When you’re Stuck at The Airport you can shop, work, chat with other passengers, snooze, walk around or, of course, eat.
But how do you find the best meals, great deals or food and drink that fits your dietary needs, whether they be gluten-free or martini-driven?
If you’re heading to London, thes dining guide to the best restaurants at Heathrow Airport that I put together for AFAR should be helpful. The short version is below, so be sure to click through to see the full version.
(And if you’re heading to Los Angeles International Airport, I’ve put together a dining guide to LAX for AFAR as well. )
Heathrow airport has a restaurant directory with links to full food and drink menus on its website. Information about where to find milk for babies and meals for kids, as well the holidays and school break weeks when many restaurants let Kids Eat Free, is online as well.
A nice touch, Heathrow also has a list of all the airport restaurants where special dietary needs, including vegan, vegetarian, kosher, halal, gluten-free, dairy free and wheat-free, can be accommodated.
For passengers in a rush, Heathrow suggests downloading the Grab app to pre-order food and drink for pick-up at about 20 airport restaurants. There are also almost thirty airport restaurants where the menus has a special symbol next to dishes that can be delivered within 15 minutes of ordering for those sitting down at a table.
And venues such as Fortnum & Mason and the recently refurbished Gordon Ramsey Plane Food will put together multi-course Take Onboard meals packed in re-usable, insulated containers.
For posh pre-flight splurges, airport mainstay Caviar House and & Prunier Seafood Bar has counters in both Terminal 2 and 3.
Terminal 2 – The Queen’s Terminal (Serves most Star Alliance airlines)
Post-security:
We like the YO! Japanese conveyor belt sushi restaurant or The Perfectionists’ Café, from British celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, which serve British classics, plus wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizza, milkshakes and ice-cream sundaes.
Wondertree (by Giraffe) has a global menu ranging from Mexican breakfast and Hawaiian Beef Chili Bowl, to burgers, smoothie, shakes and sangria.
Terminal 3 (One World airlines)
Post security:
Spuntino is the airport outpost of the popular London restaurant known for its Italian/American comfort food, Mac‘n’ cheese, pizzas, prohibition era-inspired cocktails and great blues soundtrack. The Curator has an extensive drink menu and a menu with open sandwiches, burgers, salads, pizzas and British classics, such as Steak & Ale pie. Oriel Grand Brassiere.
Terminal 4 (Mainly Sky Team member airlines)
Post- security:
The Commission (by Drake & Morgan) offers travelers everything from burgers and salads to fish & chips and hearty steaks. Head to Comptoir Libanais for a great array of authentic Lebanese and Middle East dishes, including mezze platters, falafel wraps and lamb kofta.
Terminal 5 (British Airways)
Pre-security: Peckish passengers will find a branch of the Italian food chain, Carluccio’s, and The George, serving British pub dishes such as Cottage Pie and fish & chips, pre-security in Terminal 5.
Post-security:
Favorites include the Fortnum & Mason Bar, where you can order champagne, wines or a cocktail to go with that salt beef open sandwich, half lobster or plate of oysters. No time to dawdle? Gourmet meals (from tuna niçoise to several sizes of caviar plates) can be packed in re-usable “hamperlings” for an in-flight feast.
Gourmet multi-course picnics (start, main, dessert and bottle of water) packed in insulated carry-on totes are also available at Gordon Ramsey Plane Food, a Terminal 5 treasure recently refurbished and relaunched with a new cocktail bar, refreshed dining room and open-kitchen Asian food bar.
For my complete guide to dining at London Heathrow Airport, see the story on AFAR.
