Restaurants at Holiday Inn Express Heathrow Terminal 5

Expect the deliciously unexpected

Unusually for a Holiday Inn Express, the T5 has two restaurants. The hotel is very proud of Tratt’s pizza and pasta, and rightly thinks it’s as good as any posh London Italian eatery. The restaurant is very stylish, but still inviting and fun. The large Great Room bar/restaurant on the other hand is more informal, open and bright, but still has funky lighting and a lot of thought put into decoration.

Despite the restaurant being stylish and grown-up, kids love Tratt’s. The menu is straightforward, with the same kind of dishes you’ll find in your local Italian restaurant, but the quality of the food is much better. There’s plenty of pizza, pasta and risotto to choose from, with Italian-inspired desserts for after. We had some light and airy garlic bread with cheese to start, which had a good hit of garlic without being overpowering, with some marinated olives to accompany it. For our main, we had a delicious Hawaiian pizza. You could really taste that it had been cooked in a quality pizza oven. The thin crust was still a good mouthful and deliciously doughy. The mozzarella was gooey and time had been taken to bury the huge chunks of pineapple in amongst the cheese, instead of just scattering them over the top. To finish, we had a banana and Amaretti cheesecake that was as delicious as it sounds.

The staff were friendly and made sure to check we were enjoying the meal, assuring us they would replace any items that weren’t to our taste. Tratt’s is spacious, so you’ll never be turned away, but the restaurant does get busy, so be sure to book a table when you check in to avoid a wait.

The Great Room, on the other hand, has some tasty light meals to help you through the day. Order from the bar and the hotel’s efficient staff will bring you over your choice from a small selection of dishes, including barbecue chicken wings, a couple of curry dishes, pizza, pasta or a steak. There’s also a selection of triple-decker club sandwiches. We had the BLT, which was flavourful and salty, with nice, thick cuts of bacon, crisps and salad. You can even finish with a choice of desserts like cheesecake or ice cream. There are plenty of vegetarian options and there is a section entitled 'healthy choices'.

Breakfast is simple, and is free for all guests. The usual continental options are here: croissants, pains au chocolat and conveyor-belt toasters with a choice of bread to run through. There are also a few cooked items on the buffet: sausages, scrambled eggs and beans. There’s tea, coffee and juices to wash it down, too.

The hotel doesn’t offer room service, but you’re welcome to take your food up to your room or grab a takeaway pizza from Tratt’s. There are vending machines with canned drinks, snacks and travel essentials next to reception, but be aware, they are not cheap.