Special occasion dining airside heathrow and inflight

[highlandchieftain]

Wonder if anyone could advise on this. We are celebrating a special occasion and have a 4 hour layover in Heathrow. We would like to find somewhere nice to eat. Transferring from domestic T1 to International T4 the only semi decent restaurant I can see is Chez Gerrard in T3.
If this is the case are we able to freely move around from terminal to terminal remaining airside. Frankly we would rather do without than have to go out through security and back in.
We are flying onward internationally with BA and I would quite like to celebrate with champagne. We are seated right at the back and I neither want or expect this as part of the service. The question therefore is can I buy a bottle or half bottle to consume on board. We are generally quiet reserved people and would never ask unless we know its available as would hate to be taken for a freeloader

Really grateful for any advice..

[MrSoft]

Don't laugh but. The only half way decent meal I ever got anywhere in Heathrow was at Cafe Rouge, landside T1, upstairs. With a colleague, I had the best steak frites obtainable outside Paris. I thought it must be a fluke, so returned recently, and it was just as nice, and with a nice atmosphere considering its essential 'fakery'.

Yes you would have to exit airside to do this but the inconvenience might be no worse than attempting a seamless airside orbit of T1-T3-T4. I'm not even sure T3 flight connections would allow you in.

To be honest if you follow flight connections straight from T1 to T4, it is usually pretty quick and painless - I would recommend this; perhaps another poster can suggest somewhere non-poisonous to dine within T4 itself.

On reflection, this recommendation probably speaks volumes about the regrettable lack of choice within Heathrow.

[SXB]

I too would be interested to know if Heathrow has any decent restaurants. Each time I've eaten there the food has been utterly inedible. Though not as bad as in Boryspol in Kiev last week. They don't have a restaurant at all, they just sell cheese rolls which they insist on putting in the microwave for 30 seconds. The result is quite interesting, a mixture of melted processed cheese with stale bread....

Not sure how you'll get on with bringing your own champagne, strictly speaking you can't consume duty free on the plane. If you just explain to CC that's it's a special occasion they may just give you some champagne.

Good luck

[Miraz]

There used to be a couple of decent restaurants in the Hilton@T4 that would be worth considering.

[PAXboy]

High ChiefThe question therefore is can I buy a bottle or half bottle to consume on board.Unfortunately not. No carrier allows you to take your own alcohol on board. Whilst this might seem as if they wish to protect their revenues, it is about knowing how much you have had. (All those who wish to protest about how the airlines give far too much booze to people can wait in line!)

BA will cheerfully sell you a couple of 1/4 bottles of bubbly and you can just pay the price with a smile! No need to tell them what the special occasion is, many people buy champagne on aircraft. When the drinks trolley comes around before dinner, you can ask them to ensure that your bubbly is put on ice, or you can even ask before take off. Once you have put your bags away, walk down to the galley and politely ask one of the cabin crew about this. They might say, "That's fine the bottles are already chilled" or "I'll put them on ice now." You can have it before, or with, the meal.

[Married a Canadian]

High Chief

No harm in telling the cabin crew either that you are celebrating a special occasion either...and see if they will give you a complimentary glass of bubbly.

BA did exactly that when my wife and I flew out for our honeymoon.

Depends on the day I suppose.

[VS-LHRCSA]

From a crew point of view, it is highly unlikely that you will get a freebie on the basis of a special occaision.

The amount of times I have been asked to upgrade passengers, waive excess baggage, give food or wine from the premium cabins, give free champagne, etc just because passengers are on their honeymoon is unreal.

Fair enough, it's a special occaision for YOU but no-one else on the aircraft really cares. What am I supposed to do on a flight such as MRU where there are 20 other couples on their honeymoon?

[Avman]

High Chief, best thing to do is tell them you're airline staff flying on free tickets. You'll then get all the bubbly you want. :E

:oh: Oh I'm bad, so very bad!

[airbus777]

We have stopped(or are about to stop)selling the quarter bottles of champagne in economy on ba,read it recently in the cabin crew news.Just mention it to one of the crew about your special occasion,im sure they will get you a glass of bubbly from the front,ive done it loads of times for pax.
As for pax drinking their own booze,we let them do it on ba(in moderation)!

[Clarence Oveur]

No carrier allows you to take your own alcohol on board.That is not true. You are only limited by Customs and DGR. Around 5L if I remember correctly.

[Married a Canadian]

VS-LHRCSA

I appreciate that crew have probably heard these requests a thousand times...and no doubt it can be wearying all the upgrade asks etc etc. However a glass of champagne is not that big an ask surely??..and these are the type of things that a passenger will remember in future when choosing a particular airline again.

I don't care if no one else on the aircraft cares about a special occasion...I would expect the cabin crew to at least acknowledge it though. As I said though I am sure it depends on the day and the flight. It so happened I got my glass of bubbly on a flight to MRU.

[MuttleyJ]

Airbus777 is right - the vast majority of BA CC will give you a glass of champers if you mention the special occasion, if it makes you feel better maybe you could offer to buy some (and as Airbus777 said, you can't do this any more) then you'll just get a few glasses free! I promise you, most CC are nice people and want you to have a nice flight, I am sure if you have a chat with them they will look after you. Hope you have a lovely flight and enjoy your celebration.

PS: You can take a bottle of duty free alcohol on board, even ask the crew to chill it, and you can drink it - your only restriction on drinking your own booze is if you get drunk or if you are drunk on boarding.

[Gulfstreamaviator]

We as a family would go to LHR to drop off father, and celebrate at the silver service restaurant landside at "Queens Building", I think.
The food was fantastic the parking safe, and as a bonus, often collected the next days newspapers.

Glf

[PAXboy]

I am interested to read that taking your own alcohol is now permitted. I was admonished for this on a domestic US flight about [sound of clunking brain cells] 17 years ago. IIRC, discussion in this cabin a couple of years ago on the same topic brought confirmation that bringing your own booze was not permitted.

[radeng]

Last year, I mentioned on boarding a BA flight (they knew I had a Gold card) that it was my 60th flight on BA that year. Not only did I get champagne in WT+, but so did the Austrian lady beside me, who would otherwise have felt left out......champers all the way to PHX.
The incremental cost is bu**er all, the goodwill purchased is enormous. I have a nasty suspicion that the bean counters don't look at it that way, may their socks rot!

[airbus777]

paxboy i think maybe on airlines that charge for drinks they will not allow you to bring your own,as on ba we dont charge maybe this has something to do with it!