There is nothing worse than being late for your flight. Luckily Heathrow caters to people who didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner with lots of places for eating at Heathrow Terminal 4.

AMT
Wake up with a cup of coffee after you clear security. This national coffee chain uses 100% fair-trade coffee and organic milk. Grab a pastry, have a seat, and get ready for your flight. The AMT coffee shop in Terminal 4 opens at 7:00 and serves coffee, tea and goodies until 23:00.

The Bridge Bar and Eating House
You can get a cold pint from 6:00 until the last flight departs the tarmac. Drop in for a delicious bacon and egg breakfast and wash it down with a delicious Bloody Mary. Everything is freshly prepared. After you breeze through security you have time for eating at Heathrow Terminal 4 while you wait for your delayed flight while you listen to smooth jazz, and R & B.

Cafes for eating at Heathrow Terminal 4

Caffe Nero
No need to clear security if you are craving one of the best Italian coffee houses on the planet. Open 24 hours, Caffee Nero is a great place to relax and shoot the breeze before you best friend leaves on holidays. You will have no trouble staying awake if you order a smooth cup of Espresso. Dig into a fresh pastry, or have a bowl of soup.

Café Rouge
This French Café serves classic dishes like steak frites, beef bourguignon, and croquet monsieur. Whether you are craving a delicious cooked breakfast, or want to eat a more substantial evening meal, you will not be disappointed. Located before security, Café Rouge is open from 5:00 until 22:00.

Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar
Spoil yourself after you clear security, and discover one of the most popular restaurants at Heathrow. Order a bottle of champagne and a dozen oysters. The Balik salmon melts in your mouth, and the caviar is indescribable. The Caviar House opens at 9:00 and serves delicious seafood until 21:00.

Costa
This casual coffee house offers travellers tasty pastries, cakes and hot coffee and tea. Cool down with an ice cold drink and wait for your flight. If you want to take a snack on the plane, pick up a wrap or sandwich. You’ll have to clear security before you indulge, but Costa is open from 5:30 until the last departing flight.

Restaurants for eating at Heathrow Terminal 4

Dining Street Restaurant
Breakfast lunch and dinner is available at this authentic British restaurant. Order a cocktail after you pass through security from the extensive drinks list. Open from 5:00 until the last departing flight, Dining Street serves burgers, fish and chips, and a variety of light meals. If it is too late for lunch, and much too early for your evening meal, drop in for afternoon tea.

Garfunkel’s
Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and delicious evening meals is what you will find at this eatery that has been serving London’s West End for over 30 years. You will be glad that you cleared security for eating at Heathrow Terminal 4 as quickly as you did so that you can enjoy an English breakfast of bacon, egg, sausage, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and hash browns. Garfunkel’s is open from 6:00 until the last departing flight.

Pret A Manger
No need to brown bag it if you are prone to food allergies. Pret A Manger only uses natural ingredients to create deliciously fresh food from 6:00 until 21:00 after security. Order a ham, cheese and mustard toastie, or go for a tuna and Swiss melt. If you have an early morning flight, you will want to tuck into a tasty egg and bacon breakfast baguette.

The Windsor Castle
Curb your appetite with bangers and mash, or go for a filling beef and potato pasty served with beans and chips. You can watch the news while you have a cold pint, or catch up with your favourite cricket team. No need to clear security to enjoy this friendly family pub, which is open from 6:00 until 23:00.

Navigating large airports, finding a suitable place to eat and relax, and passing through airport security can be strenuous. One almost has to have a vacation just from that experience alone. Add children to the mix and a layover at the airport can be just plain frightening.

London’s Heathrow Airport has taken this into account by offering a range of Kids Facilities at Heathrow Terminal 4 including services and amenities to see to it that a family’s visit there is as pleasant and stress-free as possible.

There are several help points and help stations throughout Heathrow Airport. Here, there are airport maps and a telephone by which travelers can call a porter for assistance. This service is free for those traveling alone with young children.

Baby changing facilities are also located in each of Heathrow’s terminals, before and after the security check. Many are found by the toilet areas, but there are signs with symbols throughout the terminal to guide you.

If you are in need of baby supplies, including wipes, diapers or formula milk, the pharmacy chain Boots can be located in each terminal. WH Smith, another business with branches in each terminal, offers puzzle books, comic books and magazines for children’s entertainment. You may also receive free coloring packets that contain a coloring book and crayons from the BAA info desk near the arrival area.

Food – Kids Facilities at Heathrow Terminal 4

Many parents try to accommodate their children by bringing food for eating along with them to eat at the airport, mistakenly believing there are no child-friendly spots, or those without the necessary seats and space. However, at Heathrow, there are many kid-friendly restaurants, most with children’s menus and seating.

