Christmas dinner in London 2018: Best restaurants open on Christmas Day in the capital

There are only so many years in a row you can spend the dawn of December 25 with your arm up a turkey’s nether regions.

Fortunately, there are plenty of chefs around London more than willing to sort out the giblets for you. We’ve gathered some of the best festive offerings for the big day, from traditional to outré.

So sit back, enjoy a glass of fizz and let the restaurants do the hard work for you. These are our favourite spots taking the pressure off this Christmas.

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester

If you ever needed an excuse to tuck into a three Michelin-starred meal, we reckon Christmas Day is a pretty good one. Alain Ducasse’s restaurant at The Dorchester is open for service on December 25, and will doubtlessly be delighting diners with a seven course menu. Dishes on offer include a cauliflower veloute with scallop and white truffle, capon (a type of cockerel) with truffled pate and cranberries, and a Yule Log. The cost of dinner warrants a significant present to yourself: the whole experience with wine pairings is £370.

See full Christmas menu here. 53 Park Lane, W1K 1QA, alainducasse-dorchester.com

Red Rooster

Celebrate Christmas Harlem-style at the Shoreditch outfit of chef Marcus Samuelsson’s famed New York restaurant, Red Rooster. Lunch will be served on the big day from 12-3pm, for £95, with a three course feasting menu that mixes traditional festive dishes with soul food treats. Kick off the meal with Sammy’s chicken and waffle (complete with hot honey and pickles) and devilled eggs, before tucking into both Christmas ham and roast turkey with all the trimmings, along with salt baked celeriac, sea bass and wild mushroom risotto. The menu also comes with a complimentary glass of Veuve Clicquot champagne.

See full Christmas menu here. 45 Curtain Road, EC2A 3PT, redroosterldn.com

Duck & Waffle

Duck & Waffle will lay on all kinds of festive treats on their exclusive Christmas Day menus (£85 per person). Catering for both veggies and carnivores, the six-course set menus will make even the most stubborn Scrooges smile. Bacon-wrapped dates and a roast parmesan soup kicks things off nicely on the meaty menu followed by a traditional herby leg of lamb for the main event. Veggie folks will be pleased to hear there’s not a nut roast in sight; instead they can enjoy a Jerusalem artichoke ravioli for mains. It wouldn’t be Christmas without lashings of cheese, and a giant board will feature on both meaty and meat-free menus as well as D&W’s signature bauble dessert, made up of a Christmas sponge pudding, spiced ice cream and hot brandy sauce. If that wasn’t enough food, mince pies and coffee will round off the feast.

See full Christmas menu here. 110 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AY, duckandwaffle.com

Galvin at the Athenaeum

This luxurious Mayfair restaurant in the decadent Athenaeum Hotel is pulling out all the stops with an indulgent four-course Christmas Day lunch by Michelin-starred chefs the Galvin Brothers. The canapes on arrival include Winter Truffle Arancini and Colchester Oyster, for starters enjoy Presse of Quail, Ravioli of Orkney Scallop, Veloute of Jerusalem Artichoke or Home Cured Loch Duart Salmon. Then go for the traditional Roast Norfolk Turkey or Cumbrian Beef Wellington, Poached North Coast Halibut or Pithivier of Celeriac, Parsnip & Apple. For dessert, the Christmas pudding with rich brandy butter is a seasonal favourite with a twist. Served in the grand dining space with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Royal Green Park, the menu is priced at £155 per person. Look out for the stylish lobby decked out with fabulous decorations too.

See full Christmas menu here. 116 Piccadilly, W1J 7BJ, athenaeumhotel.com

Chiltern Firehouse

‘Tis the season to indulge and Chiltern Firehouse is helping you do just that. Whether you tuck into your annual feast at 1pm or 6pm fear not, the Christmas Day menu is available at both lunch and dinner. It’s a truly decadent affair too, with snacks for the table including crab doughnuts, goats cheese and truffle panisse and caviar, followed by either a white truffle with Jerusalem artichoke or a lobster cocktail. The star of the show is the signature take on a traditional turkey dinner, with a sausage and sour berry stuffing and a truffle and bread sauce. A selection of unconventional mains will also be on offer like the lavish roasted turbot with creamed leeks and champagne beurre blanc, the fillet steak with an earthy mushroom and peppercorn sauce and the veggie salt-baked celeriac risotto. Seasonal sides include cumin-kissed carrots and truffle-creamed potatoes. Just be sure to save room for the fruity Christmas pudding and the continental cheese plate. If this doesn’t give you a food baby, nothing will.

1 Chiltern Street, W1U 7PA​, chilternfirehouse.com

Dean Street Townhouse

Christmas is a time of celebration and Dean Street Townhouse is anything but short of bubbles. It’s got five different types of fizz on offer for Christmas Day, so be sure to try one, or all five. Food-wise the menu mixes old Christmas favourites with inventive seasonal plates. To warm up the taste buds there’s crab bisque, duck liver pate, smoked salmon on soda bread or a veggie-friendly roast squash dish. Mains include treats from the land and sea like the obligatory turkey with trimmings as well as a halibut with razor clams, a beef fillet with oxtail croquettes and a wild mushroom Wellington. For dessert, those with a sweet tooth have the choice of either a traditional Christmas pud (with brandy butter obviously), a rich chocolate fondant paired with champagne ice cream, a Bramley apple bakewell or a tipsy trifle.

