Heathrow Airport Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 food and restaurant options

For most of us, our vacation begins as soon as we arrive at the airport, luggage in tow and complete our check-ins. Sure, there’s a buzz about getting off the plane at our faraway destinations and exploring what they have to offer. But the airport is where it begins – from the dazzlingly lit duty-free shops to the swarm of bars and restaurants – all ready to give us a taste of the good life before we fly away.

As the UK’s largest international airport, Heathrow has an unrivaled selection of bars, eateries and restaurants – perfect for refueling before traveling abroad. Research suggests that most Brits arrive at the airport around three hours before our flights are due, leaving plenty of time to get to the nearest eateries to hand.

There are a whopping 32 food outlets spread across Heathrow Terminals 2 to 5. Here we walk you through each one so you know what to look out for once you’ve checked in.

Heathrow Terminal 2

Elsewhere, The Perfectionists’ Café, created by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, caters for “passengers who want exceptional food quickly” with dishes such as a full English breakfast (£19), chicken burgers (£24.50) and nicoise salad (£17, 50) ).

One of the more head-spinning businesses is famed shoe brand Louis Vuitton’s Le Café Cyril Lignac, an artisan cafe housed in what looks like a large cave, which opened to fanfare in October. Its elegant dishes range from French truffle croque-monsieur (£28), lobster roll (£30) to heirloom beetroot and citrus salad (£25).

The other locations in Terminal 2 are YO! sushi bar, Leon, Shan Shui Asian restaurant, The Vinery and The Queens Arms pubs, plus Jones the Grocer.

Heathrow Terminal 3

Heathrow Terminal 3 has 11 food and drink outlets, including the well-known coffee shops Caffe Nero, Black Sheep and Pret a Manger, plus the lesser-known Joe’s Coffee House, which offers “sandwiches, warming soups and stews, hot stuffed jackpot potatoes, smoothies, juices and sweets “. Yo! Sushi is also available in Terminal 3 as is the popular pan-Asian restaurant Wagamama.

Italian restaurant Spuntino’s offers proper English brunch (£17.25), spaghetti & meatballs (£15.50) and Spuntino caesar salad (£12.95).

But perhaps the standout restaurant in Terminal 3 is the Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar, which serves – you guessed it – caviar! It’s an opportunity to taste one of the world’s oldest delicacies if you’ve never tried it, with the Ultimate Caviar Tray (£145) perfect for beginners, while connoisseurs can enjoy the Royal Black Caviar House (from £120 to £490) ), to the caviar house’s finest beluga (£250 to £1,035). Good-value seafood dishes are also on sale, with Scottish smoked salmon (£22), prawn cocktail (£21.50) and cheese board (£20.50).

Heathrow Terminal 4

Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4 is the smallest of its five terminals, opened by Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1986. Of its six food and drink outlets, three of them are well-known cafes – Caffe Nero, Costa and Pret a Manger. Otherwise, diners can enjoy Co-Pilots Bar and Kitchen with its pilot burger (£21.75), fish and chips (£18.50) and penne arrabiata (£12.50).

Elsewhere, Wetherspoons makes an appearance with its Star Light bar offering “traditional pub fare” including all-day brunch (£13.75), double American burgers (£13.50) and pepperoni pizza (£13.80). The remaining restaurant, The Commission, serves European classics with an Indian twist such as spiced cauliflower chunks (£8.95), Goan curry (£17.95) and buttermilk chicken burgers (£17.50).

Heathrow Terminal 5

Terminal 5 is big business, with 33 million passengers passing through it last year. Porten has 12 food and drink outlets, including many of the cafes we’ve come to expect – Starbucks, Pret a Manger, Caffe Nero and Costa. Other familiar sights include Wagamama.

Terminal 5 has a healthy selection of gastropubs. Fortum & Mason Bar has its own caviar on toast, ranging from 10g (£78) to 125g (£850). Other meals include Fortum’s smoked fish plate (£21.50), lobster & prawn cocktail (£22) and hot smoked salmon with quail egg, pickled red onion and salsa verde (£15.75). The Globe Pub & Kitchen has a small menu with full breakfast baps (£9.50) and the big smoked breakfast burrito (£11.50).

One of the funnest restaurants here is Giraffe World Kitchen, which has everything from Japanese katsu chicken curry (£16.25), birria tacos (£17.50) to Korean BBQ chicken (£16.25), and it was voted once to one of the world’s best airport restaurants. Celebrity chefs also make an appearance here with Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food serving up harissa marinated lamb ribs (£21), wagyu & red wine tagliatelle (£25.75) and buffalo chicken burgers (£19.50).

Elsewhere, Terminal 5 has Wetherspoons’ The Crown Rivers with big breakfasts (£14.30), double patty burgers (£14.05) and chicken tikka masala (£15.35) on its menu. Other eateries include Itsu and another grastro pub, Pilot’s bar and kitchen.

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