown Affair. Both One Battle After Another and Sinners are credited with bringing audiences back to theaters, making this year’s Oscars and the star-studded Governors Ball extra memorable.

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