From sharing plates piled high with pigs in blankets to traditional turkey dinners that are ready to compete with your mum’s very best, London restaurants are pulling out all the stops to give discerning diners something to rave about this Christmas. Whether you’re looking for a menu to suit a group work dinner in an opulent private dining room, a festive catch up with friends or a romantic evening with your other half, here are our favourite Christmas tasting menus in London. And, for those already tired of the same old turkey fare, read on for fresh Asian, Spanish, French and Indian takes on the traditional Christmas dinner – you won’t be disappointed… 

The Grill at The Dorchester, Mayfair

Earlier this year, The Grill at The Dorchester relaunched under the vision of culinary director Martyn Nail and Jacob Keen-Downs, ushering in a new era for one of London’s most storied dining rooms. With the festive season approaching, guests are invited to enjoy bold British dining accompanied by the sound of live music. From 15 November, the festive set lunch menu is available for tables of up to six guests and starts with a choice of smoked salmon with soda bread, venison carpaccio with blackcurrant and dandelion, and truffled Jerusalem artichoke soup topped with parmesan. 

Mains include a classic Christmas dinner – Norfolk bronze turkey served with hasselback potatoes, seasonal greens, pigs in blankets and gravy – as well as braised short rib with parsnip mash, grilled sea bream with seaweed roast potatoes, and walnut and ricotta ravioli. Save room for Christmas pudding with brandy sauce, sherry trifle and gingerbread soft serve, and, of course, a trio of mince pies topped with clotted cream. 

From £65 per person, visit dorchestercollection.com

Big Mamma, across London

Perfect for festive gatherings of any size, Big Mamma’s over-the-top trattorias – Gloria, Circolo Popolare, Ave Mario, Jacuzzi, Carlotta, and Barbarella – offer stunning spaces made for any festive celebration. Whether you’re planning a lively team dinner or a leisurely long-table lunch, groups of more than eight can book the Feast di Natale: a generous, family-style spread of festive indulgence featuring plates of crocchette Milanese with veal tartare, spaghetti con gambero rosso, a duo of Wellingtons, and handmade truffle taglioni. To finish, a trio of Big Mamma’s signature desserts: Matilda’s torta, pistacchio-misù, and mini profiteroles in three flavours will round off the meal. Bellisimo. 

From £64 per person, visit bigmammagroup.com

Fatt Pundit, Soho and Covent Garden

Indo-Chinese restaurant Fatt Pundit offers the perfect Christmas dinner option for larger groups looking for a non-traditional festive feast. Specialising in a diaspora cuisine which was created in the 17^th century when Chinese migrants settled in Kolkata, India, Fatt Pundit prides itself on serving authentic Indo-Chinese (Hakka) dishes – and its festive menu is no exception. 

Filled with flavour-packed, crowd-pleasing winter warmers which combine the best of Chinese and Indian cuisine, the feasting menu is available for groups of eight or more from 17 November and includes a selection of the restaurant’s most beloved hero dishes. Highlights include momo (traditional steamed dumplings), crackling spinach with yoghurt and sweet plum sauce, and chicken Szechuan lollipops, alongside larger pates of velvety Malabar monkfish curry with saffron and coconut and Fatt Pundit’s black bean dusted lamb chops. 

Visit fattpundit.co.uk

Pizarro, Bermondsey

For smaller festive gatherings, Pizarro – acclaimed Spanish chef José Pizarro’s critically acclaimed restaurant on Bermondsey Street – offers an intimate setting with three seasonal set menus. Celebrating the best of Spanish produce, cooked in an open kitchen and paired with an extensive all-Spanish wine list, the restaurant also features a semi-private dining room for up to 10 guests. Menu highlights include classics such as pan con tomate, jamón croquetas and padrón peppers alongside more inventive plates of pickled beetroot salad, manchego and radicchio, and stuffed lamb saddle. 

From £70 per person, visit josepizarro.com

Sea Containers, Strand

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Sea Containers London: the luxury lifestyle hotel anchored on the south bank of the River Thames. Book the festive feast sharing menu from 17 November to indulge in hearty seasonal dishes, including cured meats, burrata with winter tomatoes and olives, and heritage beetroot with goat's cheese and walnuts. For mains, diners can opt for forest mushroom tortelloni, cranberry-glazed Norfolk turkey or 32-day dry-aged Boston rib. To top it off, the dessert list includes warm mince pies, Bramley apple crumble and Black Forest chocolate mousse. 

