London’s Best Christmas Menus to Feast on This December

Lead image: Riding House Cafe

1 The Curry Room at The Rubens at the Palace Hotel, Kensington Opt for an alternative to the traditional Christmas Day dinner with The Curry Room’s six-course  menu. Taken in a resplendent setting, there’s a crispy potato salad as a prelude to the celebratory feast which includes chicken tikka, lamb seekh and masala prawn kebabs to start, followed by a palate-cleansing champagne and clementine sorbet. For the main course, there’s chickpea masala, south Indian-style lobster, lamb kofta curry and Delhi-wala chicken infused with aromatic spices. For dessert there’s traditional Christmas pudding with brandy custard, baked Alaska with chocolate, cherries and almonds, and rice pudding brulee with orange and stem ginger compote.Service: Christmas DayAddress: 39 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W 0PSPrice: £125ppWebsite: rubenshotel.com

2 Hoppers, Soho, Marylebone, King’s Cross For an alternative Christmas feast, Sri Lankan and south Indian favourite Hoppers will be serving up their festive feasting menu. The set menu includes a selection of Hopper’s classics with a Christmas twist, including devilled pheasant breast, venison and cranberry kothu roti and mince pie love cake. There’s also a range of festive cocktails and these include sunset spice milk punch with Ceylon arrack, rum, cardamon and cinnamon spiced jaggery, pineapple and Sri Lankan black tea.Service: Available until January 2, 2022Address: King’s Cross: Unit 3, 4 Pancras Square, King’s Cross, N1C 4AG Soho: 49 Frith Street,  W1D 4SG Marylebone: 77 Wigmore Street, Marylebone, W1U 1QEPrice: £49 ppWebsite: hopperslondon.com

3 Angler at South Place Hotel, City Angler at South Place Hotel in the City is open on Christmas Day, and their specially crafted menu for the big day kicks off with Vacherin  Mont d’Or gougères and canapés including pigs in blankets with cranberry and apple ketchup. The five courses include roast turbot with lightly-smoked celeriac, cabbage and hazelnut pesto; roast challans duck with foie gras, orange blossom honey and chicory; and chocolate and miso tart with banana, peanuts and malt. The Michelin starred-restaurant also has a three-course Festive Menu to see you through December. This includes sea bass tartare with oyster cream, green apple and shiso; Newlyn cod with caramelised parsley root, line-caught squid and chanterelles; and hazelnut soufflé with piedmont hazelnuts, biscotti and hazelnut ice cream.Service: From November 23Address: 3 South Place, EC2M 2AFPrice: Christmas Day menu £125pp/ Festive Menu £70ppWebsite: anglerrestaurant.com

4 Veeraswamy, Regent Street Veeraswamy, which celebrates its 95th anniversary this year and recently unveiled their newly-refurbished interiors, will be open for lunch and dinner on Christmas Day. The three-course menu includes spicy quail Kerala style; lamb gilafi sheekh kebab; sea bass Pondicherry; and Goan roast duck vindaloo.Service: Christmas Day Address: Mezzanine Floor, Victory House, 99 Regent Street, W1B 4RSPrice: £90/£75 lunch/dinner ppWebsite: veeraswamy.com

5 The Northall at Corinthia London, City The Northall at Corinthia London is open for Christmas Day feasting and is offering a super decadent meal. Dishes include native lobster gelée with crème fraîche and caviar; truffle risotto with wild mushroom and herb oil; free-range Norfolk bronze turkey; and house-made Christmas pudding. Guests can also head to the Chef’s Table and help themselves to festive pastries, treats and cheese. The Northall also has a Festive Menu, available until January 4. Options include a pressing of seasonal game with pickled vegetables and warm brioche; free-range Norfolk bronze turkey with sage and citrus stuffing, Agen prune and roasting jus; and Christmas crumble tart with spiced marmalade ice-cream. For an extra treat, there are caviar, black truffle, and seared goose liver supplements.Service: Christmas Day and until January 4, 2022Address: Whitehall Place, SW1A 2BDPrice: Christmas Day Menu £225 including a glass of Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut Champagne, £112.50 for children aged 4-13;Festive Menu £47pp for 2 courses or £55pp for three coursesWebsite: corinthia.com

