The 10 Best Restaurants Open For Christmas Dinner In London

Helen Graves
By Helen Graves Last edited 88 months ago
The 10 Best Restaurants Open For Christmas Dinner In London

Ho ho ho! You're reading last year's recommendations! Head over to this year's top tips for Christmas dinner in London faster than Santa circumnavigates the earth...

Find the idea of cooking Christmas dinner stressful? Then why not head out to one of London's best restaurants and let someone else do the cooking and, importantly, the washing up. These dinners don't tend to come cheap, but at least everything will run like clockwork; the food will be top quality, the champagne will be flowing, and the room will be a vision of twinkly perfection. OK, so you can't lie down on the sofa afterwards. We suggest a snooze in the back of a taxi or perhaps a walk around a (maybe) snowy and (probably) quiet London. Napkins at the ready...

The Canonbury

This newish Islington pub is open on Christmas Day, serving what looks like a really good value menu at £85 per adult and £30 per child. There's a choice of welcome drinks, starters including scallops and roast onion soup, mains such as roast turkey, duck breast or beef, and for dessert — Christmas pud or chocolate and ginger mousse. There's also coffee and petit fours, a cheeky palate cleanser and the option to add oysters and cheese as supplements.

The Canonbury, 21 Canonbury Place, N1 2NS. See the Christmas menu here.

Cinnamon Soho

Now this is what we call extremely good value. Christmas lunch at Cinnamon Soho is £45 per person for three courses, and includes dishes such as Indo-Chinese style chicken with burnt chillies, Rajasthani spiced red deer, South Indian spiced crab cake and caramelised milk dumplings.

Cinnamon Soho, 5 Kingly St, W1B 5PF. See the Christmas menu here.

Bar Boulud at The Mandarin Oriental

Bar Boulud is offering a three-course prix fixe menu for £85 on Christmas Day, including their house smoked salmon with brioche, dill and creme fraiche, a roasted monkfish with lobster, saffron rice, carrot puree and americaine sauce and a chocolate supreme with hazelnut dacquoise, chestnut mousse, vanilla creme anglaise, and chestnut ice cream. Traditional turkey and trimmings is also available, although you can expect them delivered with a French flourish.

Bar Boulud, 66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LA. See the Christmas menu here.

Duck and Waffle

Does it ever close? Well no, actually. The Christmas dinner here is £85 per person, and includes dishes such as slow braised ox cheek, Jerusalem artichoke ravioli, and coffee and mince pies. There's also a 'sweet surprise'.

Duck and Waffle, Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AY. See the Christmas menu here.

Sea Containers

Not your average sea container.

Sea Containers will serve a three-course menu with champagne and snacks on arrival for £110 per person. We like the sound of their roasted Norfolk turkey with crispy brussels sprouts, sobrassada sausage (a spicy, spreadable sausage), roasties, and sherry turkey vinaigrette.

Sea Containers, Mondrian London, 20 Upper Ground, SE1 9PD. See the Christmas menu here.

Dean St. Townhouse

Dean St. Townhouse hotel opens to the public (i.e not just guests) for lunch on Christmas Day, and is serving a menu including wild mushrooms on toast with a poached egg, red wine-poached monkfish and tipsy sherry trifle. It's £95 per person for four courses and a glass of fizz.

Dean St. Townhouse, 69 - 71 Dean Street, W1D 3SE. See the Christmas menu here.

Tozi

Italian restaurant Tozi is offering a Venetian cichetti feast selection on Christmas Day, which is a selection of small plates for sharing. On the menu you'll find dishes such as bruschetta and aubergine with smoked burrata and basil, paccheri with wild boar ragu and warm panettone with mascarpone cream for £52 per person.

Tozi, 8 Gillingham St, SW1V 1HJ. See the Christmas menu here.

Min Jiang

Min Jiang Chinese restaurant on the 10th floor of the Royal Garden Hotel is serving a Christmas day menu at £90 per person, including dishes such as lobster dumplings, black cod with XO sauce, braised osso bucco and pandan ice cream. There's also an option to add Beijing duck for a supplement.

Min Jiang, 2-24 Kensington High St, W8 4PT. See the Christmas menu here.

Fera at Claridge's

Okay so we're going to give you some high end options here, just in case. Neither Fera at Claridge's nor Galvin (below) could be considered in any way cheap, but they are special, so we thought we'd let you know. At Fera, Simon Rogan will be serving a menu including all the big hitters like smoked salmon, turbot, lobster, turkey, lamb, Christmas pudding, chocolate and cheese. It will set you back £225, though.  

Fera, Claridge's, 49 Brook St, W1K 4HR. See the Christmas menu here.

Galvin at Windows

This is one of those rare things in London — a restaurant with a great view AND great food (see also: Min Jiang). It doesn't come cheap, at £250, but it will be something special. We'd start with the chestnut veloute, truffle cream and mushroom and onion brioche, move onto the slow roast beef sirloin with glazed shallot, foie gras, onion rings and peppercorn sauce and finish with the roasted mulled pear, amaretto mousse, chocolate and caramel. And maybe some cheese. Then there's coffee of course. With petit fours. Oof.

Galvin at Windows, 22 Park Lane, W1K 1BE. See the Christmas menu here.

Last Updated 08 November 2016