See full Christmas menu here. 69 - 71 Dean St, W1D 3SE, deanstreettownhouse.com

Bluebird Chelsea

There’s a reason this spot is a favourite of the Made in Chelsea crew, and while it can’t guarantee they’ll be tucking into their turkey dinner on site on Christmas day, it does promise an utterly festive menu. Shaved chestnuts with a roast pumpkin velouté and sour cream will start the festive proceedings. Traditional starters get a luxurious twist with treats like the foie gras and smoked duck terrine. The conventional turkey is available for mains as well as beef with potato purée and black truffle. There’s a plethora of seasonal desserts to choose from too, including a good old fashioned Christmas pudding, an apple tart with cinnamon ice cream and a custard and a nutmeg tart. Obligatory mince pies and coffee will round things off nicely and all five courses come in at £110.

See full Christmas menu here. 350 King's Rd, SW3 5UU, bluebird-restaurant.co.uk

Kerridge's Bar & Grill

Christmas brings with it unrestrained culinary indulgence and the man who knows how to do that well is Tom Kerridge (his beef dripping salad says it all really). His restaurant, Kerridge's Bar & Grill, certainly isn’t lacking in the calorie department with a seven-course menu kicking off with a canape and champagne reception. For starters guests can opt for a hearty duck liver parfait with a fig and apple chutney or cream of chestnut soup accompanied by devils on horseback — and no, that’s not a terrifying children’s book, it’s actually dates wrapped in bacon. Next on the Christmassy menu is a smoked salmon vol-au-vent with caviar or a glazed lobster thermidor omelette. But, of course, the star players of this menu are the Norfolk brown turkey with all the trimmings and the roast rib of beef. For traditional folk a Christmas pud is on offer for dessert as well as a dark chocolate pudding for those wanting something a bit different.

10 Northumberland Ave, WC2N 5AE, kerridgesbarandgrill.co.uk

Le Pont de la Tour

This restaurant merges traditional Christmas dinner elements with French flourishes for a lively six-course menu. It starts out with a smoked duck and truffle terrine, followed by poached Scottish langoustines with a scallop veloute. A European twist on a turkey dinner follows as the bird comes with a wild mushroom duxelle, truffle pomme purée and Madeira sauce. Guests will be treated to artisan French cheeses for afters as well as a white chocolate tart and petit fours with tea and coffee.

See full Christmas menu here. 36D Shad Thames, SE1 2YE, lepontdelatour.co.uk

Bob Bob Ricard

For those who don’t celebrate Christmas (or anyone looking for a slice of normality during the festive season) Bob Bob Ricard is business as usual on Christmas Day, with no special menus. Start things off in true Russian style with oysters baked in parmesan and black truffle along with a shot of -18°C vodka. Whether you're dining out for lunch or dinner the menu offers a number of decadent delights, including a sizeable beef Wellington with 35-day-aged Scotch beef and steamed sole with champagne and lobster. Don’t forget to try its legendary pud, the chocolate glory, and to press the famous (not to mention Instagrammable) 'Press For Champagne' button for a very jolly holiday.

1 Upper James St, W1F 9DF, bobbobricard.com

Min Jiang​

Enjoy a Christmas banquet with a Chinese twist at Min Jiang. Chef Han’s menu consists of a platter to start, featuring venison puffs and asparagus rolls in barbecue sauce, followed by a lobster soup with spinach and mushroom. Dover sole with Parma ham is the third course and a lamb chop with coco sauce is the fourth instalment. A steamed crab with black truffle and XO sauce fried rice will be the final savoury plate and a yuzu panna cotta with passionfruit gel will be on offer for dessert. The restaurant's signature Beijing duck will be available as an additional course at £36 for a half or £68 for a whole.

See full Christmas menu here. 2-24 Kensington High St, W8 4PT, minjiang.co.uk

Fera​​

Simon Rogan is applying his “wild” approach to cooking to the humble Christmas dinner. On the big day, this Michelin-starred restaurant in the famed luxury hotel will be serving up either lobster ravioli, goose terrine or mousseline of goat’s cheese with beetroot, followed by either Norfolk bronze turkey with chipolatas wrapped in bacon and veggies or beef with roasted onion and ox cheek gratin. Finish up with a Claridge’s Christmas pudding or a yule log. Guests will also be treated to a glass of Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut and canapés on arrival. This yuletide menu is available for a grand total of £295 per person.

See full Christmas menu here. Brook St, W1K 4HR, claridges.co.uk

Riding House Café and Village East

Your favourite brunch spot just became your favourite Christmas dinner spot, if there is such a thing. At Riding House Café, Christmas Day starts with confit duck croquettes or beetroot aranchini, continues with either blackened miso cod or roasted turkey with all the trimmings and ends with a bread and butter pudding with orange ice cream or a flour-less chocolate cake. Get three courses for £75 per person, and add a cheeky cheeseboard for an extra £5. If you’re longing for the snow-covered branches of Central Park this year, put a bit of New York in your Christmas at Village East, its sister Bermondsey brasserie, which is serving up the same menu for the big day.

See full Christmas menu for Riding House Cafe here (43-51 Great Titchfield St, W1W 7PQ) and for Village East here (171-173 Bermondsey St, SE1 3UW)