6 Kerridge’s Bar & Grill at Corinthia London, City Kerridge’s Bar & Grill is also open for lunch on Christmas Day, and the much-loved chef’s menu kicks off with champagne and canapés. Menu options include lobster scotch egg with ‘thermidor’ sauce and dill pickled cucumber; rôtisserie roasted Norfolk brown turkey with sourdough bread sauce and pigs in blankets; and a Kerridge’s Christmas pudding with brandy sauce and clotted cream ice cream. There’s also a truffled baked camembert for the table. The restaurant’s Festive Menu du Jour is available until January 4. It’s four courses and includes Elizabethan Beef – a fillet of Aberdeen Angus beef with spiced red wine, prune and chestnut sauce, Gruyère crusted chicory and truffled mash; and brown butter tart with Christmas pudding ice cream.Service: Christmas Day and until January 4, 2022Address: Whitehall Place, SW1A 2BDPrice: Christmas Day Menu £250pp/ Festive Menu £95Website: corinthia.com

7 Sette by Scarpetta at Bvlgari Hotel, Knightsbridge For a true taste of la dolce vita in London, Sette by Scarpetta at Bvlgari Hotel is serving an Italian festive feast on Christmas Day like no other. Dine in decadence on foie gras crostino with fig chutney, and oysters with champagne vinegar and gold leaf followed by five courses including lobster or mushroom taglioni and a choice of wild seabass, winter squash or roasted turkey with all the trimmings. Celebrate the season with classic pannetone with limoncello and a mince pie to finish.Service: Christmas DayAddress: 4 Knightsbridge Green, SW1X 7QAPrice: £145ppWebsite: settelondon.co.uk

8 Davies and Brook at Claridge’s, MayfairFor a veritable feast on Christmas Day, with petit fours, of traditional yet refined dishes designed by Executive Chef Daniel Humm. A true celebration of the season, start with the signature caviar slice, scallops with clementine or foie gras brûlee followed by centrepiece roast turkey, beef fillet; or oyster mushroom with a rich black garlic ragout. The festive table will be fit to burst with delicious side dishes to share including potato rosti with parmesan and maple roasted carrots and parsnips; and a final flourish for dessert with Christmas pudding flambéed at the table.Service: Christmas DayAddress: Claridge’s Hotel, Brook Street, Mayfair, W1K 4HRPrice: £395, including champagne and canape receptionWebsite: daviesandbrook.co.uk

9 Petersham Nurseries, Richmond & Covent Garden Lit by twinkling fairy lights and candles, guests at Petersham Nurseries Cafe in Richmond can toast to Christmas with a spiced orange and cinnamon bellini, before settling down to a rustic feast that starts with the likes of taleggio arancini with cime de rapa and almond pesto, and then moves on to dishes that make most of winter roots and leaves: celeriac pithivier with wild mushroom, braised cavolo nero, fonduta di fontina and baby carrots, or roast duck breast with grapes, port and grilled tardivo. For dessert, there’s a pear and thyme tarte tatin with clotted cream ice cream, or a slice of Petersham honey tart. At Petersham Nurseries in Covent Garde, the festive dining menu combines the best British and Italian Christmas traditions. It includes dishes such as beef tartare with salsa verde and ossobuco di vitello with bone marrow risotto. Finish off with a thick slice of panettone, or dark chocolate mousse with Scilian orange. You can also pair your festive celebrations up with a wreath-making workshop, available at both locations.Service: Available from early NovemberAddress: Off Church Lane, Petersham Road, TW10 7ABFloral Court, WC2E 9FBWebsite: petershamnurseries.com

10 The Biltmore, MayfairMichelin-starred Jason Atherton and Executive Chef Paul Walsh have created a Christmas set menu that offers warming comfort food classics, with all the trimmings. The three-course festive dining  menu features starters such as beetroot cured Severn and Wye salmon with heritage beetroot and horseradish cream or Jerusalem artichoke velouté with roasted artichoke and truffle mascarpone. Follow this with bronze turkey with Yorkshire puddings, roasted seasonal vegetables or Newlyn line caught cod with Alaskan prawn and pearl barley risotto. To finish, choose from  milk chocolate and hazelnut delice with clementine sorbet, hazelnut tuille or the traditional Christmas pudding with gingerbread ice cream and nougatine. For Christmas day, feast on a five-course indulgent and decadent meal which includes mulled wine on arrival, and finishes with a selection of British and European cheeses, cognac truffles and mince pies.Service: From December 1Address: 44 Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, W1K 2HP    Price: Festive menu £75/£37.50 adult/child; Christmas Day £120/£60 adult/childWebsite: jasonatherton-thebiltmoremayfair.com

