Review: British Airways – The Concorde Room (LHR)

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Tl;dr—The Concorde Room is British Airways’ most luxurious lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport. I had the chance to experience it prior to flying to New Orleans, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

For me, The Concorde Room has long held a bit of a mystique. This isn’t surprising – first-class lounges, in general, hold great lore in the points and miles community, as they afford top-of-the-line ground experiences before you head to your flight. These top-tier lounges are a way to enjoy comfortable surroundings and upscale amenities and essentially ‘get the onboard luxury experience started sooner.’ As the top-tier lounge in the British Airways portfolio, I was excited to finally get a chance to check it out on my journey back to the United States from South Africa through London. Let’s jump into my experience.

The Concorde Room – Location, Rules, and Getting In

The Concorde Room is located in Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5. While you can access the lounge from the terminal, the easiest way to get in is through the ‘First Class Wing.’ My visit to the Concorde Room followed a brief pitstop at the British Galleries First Lounge, and as such, I just had to walk across the hall to arrive at the entrance to the lounge. (Check the British Galleries First review linked above for a detailed look at the ‘First Class Wing.’)

Open from 5 AM – 10:30 PM daily, The Concorde Room is accessible to British Airways first class passengers departing or arriving on international service, Executive Club Gold members with at least 5,000 Tier points, and American Airlines Concierge Key members – that’s it. If you’re an oneworld Emerald – that’s fantastic, but you’ll be directed back across the hall and asked to get comfortable at the British Airways Galleries First lounge.

Based on my first-class flight that arrived at Heathrow from Johannesburg, I intended to gain access to the lounge, but the great Crowdstrike [Millenium] Falcon Sensor Outage of 2024 had other plans. The fallout of the global airline armageddon resulted in me missing my departing flight to New Orleans. Since we were rebooked for the same business class flight the following day, I was technically no longer ‘arriving’ off a first-class flight. Still, I wanted to explain my situation to the hostess and see if I could get in. I didn’t think I would successfully gain entry, and by the letters of the law, I shouldn’t have. But things work out sometimes, and as I made sure to hold on to my boarding pass from the previous day as proof, the lounge attendant was gracious enough to let Mrs. Blackbeard and I go into the Concorde Room. 

Mama, I’ve made it. 

Lounge Layout 

Upon entry, most of the lounge is laid out to your right. If you proceed to the right, staying on the right side of the lounge, you’ll pass a few rows of comfortable chairs, followed by the dining room and a few more seats, and will arrive at a large open-air terrace offering views of the busy terminal. 

Back near the lounge’s entrance, you’ll find a display with regalia honoring the Concorde Jet and Princess Diana and a few other nostalgic items that I imagine will fold the lips and bring a tear to even the most ardent Brexit supporter. Ah, the glory days!

Next to the trophy case is the hallway to the bathrooms…

and next to this hallway is the exit to the terminal. 

Continuing on the left side of the lounge, you’ll find a quiet room. 

The main bar is your next stop. 

And a few steps further, you’re back at the open-air terrace. 

To me, the lounge is well-decorated—not ornate and nothing too ‘extra.’ All the chairs are plush, and the seating areas are spaced out, allowing you some degree of breathing room from your fellow passengers. There are no reclined loungers or nap rooms for that ‘kicked back’ rest, but if you have a long layover, you can easily make yourself comfortable with the seating that’s available.

Facilities and Amenities

Updated 2/10/2025: When I originally posted this article yesterday, I forgot to mention that the cabana suites at The Concorde Room have been reopened! I didn’t get a chance to go inside one when I was there – they were reserved and while on was vacated soon thereafter, it hadn’t been cleaned from the last guest so I didn’t want to take photos. That said, thanks to some other helpful travelers who read my review on Facebook, I was able to grab a few photos which I showcase in this dedicated post here.

As you’d expect, The Concorde Room has its own dedicated restrooms. However, as I mentioned in my review of the British Airways Galleries First Lounge, the two lounges share shower facilities in the hallway between them.

Video visual if that’s helpful:

If you need help with connections or similar affairs, there is a dedicated guest services booth right next to the entrance to The Concorde Room.

Dining, Bar, and Service 

All the food in The Concorde Room is made-to-order, restaurant-style—well, almost all the food. For our time in the lounge, we decided to set up camp on the terrace nearby to a beautifully arranged charcuterie display with big ‘picnic’ energy.

At a certain point, the staff replaced the cheese and crackers offering with a robust array of finger sandwiches and desserts. 

You could self-serve some bubbles at any point – your options being two champagnes and one British blanc de noirs. (If you’ve peeped my latest British Airways First Class Review (JNB-LHR), this was the same local sparkling wine served onboard that flight).

The bar is a neat and elegant space, well-suited for grabbing a quick cocktail to enjoy in a spacious lounge or sipping in the high chairs while conversing with fellow passengers. 

There are tons of premium spirits and wines. You’ll also find a few seasonal cocktails and featured mainstays, like a Pimms cup.

The highlight of a lounge-like The Concorde Room is the a la carte dining. It’s similar to both the Flagship First Dining I enjoyed at MIA prior to my American Airlines first-class flight to Brazil and the first-class dining room at the British Airways Galleries Lounge at JNB in that you can order food from a standard menu like you would at any casual-upscale restaurant. 

Going into this experience, I had to make a judgment call, as I knew full meal service awaited me on my business class flight to New Orleans. My gut was telling me that whatever awaited me onboard was very likely to be a noticeable step down from the surprisingly great food I enjoyed on my British Airways first-class JNB-LHR journey. Additionally, I’d been waiting to visit this lounge for a while now. I’m going to come in here and not dine?

Mrs. Blackbeard and I were informed that we could enjoy the dining experience in the comfort of our seats on the terrace instead of going into the dining room if we liked. We obliged. Here’s a look at the menu. 

I went with the buttery leak and potato soup, the market salad, and the Concorde Beef Burger, but let’s acknowledge the dynamism of the Moving Mountains Burger – a dish with a name capable of making even your most (least) favorite Instagram fitness-and-motivation influencer collapse from an overdose of inspiration. I previously ordered a Hugo Spritz to enjoy while I perused the menu.

Quick sidebar: Shout out to whoever selects the wines for this lounge. There’s nothing that I appreciate more than some variety in a short wine list, as opposed to throwing 18 French wines down and calling it a day. Ironically, I’d just enjoyed a bottle of Mullineux Syrah while in South Africa, so seeing it reappear prior to the last leg of the journey home was a great callback and bookend to the trip. 

The food? Solid. The soup was tasty, the salad was well-dressed, and the greens tasted fresh. The burger was 7.9, possibly as high as 8.1. It wasn’t bad by any means, but it’s also not the best burger I’ve ever tasted. The Hugo Spritz was highly refreshing. Would do again.

After dining, we hung out for a bit more to let our food digest, and before long, it was time to board our flight. 

Conclusion

My first visit to The Concorde Room was a long time coming, and it was worth it. It’s not the most glamorous lounge I’ve ever been to, but honestly, who cares? It’s perfectly fine. You can expect good service, premium beverage offerings, and tasty food. Importantly, it makes the Heathrow experience a great deal more sane. The next time I’m flying through Heathrow on an eligible fare, I’d gladly stop in at the Concorde Room again.