On this page (9 sections)
Eating before security at Terminal 3
Landside food at Terminal 3 is limited to three venues, all in the departures hall before security: The Oceanic Pub and Kitchen, a Costa Coffee, and a Pret A Manger. The Oceanic is the only proper sit-down option pre-security; the two chains cover the coffee-and-sandwich market for travellers in a hurry or just dropping someone off.
The Oceanic Pub and Kitchen sits next to the landside Pret in the departures hall, open from 06:30 to 21:30 daily. The menu is English and American pub food (burgers, fish and chips, breakfast through to evening mains), with a craft and tap beer list. It is listed as a Priority Pass venue, so pass holders get a per-visit allowance against the menu price.
If you are dropping someone off and want to share a meal before they head through, The Oceanic covers it. For everything else, it is faster to clear security and pick from the wider list in the airside departure lounge of Terminal 3 itself.
Eating after security at Terminal 3
The airside departure lounge at Terminal 3 is where the choice widens. Once through security, the central concourse holds the named sit-down restaurants and bars; the long gate pier toward Gates 23 to 42 carries a smaller cluster for the airline departure banks at the far end. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for the walk if your gate is at that end.
In the central area you get Spuntino, The Curator Bar and Dining, Oriel Grande Brasserie, Caviar House and Prunier Seafood Bar, plus Wagamama, Giraffe, YO!, and a Pret. The Gates 23 to 42 pier holds The Evergreen Bar and Restaurant, which has its own bar half and full menu. The chains (Caffe Nero, Starbucks, Pret) are spread across both areas.
Dwell times at T3 tend to run longer than at Terminal 2 restaurants because most flights are long-haul, with bag drop opening 3 to 4 hours before departure. The longer wait means you can settle in for a proper meal rather than the eat-and-run pattern at the shorter-haul terminals. The eating choice at T3 is comparable to T2, broader than Terminal 4 restaurants, and not as deep as Terminal 5 restaurants. For onward moves between gates and terminals on a connection, see transferring between Heathrow terminals.
Sit-down restaurants
The airside venues where you sit at a table, are served, and can have a proper meal. All are past security, with The Evergreen on the far gate pier and the rest in the central concourse. For the pier and concourse layout, see a map of Terminal 3.
Spuntino
Italian-American all-day diner with the Soho restaurant heritage behind it: sourdough pizzas, burgers, truffle egg toast, full breakfasts, and a prohibition-era cocktail list. Open 05:30 to 22:00 daily, sit-down at the bar or at tables. The closest T3 has to a destination meal.
The Curator Bar and Dining
Seasonal British menu, full table service, with a small-batch cocktail list run by a dedicated bar team. Open 06:00 to 21:00 daily in the central airside concourse. A confirmed Heathrow-app pre-order participant, so you can order ahead for collection or seat delivery. Works as both a meal stop and a cocktail bar before a flight.
The Evergreen Bar and Restaurant
Traditional British cooking on the Gates 23 to 42 pier, using Paul Rhodes Bakery breads and Sussex cheeses on the cheese board. The room is split between bar and restaurant. Open 05:30 to 21:30 daily. Listed as a Priority Pass venue. The right call if your gate is at the far end and you want a meal nearer the gate rather than back in the central area.
Caviar House and Prunier Seafood Bar
Caviar, oysters, smoked salmon, and champagne, served at the counter and at tables in an Art Deco-styled bar. Open 06:00 to 21:30 daily. A stool-and-plate setup rather than a full meal, useful if you want one glass and a couple of dishes before a flight.
Oriel Grande Brasserie
French-style brasserie near Gates 18 to 20, open from 06:00 through to midnight. All-day menu covering breakfast, burgers, bistro mains, and a wine list. The latest-closing T3 venue, useful if you have an evening departure or a delayed flight on the brasserie's side of the lounge.
Giraffe
Family-friendly world-kitchen chain: salads, bowls, burgers, breakfasts, and a children's menu. Sit-down service and a quieter room than the bar-led venues, useful with kids or anyone who wants a simple table meal before flying.
Wagamama
Pan-Asian noodle, rice bowl, and ramen chain, sit-down service at long shared tables. Open 06:30 to 21:00 daily. Faster turnaround than the named sit-down spots, more substantial than a sandwich.
Pubs and bars
Pub-and-pint coverage at T3 is thinner than at T2 and T5. One landside pub does the heavy lifting before security; airside, the bar element sits inside the sit-down restaurants rather than in standalone pubs.
The Oceanic Pub and Kitchen (landside)
The only proper pub at T3, in the departures hall before security, next to the landside Pret. Open 06:30 to 21:30 daily. English and American pub menu (burgers, fish and chips, all-day breakfast), craft and tap beers, Priority Pass listed. The right call for a meal with someone you are dropping off, or a pint before bag drop.