11 Farzi Cafe, Haymarket This contemporary, pan-Indian restaurant has several festive dining menus this Christmas – for lunch or dinner. Dishes include cashew nut paneer with date and coriander chutney, cumin scented, grilled swordfish, quail musallam biryani and goat boti meatballs. Dessers include fig and ginger pudding with salted caramel, and chocolate roulade with chocolate mocha, creams and kumquat compote. The glitzy, buzzy restaurant can also be hired out completely or in-part. Service: From November 24Address: 8 Haymarket, SW1Y 4BPPrice: Lunch menu £39; dinner £49 & £69Website: farzilondon.com

12 José Pizarro, Bermondsey, Broadgate, the RA It’s a Christmas feast fit for festive dining, but with Spanish flare. Across José Pizarro venues there’s festive set menus and sharing platters to get stuck into, and they sound mouth-watering. Delicacies included whole Segovian suckling pig, buñuelos de gambas (spicy prawn fritters with lemon aioli), gambas a la plancha (grilled wild white prawns with lemon capers salsa) and paella with prawns and cuttlefish.Service: Available from November 1Address: 194 Bermondsey Street, Bermondsey, SE1 3TQ36 Broadgate, C2M 1QSRoyal Academy of Arts, 6 Burlington Gardens,W1S 3ETPrice: Platters from £27.50; set menu from £37Website: josepizarro.com

13 28°-50°, Chelsea, Covent Garden, Marylebone & South Kensington The French and modern European restaurant and wine bar are open for festive dining as well as Christmas Day lunch across each of its sites. Private dining rooms are available, and naturally, there will be plenty of delicious wine to warm you up. For festive dining, choose between a three or five course set menu created by the restaurant’s head chef. For Christmas lunch, there’s a four-course menu that comes with a glass of champagne. Across the menus, feast on dishes such as gravlax with pickled cucumber, dill and mustard yoghurt, roasted cep velouté with wild mushrooms and herb Chantilly, roast turkey, hake with leek fondue and wild mushroom risotto.Service: Festive menus available from November 22Address: 15-17 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2NE10 Upper St Martin’s Lane, WC2H 9FB96 Draycott Avenue, SW3 3AD300 King’s Road, SW3 5UHPrice: Three-course festive £46.95; menu five-course festive menu £59.99; Christmas Day menu £64.95ppWebsite: 2850.co.uk

14 The Cinnamon Collection, City, Covent Garden & Battersea Enjoy a bountiful Christmas Day banquet in the elegant surroundings of chef Vivek Singh’s The Cinnamon Club’s exquisite Old Westminster Library for £125 per person. The four-course menu includes a sparkling cocktail on arrival, deliciously spiced dishes like Keralan-style lobster soup and goose breast with Chettinad Kuruma sauce, along with a selection of side dishes, Vivek’s’ signature Garam Masala Christmas pudding with cinnamon custard and petite fours to round off the experience. For a more relaxed atmosphere, restaurants across The Cinnamon Collection will also be open for Christmas Day dining, including Cinnamon Bazaar in Covent Garden (£65pp) and Cinnamon Kitchen in the City (£75pp) and Battersea (£75pp).Service: 12pm-5pm Address: The Old Westminster Library, Great Smith Street, Westminster, SW1 3BU 9 Devonshire Square, EC2M 4YL28 Maiden Lane, WC2N 7JS4 Arches Lane, Battersea Power Station, SW11 7ABPrice: from £65ppWebsite: thecinnamoncollection.com