Some family-friendly eateries to try are Bite (serving baguettes, panini sandwiches, wraps and smoothies or juice), Cafe Rouge (French food, such as croque monsieur and steak frites) and Apostrophe (cafe serving fresh food and coffee).

Lounges – Kids Facilities at Heathrow Terminal 4

There are two lounges in Terminal 4 which cater to children. The Jetterz Kids Club Lounge is fully supervised, and serves 5-14-year-old children. The lounge has reading material, games, toys, computer games and TV. It is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the cost is 15 pounds for the first 2 hours (10 pounds for more than 2 hours).

The other one is KLM Holideck Lounge where pre-school children have two floors to play–the Flight Deck, which offers view of the runway; and the Main Deck, where there are games, interactive toys, food and drink, books and magazines.

Parents who are not used to traveling with children should keep in mind the following to ensure the best possible experience at Heathrow and to the destination.

1. Be sure to have all travel documents in one place and that all your baggage follows the security guidelines. Have the child’s necessary items (diapers, wipes, formula, food) easily accessible should you need them quickly during the flight.

2. If you are traveling with a partner, think about not sitting together so each of you can get some rest while the other takes care of the child(ren).

3. Always allow yourself extra time to get to the airport when you have children.

4. Bring a variety of toys for your children, but only give them one at a time so they won’t get bored too quickly into the flight.

5. Consider booking into the KLM Holideck airport lounge. There you can enjoy complimentary sodas, tea, coffee or cocktails while you read one of the free newspapers or magazines. Or you can play one of the PS2 or PSP games with your children. There is a business zone as well as three zones for family. The lounge is open daily 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., next to gates 15/16.

6. Finally, take a deep breath and relax. The Kids Facilities at Heathrow Terminal 4 are equipped to keep children entertained for hours.

London Heathrow airport is a major travel hub — if you are traveling through England en route between another continent and a European nation, chances are you’ll stop here. It is also a commonly used airport for anyone whose final destination is London. The airport is comprised of five different terminals, some of which are used for international travel, and others which are reserved for shorter, domestic flights. Terminal 4 was constructed in 1986 and sees more than 14 million travellers in any given year. Most flights arriving to and departing from terminal 4 are long international trips, though some shorter European jaunts also operate out of the terminal.

Airlines that use Heathrow Terminal 4

While many airlines use terminal 4, most of the flights that use this Heathrow terminal are operated by British Airways and KLM. Other airlines that use the terminal include Air India, Air France, China Airlines, Korean Air, and Saudi Arabian Airlines. These airlines offer flights to many world regions, like North America, Asia, and Australia. Depending on how long your flight is, you may be asked to get to terminal 4 as early as three hours before your flight departs. For shorter European trips, you might only need to get to the airport two hours before the plane is scheduled to take off.

Some airlines operating out of this terminal afford you the ability to perform a self-check in process. Self-service check in can sometimes be performed at home on your computer, and is always allowed at the airport using one of the special self-check in kiosks. KLM, Gulf Air, and Air France all allow for a self-service check in. Gulf Air, however, only allows it at an airport kiosk and not online. Kiosks are located near the departure desks on the first floor of terminal 4.

Heathrow Terminal 4 Hotel

Terminal 4 is one of the only Heathrow terminals to have a hotel attached to it. The Hilton London Heathrow hotel can be reached from terminal 4 via a walkway, and you can also get to terminal 5 from this hotel via a shuttle bus. The Hilton hotel has amenities like a fitness centre that is open 24 hours a day, a heated indoor pool and sauna, and suite accommodations that have a separate living room and work desk. Guests can also select from a range of dining options right at the hotel, including a buffet style restaurant and a spot that serves eastern cuisine.

Travellers who need to keep busy without leaving terminal 4 will find shopping and eating within the concourse. Retailers with locations in Heathrow’s terminal 4 include Boots, Burberry, Escada, Harrods, and Michael Kors. The terminal also has a World Duty Free shop for people not interested in spending a lot of money. This shop has food like snacks and candy, fragrances, and other British souvenirs. Best of all, anything purchased as duty free is untaxed, and the customs agency in your destination country can’t count the goods against you import restrictions. The departure flights are all located past the security check point, while shops for travellers who are landing at Heathrow terminal 4 are located in the arrivals concourse.

On top of shopping, you can also grab a bite to eat or a cocktail while you wait for your flight’s boarding time. Among the places to get food in terminal 4 are Bridge Bar and Eating House, which features English Ales and contemporary cuisine, and the Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar which has a menu boasting Prunier caviar and smoked salmon. In short, travellers don’t have to settle for cheap food at Heathrow’s terminal 4 — you can actually enjoy a fine meal while you kill time before a flight departure.