London’s Best Festive Menus For 2023
By
3 years ago
Where to indulge in yuletide feasting across the capital
Yes, it’s happening: the Christmas season is almost upon us – which means our diaries, and our stomachs, are about to start filling up. If you’ve been put in charge of booking the Christmas meal for your friends, family or colleagues, we’ve got you covered with a guide to the best festive menus in London. From traditional roasts to more alternative seasonal feasts, there’s something for everyone.
Best Festive Menus in London 2023
The Cadogan Arms
Decked out with wood panelling, velvet bucket chairs and fireplaces, Chelsea hotspot The Cadogan Arms is the ultimate winter pub. It’s renowned for its roast, which is made even more elite come Christmas time: choose between turkey, wild turbot beef or mushroom wellington, served with all the trimmings (roasties, pigs in blankets, parsnips, the lot). For dessert, there’s sticky toffee pudding, Christmas pudding trifle or baked rice pudding, followed by a cheese course and mince pies to finish. In the lead up to the big day, a festive feast menu will also be available, featuring starters of Christmas stuffing scotch egg and crispy lamb ribs ahead of game pie or beef wellington, with a crumble to finish. A veggie alternative includes BBQ mushrooms and cauliflower bhajis followed by stuffed savoy cabbage. All in all, you won’t go hungry here.
Price: £250pp for the Christmas Day menu (or £220pp for the vegetarian), £90pp for the feast menu (or £70pp for the vegetarian)
BOOK: thecadoganarms.london
Riding House Cafe
With three outposts around the capital (Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia, Victoria), the Riding House group is well-suited to group dining. All venues are spacious, with a low-key atmosphere and impressive (but not overly expensive) food. There are a range of Christmas menus on offer this year, featuring a spread of sharing-style dishes for the table. Think wild rice with roast squash and pomegranate, smoked barbary duck and pickled dates, chicken schnitzel and sage, and truffled sweet potato wellington, alongside seasonal sides. Finish with sticky toffee brioche doughnuts, chocolate cheesecake or charcoal pavlova, with optional mince pies and coffee to finish. A vegan alternative menu is also available.
Price: From £50pp
BOOK: riding.house
Le Pont de la Tour
This long-standing riverside restaurant always pulls out the stops for the festive season, with its garden transforming into a glittering winter wonderland. It’s the perfect spot for a Christmas meal with friends, with a special festive menu featuring traditional fare with a French twist. Begin with cured smoked salmon blinis and beef tartare ahead of Cornish cod bourguignon, chestnut gnocchi or a chicken roast with pommes fondant. For dessert, there’s a choice of chocolate fondant, chestnut cheesecake or ice cream. Alternatively, if you’re feeling particularly luxurious, the Prestige Festive Menu kicks things up a notch with roast lobster, and champagne and cranberry trifle.
Price: £77pp for the Festive Menu or £99pp for the Prestige Festive Menu
BOOK: lepontdelatour.co.uk
St. JOHN Bread and Wine
The Spitalfields offshoot of the original St. JOHN offers the same quirky nose-to-tail dining as the flagship, with the kitchen spearheaded by Head Chef Farokh Talati. Visit this Christmas to try one of its special feasting menus, which are all based around a central meat, paired with an array of veg-focused sides. Beef is served alongside date loaf and butterscotch sauce, for instance, while venison comes with cauliflower, leek and butter beans. You can then add more traditional sides of brussel sprouts and mash, plus mince pies for dessert. Vegetarians are catered for separately, but really this isn’t the best restaurant for non-meat-eaters. The offering is available for groups of eight or more from the beginning of December.
Price: From £55pp
BOOK: Email billie@stjohnrestaurant.com or visit stjohnrestaurant.com
Señor Ceviche
Fed up of turkey and sprouts? Head to Peruvian restaurant Señor Ceviche for an alternative Christmas feast. The family-style sharing menu includes ten of its most popular dishes, such as croquetas, seared cod with mussels, and roast pork shoulder marinated in aji panca paste. If you go for the veggie feast, the menu will include BBQ Jerusalem artichoke, oven-baked cheesy aubergine, and miso glazed mushrooms. Either way, save some space for the dessert: a showstopping Peruvian Eton Mess, piled high with meringue, cream and pisco-infused seasonal fruit. At just £39pp, it’s a very affordable option too.
Price: £39pp
BOOK: senor-ceviche.com
Korean Dinner Party
Swap turkey for fried chicken at Soho favourite Korean Dinner Party. There are two feasting menus available this season, the first being Chimaek Christmas, based around the Korean tradition of pairing fried chicken with beer (we’re sold already). Tuck into the eatery’s renowned Korean corn dogs, mac ‘n’ cheese, and all the fried chicken, followed by a special ice cream cone tree dessert topped with matcha green tea. The other offering is the Seoulful Christmas, an indulgent spread of fried chicken and kimchi pancakes, and bacon mochi, followed by a slow-roasted pork shoulder main served with tacos and lettuce cups.
Price: £32pp for Chimaek Christmas, £42pp for Seoulful Christmas
BOOK: koreandinnerparty.com
No. 32 Old Town
You can’t go wrong at this Clapham favourite, a crowd-pleaser which always delivers on the atmosphere and the food. Its festive set menu features traditional seasonal flavours: winter root vegetable soup or twice baked haddock souffle ahead of mains of roast turkey with all the trimmings, Jerusalem artichoke risotto, or oven roasted ocean trout. Finish with a classic sticky toffee pudding, chocolate and raspberry ganache, or a Christmas pud.
Price: £45pp, an extra £8 for a glass of fizz
BOOK: no32theoldtown.co.uk
Dishoom
Spice up your Christmas dinner at Dishoom, which is serving up an Indian feast this season inspired by the sharing culture of Bombay’s Irani cafes. Available across all of its branches, the menu features Indian twists on festive classics: turkey raan – or a vegan alternative – alongside Bombay potatoes, chilli Brussel sprouts and cranberry chutney. Can’t imagine a trip to Dishoom without tucking into some black daal? Fear not: it features too, alongside a number of other house classics, finishing off with a mince pie kulfi.
Price: £42pp
BOOK: dishoom.com
The Surprise
Nestled away in the backstreets of Chelsea, this charming pub is a lovely spot for a group dinner – with a private dining room available to book for up to 35 guests. The food is top-quality, with the Christmas party offering including starters of raclette cheese tart and venison terrine ahead of a choice of Wiltshire lamb rump, pan-fried Cornish sea bass, gnocchi and the classic turkey roast. Finish on a sweet note with desserts like Belgian chocolate brownie, Christmas pudding, or mulled English pear tartlet.
Price: £55pp
BOOK: thesurprise-chelsea.co.uk
Claridge’s
When it comes to iconic dining spots in the capital, it doesn’t get much better than Claridge’s. A trip to this long-standing hotel is always a treat, particularly come Christmas time, when it’s decked out in chic festive glitz. Throughout December, a decadent festive menu is on offer in the Foyer & Reading Room. Begin with seared foie gras, and potato and parmesan gnocchi, before enjoying a classic turkey roast, seared halibut, beef wellington or marinated celeriac steak – paired with seasonal sides for the table. For dessert, the famous Claridge’s Christmas pudding is a must-try.
Price: £110pp
BOOK: claridges.co.uk
