Who needs gold rings and flocks of birds when Harden’s has brought you something far better for Christmas? 12 London restaurants that are open on Christmas Day. If you don’t fancy cooking this December 25th (not to mention the washing up!) then why not treat yourself to lunch or dinner out?
For a taste of Asia on Christmas Day…
Four-course feast and aperitif of Christmas punch: £95 pp
London’s most “impressive”-looking Indian occupies Westminster’s “soaring” former library, near the Abbey (and looks even more dashing after its recent £1m refit). Nearly fifteen years old, it’s still one of the capital’s most noteworthy culinary destinations, thanks not least to Vivek Singh’s “seriously brilliantly spiced” (if “expensive”) cuisine.
Christmas Day three-course menu with a Cinnamon bellini: £45 pp
Book before 15 December and get a complimentary glass of champagne on arrival.
“The less well-known, more basic sibling of the Cinnamon Club family” lives just off Regent Street; “it’s not a big place”, the ambience is “about average” and service can falter, but its “wonderful Indian-fusion fare” is “superior” and “good value”.
Min Jiang, The Royal Garden Hotel W8
Christmas Day menu: £90 pp (£50 for children under 12)
“Peking duck to die for”, “fantastic dim sum”, and “a superb panorama as a bonus” – that’s the “rare combination” at this 8thfloor dining room overlooking Kensington Gardens, which – as one of London’s top Chinese destinations – breaks all the rules for rooms with a view.
To really push the boat out this Christmas…
Christmas Day seven course tasting menu: £225
After a dazzling debut, Simon Rogan’s second year in this “stunning” Art Deco chamber still inspires adulation for his “wizard” tasting menus and “astonishingly good wine matches”. Prices, however, are “breathtaking”, and ratings slipped perceptibly across the board this year, with growing gripes about “an absence of fireworks”.
The Ritz Restaurant, The Ritz W1
Christmas Day six-course menu: £425 pp (£200 for children)
“The loveliest dining room in London” – this “wonderfully romantic” Louis XVI-style chamber is “a proper, old-school, fine-dining experience”; it’s not a reliable one, however, given food that can be “poor”, and even ardent fans can find the bill “shocking”.
Christmas Day tasting menu with paired wines: £375 pp
Since its March 2014 refit, Marcus Wareing’s celebrated Knightsbridge chamber has lost its momentum. Fans do still extol a “completely fabulous” experience with “cracking” cuisine, but even they often note how “expensive” it is. And there are now far too many critics – citing a “pompous” approach and cooking “lacking wow factor” – who say its prices are plain “outrageous”.
Celebrate Christmas Day in spectacular surroundings…
Christmas Day five-course tasting menu: £85 pp
“Go mainly for the extraordinary views” to this 24/7, 40th-floor hangout; “the signature dish (confit duck with a fried egg, waffle and syrup) is better than it sounds”, but opinions are mixed on the “mainly meaty, high-cholesterol” fare and you pay “City boys’ drinks prices”. Maybe try breakfast or coffee.
Christmas Day three-course menu: £85 pp
There’s “a real wow factor” to the “smart and American-feeling” decor of this big new watering hole – the “open and spacious ground floor of a Fitzrovia office building”; fans say the food is “surprisingly good” too, but others – judging it “over-designed and inauthentic” – find its appeal “hollow”.
Full menu available. Top tip: Try the “excellent Beef Wellington”.
“Love the ‘press for champagne’ button on every table!” – this “wacky” Soho diner is “perfect for an intimate meal” or “girls’ lunch” thanks to its fun, boothed seating, “OTT” decor and “charming” service; on the downside, the cooking is no more than “high-end comfort food” and “prices are silly for what you get”.
Or how about a Thomas Cubitt Christmas pub lunch?
Christmas Day three-course menu with a glass of champagne: £85 pp
“Fun and atmospheric” Pimlico gastropub which “draws an attractive younger crowd” with its “fab” pizza, and other fare.
Christmas Day three-course menu with a glass of champagne: £85 pp
This “posh pub”, quietly located near Marble Arch, is proving “a great addition to Marylebone” with “hearty, satisfying fare” and “a nice if noisy vibe”.
Christmas Day three-course menu with a glass of champagne: £85 pp
“Catering to the well-heeled”, this “posh pub” in Belgravia has a “wonderful atmosphere”, even if it can be “very crowded” and “terribly noisy”; you can eat “classic pub grub” downstairs, but some prefer to “escape upstairs” to the “classy restaurant”.