Cocktails and champagne airside
Past security, the cocktail-and-champagne picks sit inside three of the sit-down venues already covered above. The Curator runs the small-batch cocktail list, Spuntino runs the prohibition-era cocktail list, and Caviar House and Prunier is the champagne-and-oyster pick. There is no dedicated airside pub at T3; if you specifically want a pint rather than a glass of wine or a cocktail, head to the central concourse and pick The Curator, Spuntino, or The Evergreen.
Quick service and grab and go
For something faster than a sit-down meal, T3 has a few quick-service names plus the usual coffee and sandwich chains in both landside and airside concourses.
YO! (YO! Sushi)
Japanese conveyor-belt sushi and street food, in the central airside lounge. Useful for a quick cooked-Asian option without the wait at Wagamama at peak. Take-away available.
The standard chains across T3 are Pret A Manger (both landside in the departures hall and airside in the central concourse), Caffe Nero airside, and Starbucks airside at Unit R4016 on the central concourse. Costa Coffee covers the landside coffee market. None of these has a T3-specific menu; the offer is the same ready-made sandwiches, salads, pastries, and hot drinks as anywhere else at the airport. For take-away purchases on the way to the gate, the airside chain counters sit alongside the duty free stores.
Coffee and bakeries
For an espresso and a pastry only, the named coffee venues at T3 are Costa Coffee landside in the departures hall, and Caffe Nero, Starbucks, and Pret A Manger airside in the central concourse. The Pret has both a landside and an airside outlet, so you can pick up a coffee before or after security. There is no dedicated independent bakery at T3; the chains and the breakfast menus at the larger sit-down venues cover the morning coffee and pastry market between them. The Curator opens at 06:00 and Spuntino at 05:30 with full breakfast menus, useful if you want a meal alongside the coffee rather than a counter.
Standout places to eat at Terminal 3
If you have time to choose, four venues stand out from the chains and the usual airport offer.
Spuntino is the strongest non-chain pick: Italian-American all-day diner with the Soho restaurant heritage, sourdough pizzas, the truffle egg toast that the original is known for, and a prohibition-era cocktail list. Open 05:30 to 22:00 daily, sit-down at the bar or tables, central airside concourse. The closest T3 has to a destination meal.
The Curator Bar and Dining sits alongside it on the central concourse. Seasonal British menu, table service, a separate cocktail bar with small-batch spirits. Open 06:00 to 21:00. The right call if you want British cooking rather than Italian-American, or if you want cocktails before a flight in a room set up for them rather than at a counter.
The Evergreen Bar and Restaurant is the standout on the Gates 23 to 42 pier. Traditional British cooking, Paul Rhodes Bakery breads, Sussex cheeses, full bar. Open 05:30 to 21:30, Priority Pass listed. The reason to pick it over The Curator or Spuntino is location: if your gate is at the far end of T3 the walk back to the central area is a long one, and The Evergreen saves it.
Caviar House and Prunier Seafood Bar is the bar-and-plate pick rather than a full meal. Caviar, oysters, smoked salmon, champagne, Art Deco styling. Open 06:00 to 21:30. The right call for one glass and a couple of plates rather than a sit-down meal.
Pre-ordering food to your gate
You can pre-order food at T3 for collection or delivery to your gate through the Heathrow app. The service is branded as Grab on Heathrow's own pages, the same name used across the airport's pre-order offer; the underlying company changed its name to Servy in January 2021, but Heathrow has not relabeled the passenger-facing brand.
How it works at T3: download the Heathrow app or open Heathrow's pre-order page, pick a participating venue, choose your items, pay, and either collect at the counter or have the order delivered to your seat or gate. The Curator is named in Heathrow's own materials as a participating T3 venue; the participating list moves over time, so Heathrow's pre-order page is the source of truth on the day.
It is the most reliable way to skip the queue at peak, particularly during the morning long-haul departure bank when the sit-down restaurants fill quickly. If you are short on time after a long wait at security, pre-ordering can be the difference between a proper meal and a sandwich at the gate.
Best time to eat at Terminal 3
Most T3 venues open from 05:30 to 06:30 and close from 21:00 to 22:00, broadly tracking first and last flight of the day. The earliest are Spuntino and The Evergreen at 05:30. The Curator, Caviar House and Prunier open at 06:00. Wagamama and The Oceanic open at 06:30. Oriel Grande Brasserie runs the longest, from 06:00 through to midnight.
T3's busiest service windows are the morning long-haul departure bank between 07:00 and 11:00 (Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, Delta, Qantas, Emirates), and the evening bank from 18:00 to 22:00. Sit-down restaurants fill quickly in those windows. The 11:00 to 13:00 stretch is the quietest, and the 05:30 to 07:00 window is usable but limited because only the early-opening venues are trading.
If your gate is in the 23 to 42 range at the far end of T3, the walk from the central concourse takes 10 to 15 minutes; allow time to eat in the central area and walk out, or pick The Evergreen near the pier instead. The upgrade alternative to ordering from a venue is one of the Terminal 3 lounges, with food and drink included at paid or status entry. For a wider look at airside retail at T3, see Heathrow shopping.