From £78 per person, visit seacontainerslondon.com

Mallow, Borough Market

Mallow is bringing the holiday spirit to the heart of Borough Market with a new six-course festive menu available from 19 November until Christmas Eve. Inspired by the warmth, generosity and rustic elegance of European food markets, the feast focuses on local produce, seasonal flavours and plant-based cooking with dishes designed to share. The menu begins with a selection of nibbles, including rosemary focaccia and porcini truffle parfait, before starters of beetroot and sweet potato tortelloni with citrus pesto, and a shortcrust strudel filled with roast squash, sundried tomato and fennel mince. For the main course, guests can enjoy celeriac purée alongside sautéed winter greens, roast heirloom carrots, pumpkin and potatoes, all finished with rich port gravy. The meal closes with a pistachio and white chocolate tiramisu, paired with handmade sea salt truffles.

From £60 per person, visit mallowlondon.com 

Mildreds, across London

Mildreds – the original pioneer of the capital’s plant-based scene which now has outposts in Covent Garden, Camden, Kings Cross and Victoria – is serving a Christmas menu that proves indulgence doesn’t need meat or dairy. Running from 19 November to Christmas Eve, the festive set menu is designed for every occasion, from group celebrations to low-key catch ups, and can be ordered as two or three courses. 

Starters set the standard with teriyaki cauliflower cups served with wasabi mayo and barbecued coconut corn ribs finished with chilli coconut and mango chow. For mains, choose from two centrepiece dishes: a ‘chick+n’, ‘bakon’ and leek lattice with golden pastry or the spiced harissa carrot loaf. Both are served with all the trimmings – think roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips, Brussels, carrot and sweet potato purée, cauliflower cheese, sweet potato and chestnut stuffing, creamed cabbage, spiced cranberry and apple relish and a jug of gravy. For a more casual twist on tradition, Mildreds’ Christmas burger is stacked with a chick+n and stuffing patty, onion rings, fries, cranberry relish, and gravy, all crowned with a brioche bun. If you have room, choose from a dark chocolate cherry yule log, a classic sticky toffee pudding with apple compote, or a dark chocolate sea salt truffle.

From £40 per person, visit mildreds.com

Amélie and Sachi at The Pantechnicon, Belgravia

Amélie

Sachi

Whether you’re after French-inspired menus or Japanese flavours this Christmas, The Pantechnicon is befitting of a sparkling Christmas celebration thanks to its partnership with Charles Heidsieck champagne. Served from 12 November until New Year’s Eve, Amélie will capture the richness of the season with an indulgent Christmas menu (£95 per person) featuring seared foie gras with figs, chicken vin jaune, wagyu côte de bœuf, and black winter truffle pasta. For dessert, expect theatrical favourites like rum baba, Amélie’s bestselling cheesecake, and that viral chocolate mousse.

Upstairs, Sachi will celebrate the season through a distinctly Japanese lens, with menu highlights including crispy sushi rice with spicy tuna, matcha soba noodles with ikura, shiso, and a creamy bottarga butter sauce, and braised short rib in a rich soy miso glaze. Swap the crackers for cocktails, and carols for DJs at Luum, which comes alive after dark with a spirited selection of inventive drinks to celebrate the season in style.

Visit amelie-restaurants.com and sachirestaurants.com 

Pavyllon London, Mayfair

Michelin-starred Pavyllon London at Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane brings festive dining to Mayfair with seasonal menus from the world’s most decorated Michelin-starred chef, Yannick Alléno, and head chef Benjamin Ferra Y Castell. British winter produce is reimagined with French finesse for the season’s most elegant celebrations, with two festive menus ranging from three to five courses available. 

Watch the chefs in action at Pavyllon’s restaurant counter with the three-course festive lunch experience (£75 per person) available from 17 November and featuring Obsiblue prawn, roast chicken with yellow wine emulsion, and a cocoa cloud dessert with chocolate sorbet. For all-out occasions, gourmands are also invited to experience Yannick Alléno’s savoir faire in the new signature menu (£175 per person). Available for both lunch and dinner from 17 November, dishes include a steamed comté soufflé with seared foie gras, confit seabass aiguillette in a delicate mushroom broth with Prunier caviar, and a refreshing yuzu crémeux to finish. 

Visit pavyllonlondon.com

Mr Bao and Daddy Bao, across London

Daddy Bao

Mr Bao

Sister Taiwanese restaurants, Mr Bao and Daddy Bao, return this season with new festive menus and specials. Combining the finest ingredients from south-east Asia with classic Christmas dinner staples, Mr Bao in Peckham will be launching a series of specials while Tooting-based Daddy Bao will offer a full feasting menu.