15 Benares, Mayfair Michelin-starred Benares will open its doors to Christmas Day diners this year – the first time in 18 years. Executive Chef Sameer Taneja has crafted a Christmas tasting menu which guide guests through some much loved street food snacks to Scottish scallop tartlet, tandoori muntjac and turkey biryani sealed with a layer of buttery shortcrust pastry, or Colston Bassett Stilton malai cottage cheese tikka and vegetable kofta biryani for vegetarians. Benares also has several Christmas party menus on the go this year too for groups of nine or more during the festive season.Service: Last orders at 4pmAddress: 12a Berkeley Square, Mayfair, W1J 6BSPrice: Christmas Day menu £132pp; Christmas party menus from £75ppWebsite: benaresrestaurant.com

16 The InterContinental London – the O2, Greenwich Peninsula Buffets are great, especially at Christmas and Market Brasserie at The InterContinental London – the O2 is offering a Christmas Day Buffet that you can really dine out on. The decadent feast has several stations to fill up on: soup, oyster and sushi, English cheese, charcuterie, mezze and a carving roast station so you can load your plate up with slow cooked beef rib, mushroom and spinach Wellington, pigs in blankets; cured British and European meats and sashimi. For festive dining leading up to Christmas, there’s a three-course set menu featuring foie gras, roast turkey, mushroom risotto and spiced English custard tart, available as a dinner or lunch. The InterContinental can also accommodate party-sized bookings.Service: Christmas Day service from 1pmAddress: 1 Waterview Drive, Greenwich Peninsula SE10 0TWPrice: £82 for the buffet or £58 for the three-course set menu, and dinner packages start from £79Website: iclondon-theo2.com

17 Sam’s Riverside, Hammersmith This Thames-side gem is offering a Christmas party menu for you to enjoy with your friends, family or colleagues. There are several options on the menu, but highlights include cured bream, clementine, compressed cucumber and radish; Hereford aged rib-eye beef tartare; peppered venison chop with braised red cabbage, parsnips, sprout tops and blackberries; Christmas pudding soufflé with brandy butter ice cream; and gingerbread and vanilla brûlée.Service: Available from November 29Address: 1 Crisp Walk, London W6 9DNPrice: £55 ppWebsite: samsriverside.co.uk

18 The Montague on the Gardens, Bloomsbury  The Montague Ski Lodge is the place to head for a festive catch up with friends this Christmas and there are several options you can choose from. Enjoy three festive drinks (mulled wine, hot spiced cider and flavoured vodkas) in this Lapland-esque alfresco pop-up, or, for something more formal, try the bottomless finger-food buffet or a sit down three-course Christmas lunch menu in a private room.When: From November 10Price: From £50 per personWhere:15 Montague Street, Bloomsbury WC1B 5BJWebsite: montaguehotel.com 

19 Cannizaro House by Hotel du Vin, Wimbledon Hotel du Vin has created a number of festive menus, including a Festive celebrations menu, available through from November 26 until Christmas Eve, a festive Sunday lunch, and a Christmas Day menu. For festive dining, choose from the three-course menu featuring chicken liver parfait, herb crusted cod and raspberry and elderflower trifle, the buffet menu (available for groups of 25), or the Festive Sunday Lunch. The Christmas Day menu comes with a glass of champagne and dishes for the big day include roasted free-range turkey with traditional trimmings, beef Wellington, baked monkfish and harissa, kale, feta and butternut squash strudel. There are even dine-and-stay packages from £599. Address: West Side Common, Wimbledon SW19 4UE Price: Festive Celebrations from £39.95; Festive Sunday Lunch £34.95; Christmas Day £129.95 Website: hotelduvin.com

20 Riding House Café in Fitzrovia & Rail House Café in Victoria Riding House Café Fitzrovia’s Christmas Day menu offers up a Mediterranean infused feast of truffled portobello and sweet potato Wellington, hake and turkey with apple and raisin stuffing. It comes with a cocktail on arrival and sharing starters such as tarragon labneh. Riding House and its sister venue, Rail House Cafe (both come with large, heated outdoor areas), have festive menus too to take you through December. These can cater to  various group sizes ranging from eight people to up to 16. Dishes include artichoke dip with flame-grilled sourdough, salt-baked celeriac, smoked tofu, candied chestnuts, barberries, rib-eye and crispy pork belly. Service: Christmas Day 11.30am to 4pm Address: Riding House Café, 43-51 Great Titchfield Street, Fitzrovia W1W 7PQ Rail House Café, 8 Sir Simon Milton Square, Westminster SW1E 5DJ Price: Christmas Day £90pp; festive dining from £35pp Websites: ridinghouse.cafe  railhouse.cafe

