Each December, London’s streets shimmer with the glow of fairy lights and vibrant wreaths deck its front doors. The city’s restaurants and bars also exude extra warmth and cheer this time of year.
Whether you’re marking Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, or a December birthday, London’s restaurant scene, which only gets bigger and brighter every year, has you covered. A Kensington pub known for awe-inspiring winter decor (past displays have included 100 trees and 135,000 lights) also serves standout Thai meals. A tea parlour at a storied hotel near Covent Garden ensures your scones and sandwiches come with live Christmas tunes. An all-weather bar in Charing Cross turns into an alpine wonderland, complete with woolly blankets and roaring fires.
Come in from the chill and raise a glass at one of these festive spots. Read on for a list of 12 celebratory London restaurants to book this winter.
The Ivy Asia (St. Paul’s)
The Ivy Asia is unabashedly festive, all neon green floors and pink cherry blossom trees. Its eclectic menus and interiors feel celebratory year-round. But the restaurants are especially lively come December: This year, expect larger tables to allow for parties of seven or more. Celebrate with a shareable, Asian-inspired menu, filled with sushi, dumplings, skewers, and maki rolls stuffed with decadent fillings including spicy tuna and snow crab. The flavours are as bold and vibrant as the backdrops. Make sure your holiday soirée features a dramatic cocktail, such as the tequila and sake-based ario mary (named after a Japanese folklore character).
The Quality Chop House (Farringdon)
This restaurant has delighted guests since 1869, courtesy of its Victorian-lite décor – a checked flor, ornate ceiling, Grade II listed benches – and superb, seasonal dishes. Chef Sean Searley works with some of the country’s best small-scale suppliers to source quality fish, meat, and vegetables. In December, the Chop House rolls out a special feasting menu featuring game terrine, pastrami cured salmon, and a cut of meat specially prepared by its in-house butcher; don’t miss a glass from the award-winning wine list, curated by co-director and oenophile James Fryer. The meal’s grand, festive finale includes an optional cheese course (with port and walnut bread) and drunken pecan tart with Christmas pudding ice cream.
KOYN (Mayfair)
Led by former Nobu chef Rhys Cattermoul, Koyn is a contemporary izakaya. The restaurant’s design channels Mount Fuji—the upstairs space is dressed in soft pinks while the downstairs is darker, with orange hues that mimic the Japanese volcano’s fiery insides. A dedicated sommelier can help select the sake for your celebratory toast. Signature party-worthy dishes include sliced, dry-aged sea bass with sweet shrimp and osetra caviar and kohlrabi apple tartare with avocado from the sushi bar; vegetarians are well served here, thanks to plenty of offerings from the binchotan robata grill. Though Koyn just opened in 2022, it’s already one of London’s most talked about restaurants, and the rave reviews lend a palpable buzz, ideal for a festive occasion.
The Garden at Corinthia (Charing Cross)
The Garden at Corinthia is an all-weather outdoor bar, but its winter vibe is especially charming. The urban oasis channels an après-ski terrace, complete with woolly blankets, roaring fires, and a mountain-inspired menu, curated by executive chef André Garret. Dishes such as tarte flambée, baked spätzle with aged Comté cheese, and raclette bring a bit of the Alpine slopes to the streets of London. There’s even a cigar menu, for those feeling particularly decadent. The Garden stays open till midnight (unusual for such a centrally situated spot) so stretch your celebrations with wintry cocktails such as the roasted pumpkin purée, made with Bénédictine and Champagne. The bar welcomes dogs, so there’s no rushing home to let the pooch out.
Tamarind Kitchen (Soho)
In a modern, Russell Sage-designed dining room, Tamarind Kitchen (whose sibling spot, Tamarind Mayfair, was the first Indian restaurant in London to receive a MICHELIN star), serves shareable dishes made for festive occasions from various parts of the subcontinent. India’s genre-defying street snack, chaat, comes in versions including avocado, soft-shell crab, and sweet-sour plum chutney. The tandoor takes centre stage here, firing off grilled, spice-laden seafood, chicken, and lamb. The cocktail list is particularly noteworthy: Tamarind Kitchen’s bar uses flavours from Britain and South Asia to create drinks such as a kumquat sour and a bay leaf daiquiri with tandoor-roasted pineapple (both can be made without alcohol). Complete with tables large enough for seven, plus a private dining room that can seat up to 15, Tamarind Kitchen is a strong special occasion spot for celebrating with colleagues and friends.
