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My friend is long-term traveling to Hounslow, UK, and will be working in Heathrow Airport. However, he got sick recently, and has lost a lot of weight. He is still recovering.

He was told that there is no restaurant close by their workplace, and employees would bring food from home, and he doesn't want to cook. He is thinking of quitting on his 1st day.

As a last resort effort, I am asking here for any recommendations on where he could eat (take-away is OK), with the following very specific criteria:

  • Reachable only by foot or public transport
  • Not spicy (e.g. Indian food is a no-go by the doctor)
  • Daily food (so fast food would not be a choice)

Edit: He will be working in the British Airways West base, and I guess passenger terminal is not an option.

From the help center (or recommendations on a place (unless VERY specific criteria is listed)), I believe the question is on-topic (or my desperate desire to help him makes be believe so). If you feel more criteria are needed, please ask me!

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There are multiple restaurants nearby, mostly pubs serving pub food. At less than a mile's walking (depending on the exact location of their employment) there is Green Man and in the same area there are restaurants called Super Singhs and Darya Cafe.

While it's hard to recommend food from here, I suggest you pass on these restaurants and let your friend decide on the food at the time of ordering. To be on the safe side, one could contact the individual restaurants beforehand (e.g. by calling them) to discuss specific food needs.

Even closer is the Hilton Garden Inn London Heathrow Airport but I imagine their restaurant may be too expensive for everyday lunches.

Alternatively, one could catch the Tube from Hatton Cross Station on the Piccadilly Line. That's just one stop away from Heathrow. Personally, I would not do this as airport food tends to be more expensive and you have some (seemingly) good options at walking distance (so you don't need to pay for the Tube and don't need to worry about delays and such).

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    City center on the Tube will take a good 40 minutes to reach from Heathrow and he doesn't have to go that far. There are numerous places nearby, long before you reach city center – Hanky Panky May 12 '19 at 14:48
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    For a one hour lunch period, taking the tube is a nonstarter. Travel time alone will eat up the lunchtime. – user 56513 May 12 '19 at 14:59
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    @gsamaras you can go to any stop on the Piccadilly Line. It all depends on how far you want to travel for food (consider the cost and travel time). As for the pub food, it doesn't have to be unhealthy. A sandwich with a salad and tea aren't that unhealthy (and you won't find much healthier options unless you go looking very specifically). Depending on the amenities available (e.g. refrigerator) it might be easier to bring food from home (or a supermarket on the way to work). – JJJ May 12 '19 at 15:01
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    Leon in Terminal 2 might be a good option. They do reasonable healthy meals in a box. Most people in his situation would go to a supermarket beforehand, you can get fresh made meals/soups/bread an dtake them with you to warm up at work. – Marianne013 May 13 '19 at 9:45
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    @Xofo I think you mean "One does not simply walk out of Heathrow." *cough* – David Richerby May 13 '19 at 14:38
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I suggest a couple of similar options requiring no cooking at all, and also avoiding having to go off-site at lunchtime.

The easy option is to pick up something on the way to work from a supermarket/convenience store. You have lots of options then, for example salads, sandwiches, even microwave meals (if there's somewhere to heat them up). Some places have a fridge so you could buy two days' worth at a time; I do this to make sandwiches in work as it's easier than transporting them. Buying it on the way home the previous day is another option and may fit in better depending on working hours.

It's also possible to bring other things in depending on facilities - if you really want something hot, then there are various instant noodle/pasta products that only require a supply of boiling water, or make your own starting from couscous.

Side note: In the UK the most common lunch in work is probably sandwiches, whether home made, made in work, or bought (the latter prepacked or made to order). Asking for restaurants nearby may not have prompted the most helpful answers, as that would refer to somewhere a bit formal and unusual for everyday lunch. Cafes or sandwich shops would be better options (the latter may or may not have seating or a slightly wider menu), or convenience stores (which may be at petrol stations).

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From the Hatten Cross station, you can easily go east (away from the airport) on the Piccadilly line, which has 5-minute headways during lunch.

  • 1 stop to Hounslow West, which has a "restaurant row" on the other side of the street, easily a dozen restaurants within a block.
  • 2 stops to Hounslow Central, which has a small downtown right there, and a couple large malls a few blocks south and southeast.

I wouldn't dream of going to the airport, as it will be byzantine and you could easily have a longer walk than the above, and higher priced food to boot.

Once he gets to the employment site, he may find they have a break-room and he can sack a lunch. If he has a problem with "fast food" that is certainly the way to solve that.

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    Polish paleta was a good place for him – gsamaras May 14 '19 at 17:35
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There are quite some people making do without a staff canteen or restaurant nearby. That's not nearly a reason to quit job without a new job lined up.

Without knowing something about the location, my 2 cents from five years on a "next restaurant is far away and has only gyros" job:

Eat cold lunch and warm dinner. Get a nice sandwich box, buy different types of bread, cheeses and cold cuts, jams or marmelades, maybe some marmite or chocolate spread, then add some carrots or an apple, and you have a daily variation of complete, healthy lunches without cooking. At dinner time, you then have the possibility to explore new options.

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  • He also has night shifts, but thanks for the tips. – gsamaras May 13 '19 at 18:59
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    Yeah, combat rations are a lot more palatable when you have decent meals on either side of them. A hot, restaurant served lunch is not actually a medical necessity. Whereas chopping your lunch to 1/2hr and getting out 1/2 hr early might be nice. – Harper - Reinstate Monica May 13 '19 at 23:48
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    @gsamaras My idea "eat bread in your break and have your warm meal another time of the day" still works out in shift work. – Alexander May 14 '19 at 5:32
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I felt sure there would be a staff canteen or restaurant at the British Airways West Base but I found comments to the effect that it is open for short hours and serves frozen convenience food.

The Green Man mentioned is on Faggs Road about half a mile from the nearest corner of the BA building, and the Duke of Wellington is slightly further on Hatton Road. It is an Indian restaurant and well rated, so it may be possible to order unspiced food.

But to reach either of those, you walk via Faggs Road which is a bus route so you should be able to get to central Feltham quite easily. A google search for "feltham restaurants and pubs" brings up a map, click on that and you will see a wide choice of restaurants.

Heathrow Terminal 4 is a bit over a mile away. It may not be easy to walk on either the A30 highway, or the Southern Perimeter Road, but it can be reached by underground which has stations at T4 and near the BA building.

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According to Google Maps There is a Subway sandwich bar in the BP Petrol station on the A30 opposite Hatton Cross station. From the photos on google maps there appears to be a Costa Coffee and a Stone Willys pizza restaurant also in the petrol station, along with a couple of other brands. This is closer than Faggs Road.

There is also a Tesco supermarket on Faggs road, a little further down from the places already mentioned in other answers, which apparently has its own cafe. Having not been there I can't say how good it is, but some Tesco "cafes" do serve substantial hot food.

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