From 25 November, Daddy Bao’s three-course set menu (£35 per person) will include a welcome cocktail alongside an array of snacks – think pigs in blankets gyozas and crispy fried sprouts with sticky soy glaze – before the signature baos. Fillings range from braised turkey, crispy skin and pickled red cabbage to a kabocha pumpkin nut roast with shiitake gravy, and prawn toast with mayo and five spice crispy kale, to ginger braised tofu with house kimchi, crispy onions and coriander. Good Measure, the subterranean drinking den beneath Daddy Bao, will also be available for private hire for Christmas parties. 

Also launching on 25 November, Mr Bao’s festive specials will include three bird dumplings with orange, sage and brown butter ponzu; apple-glazed ham hock bao with mayo, pickled red cabbage and crispy leeks; and the winter fruit trifle with chantilly cream, amaretti biscuits and berry jelly. 

Visit mrbao.co.uk and daddybao.co.uk

Arabica, Borough Market and Kings Cross

From 18 November, Arabica will be ringing in the Christmas season with a vibrant Mediterranean feasting menu available at its Borough Market and Kings Cross restaurant. For the table, groups can tuck into hot and cold mezze including hummus with chestnuts, labneh with red cabbage and pumpkin seed dukkah, and halloumi with black honey. Sharing plates of festive favourites include berbere spiced sprouts, lamb adana kofte with atom butter, labneh and pickled chillies and tabbouleh herb salad with citrus and hazelnuts.

The Christmas menu is complemented by new cocktails such as the Arabica Old Fashioned – a heady mix of Bulleit 95 Rye Whiskey, Courvoisier VS, creme de cacao, mandarin syrup, chocolate bitters and smoked star anise – and the Persian Sour, featuring Courvoisier VS, vanilla syrup, egg white, orange blossom and cardamom bitters.

From £55 per person, visit arabicalondon.com

San Carlo, Knightsbridge and St James’s

Put an Italian twist on your classic Christmas gathering at San Carlo. The high-end trattoria’s Christmas fayre lunch and dinner menu is perfect for intimate family occasions and glittering parties – and is available to book from 13 November. Start with a delectable selection of antipasti, including gamberoni luciana (king prawns in garlic and chilli sauce), fried mozzarella in bread with a basil and tomato sauce, and Puglian burrata e pomodoro with marinated beef tomato carpaccio and fresh basil. 

For the main course, diners can choose from eight dishes including branzino (pan-fried fillet of sea bass with a lime sauce), chestnut tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms and Italian black truffle, or the Italian Christmas dinner, otherwise known as tacchino con ripieno di castagne: turkey with chestnut stuffing, chipolatas wrapped in pancetta, Italian jus and all the trimmings. To finish, indulge in a roster of classic desserts such as the panettone bread and butter pudding, Ferrero Rocher cake, panna cotta, or tiramisu, served with tea or coffee.

From £59.95 per person, visit sancarlo.co.uk

The Ivy Collection, across London

This winter, The Ivy Collection is inviting guests to celebrate the season with its two- or three-course festive set menu, available from November 12 until New Year’s Eve. It opens with warming starters such as French onion soup topped with bubbling cheese, duck liver parfait paired with a rich cranberry chutney and toasted brioche, or tamarind, beetroot and endive salad with candied pecans and cranberries.

For mains, guests can choose from an indulgent turkey ballotine with apricot, cranberry and pork stuffing, served with pigs in blankets and sprout mash, or pan-fried sea bass with foraged wild mushrooms in a velvety cream sauce and a comforting lentil and aubergine bake layered with roasted pumpkin and spiced tomato sauce. Arguably one of the most important elements of any festive feast, side dishes include garden peas with broad beans and baby shoots, buttered green beans with roasted almonds, thick cut chips and Brussels sprouts with chestnuts and cranberries. 

From £55 per person, visit ivycollection.com

Canton Blue at The Peninsula, Belgravia

For those seeking something a little different, Canton Blue will offer an alternative take on festive dining. Served among striking maritime-inspired interiors, the six-course Winter Solstice menu, served from 19 November and priced at £178 per person, will feature an array of signature dishes such as handmade dim sum, barbecued pork, wok-fried king prawns with XO sauce, stir-fried wagyu beef and pumpkin sago cream. 

For a more intimate celebration, guests can opt for an exclusive eight-course private dining experience (£228 per person), featuring refined festive dishes such as steamed Shanghai-style pork soup dumplings, black truffle tofu, Silver Hill Peking duck with pancakes, double-boiled sea whelk soup, crispy aubergine in sweet and sour sauce, and signature mango pudding.

Visit thepeninsula.com

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