21 No. Fifty Cheyne in Chelsea Celebrate Christmas in style at No. Fifty Cheyne with Iain Smith’s winter à la carte menu. The festive menu is available in either the stunning dining room or in any three of the private dining spaces. Seasonal favourites include roast scallops with shallot purée, cèpe and bacon jam ragout with champagne sauce to start, roast turkey with redcurrant glazed cabbage, maple bacon, crushed Brussel sprouts, confit potato and sauternes sauce, and classic desserts including a mandarin and cranberry Eton mess. Open on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.Service: From December 2Address: 50 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea SW3 5LRPrice: TBCWebsite: fiftycheyne.com

22 FishWorks, Marylebone, Covent Garden & Mayfair Fishmongers and restaurant FishWorks is offering a Festive Set Menu perfect for pescatarians and revolutionaries and featuring fresh, responsibly sourced from Devon and Cornwall. Dive into a trio of smoked fish or Asian-style fishballs followed up by Dover sole in a rich cream sauce with white grapes and turned potatoes or a halibut stew. The set menu is available for both large and small groups, or try out a bespoke menu if you fancy dining in one of the restaurant’s private rooms.Service: Until January 2022Address: 89 Marylebone High Street, Marylebone W1U 4QW2-4 Catherine Street, Covent Garden WC2B 5JY7-9 Swallow Street, Mayfair W1B 4DEPrice: from £30pp for two coursesWebsite: fishworks.co.uk

23 London Shell Co, Paddington For an utterly charming festive celebration and something a bit different, London Shell Co. will be welcoming guests aboard The Prince Regent (which putters along the Regent’s Canal) and The Grand Duchess (moored) with new festive menus focusing on British produce and supreme seafood. The Prince Regent offers a  five-course lunch or dinner with superb views of the canal as it takes you on a two-and-a-half-hour cruise. The festive meal will feature the likes of fish and chips, cuttlefish buns with ink mayonnaise, and cod with confit leek. Permanently moored at Paddington Basin, The Grand Duchess offers an a la carte feasting menu featuring hand-dived scallops, cured mackerel, fish platters, rainbow trout and rolled pork loin with celeriac remoulade.Service: Prince Regent dinner cruises run Wednesday to Saturday and runs lunch cruises Friday to Sunday. The Grand Duchess is open for service Tuesday to SundayAddress: Sheldon Square, Paddington Central W2 6PYPrice: The Prince Regent’s set menu £65pp + optional wine pairing £55Website: londonshellco.com

24 Sea Containers Restaurant, South Bank Throughout December, Sea Containers Restaurant is offering an indulge in a decadent three-course festive sharing menu with all the trimmings, a glass of Laurent-Perrier Champagne and views of the Thames. Menu highlights include Loch Duart salmon tartare; roast Norfolk turkey and apple cobbler. For Christmas Day, enjoy a five-course sharing menu and glass of Laurent-Perrier Champagne. Choose from the traditional option of turkey with all the trimmings or go for something a little different like the dry-aged sirloin with charred cauliflower. Service: Festive sharing menu is available for lunch or dinner and the Christmas Day menu is served from 12pm-11pm Address: 20 Upper Ground, South Bank SE1 9PD Price: Festive sharing menu £72 pp; Christmas Day set menu £115pp Website: seacontainerslondon.com

25 Rüya, Mayfair Once again Rüya will celebrate the Christmas season in Anatolian style. While the details are still yet to be confirmed, expect earthy and hearty plates such as mantarli keskek (barley risotto with wild mushrooms, truffle and sage), lamb shank clay pot (slow cooked with baby onions and home-made red pepper paste), and firin sütlaç (traditional Anatolian rice pudding with raspberries, rose ice cream and lokum).Service: TBCAddress: 30 Upper Grosvenor Street, Mayfair W1K 7PHPrice: TBCWebsite:  ruyarestaurants.com