Otto’s Restaurant (Bloomsbury)
Critics consistently single out Otto as one of Britain’s best restaurants. The French fine-dining spot, which also scored a 2019 nomination in the World’s Best Restaurant Awards, has been known for classy service and Gallic dishes since opening its doors in 2013. The red velvet seats, crisp white tablecloths, and suited staff add pomp to any meal. But there’s a theatrical aspect to Otto’s, thanks to opulent specials such as canard à la presse (pressed duck) and homard à la presse (pressed lobster), dishes considered to be pinnacles of French haute cuisine. Beyond those specialty mains, which need to be ordered in advance, there is a surprisingly international wine list, featuring special occasion bottles plus by-the-glass options. The private dining room, which can accommodate up to 32 diners, is one of London’s most decadent with deep, green walls and mahogany seats.
The Churchill Arms (Kensington)
Winston Churchill’s grandparents were regulars at this Kensington stalwart. The pub was also the first of its kind in London to whip up a Thai menu. For over 25 years, the kitchen at Churchill Arms has cooked favourites such as prawn toast, spring rolls, and red and green curries. Each November, locals are drawn here for a legendary winter display. The pub swaps its famous, floral exterior for an elaborate mix of Christmas trees and fairy lights. Needless to say, festive parties are welcome. To get the party started, choose from a range of cask-conditioned ales and a robust wine list.
The Thames Foyer at The Savoy (The Strand)
Since 1889, guests have enjoyed traditional afternoon tea, which includes triangle sandwiches, warm scones with clotted cream and jam or curd, and artistic pastries at this bright, glass-domed atrium. Much like the hotel it calls home, it’s a sleek but convivial space, complete with a pianist playing holiday tunes each December. The festive months also influence the tea service: Expect sandwiches stuffed with bronze turkey, Wiltshire truffle and gravlax, and a decadent pasty lineup featuring mont blancs, snowflakes, and Savoy Christmas cake. To up the ante on your special occasion, add a glass of Champagne or sparkling tea with jasmine pearls.
The Pem (Westminster)
The Pem, a luxurious fine-dining restaurant, pays homage to suffragette Emily Davison (nicknamed “Pem” by her friends and family). Fittingly, it’s one of the few spots of its kind to have an almost entirely female management team. Executive chef Sally Abé, named one of CODE’s 100 Most Influential Women in Hospitality 2022, leads the charge, channelling Davison’s passion for pushing boundaries. Abé applies that ethos to quality cooking, and it surfaces in her commitment to prioritising British produce and bold flavours. Bring a group to dig into her earthy but sophisticated Thanksgiving menu, which features maple-roasted bronze turkey with roast acorn squash, miso praline, pomegranate and duck fat Hasselback potatoes, and pumpkin pie ice cream. The Christmas Day lineup includes an apricot Christmas pudding soufflé. Larger tables seat at least eight, while a private dining room can host up to 22.
The Libertine (Bank)
This elegant bar and restaurant finds a home in the vaults of a 450-year-old London landmark, the Royal Exchange. The setting is a centre of commerce, and most recently, one of the places where the crier announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of King Charles III. Much like the merchants and traders who would have gathered here to drink in centuries past, people can celebrate any festive occasion over wines, beers, and cocktails that have stood the test of time. The menu leans traditional (fish pies, dry-aged steaks, and burgers), though there are luxurious surprises, such as rarebit on a crumpet and wild mushroom arancini with black truffle.
Imperial Treasure (Piccadilly)
With countless accolades and global outposts in Singapore, Paris, and more, Imperial Treasure is synonymous with Chinese fine dining. The London edition is especially magical and celebration friendly, set in a Grade II-listed building with high ceilings and dazzling chandeliers. The lavish space includes a live seafood section, handcrafted dim sum (made daily by chefs from Hong Kong), and a marble bar, which mixes up Asian-inspired cocktails such as an old fashioned made with plum sake, snow chrysanthemum tea, and orange bitters. The kitchen, steered by chef Wee Boon Goh (formerly of MICHELIN-starred Hakkasan), churns out one of the best, banquet-worthy Peking ducks in town (there’s even a vegetarian version). To that, add an extensive Champagne selection and three private dining rooms, and you have an exquisite setting for a festive bash.
Fishworks (Marylebone, Covent Garden, Piccadilly)
Pescetarians can party at this buzzing seafood spot, where festive decor cleverly includes scallop and oyster shells from the restaurants. All three sites are centrally located and welcome both private hires and larger groups with a bespoke menu. Fishworks offers vegan and vegetarian options (fluffy quinoa, golden beetroot and tofu salad; linguine with a rich puttanesca-style sauce), but it’s the seafood that stands out. Gather over a seafood platter served on a glittering bed of crushed ice, then tuck into sautéed king scallops topped with bread crumbs, dayboat Dover sole, or seared yellowfin tuna for a main. With a Champagne and oyster bar plus a wine list curated by master sommelier Tim McLaughlin-Green, Fishworks feels celebratory by default.
