Nine BEST festive menus for Christmas and New Years in London

Dec 22

Dec 22 9 BEST Festive Menus for Christmas and New Years in London

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, when London’s best restaurants pull out all the stops to deliver magical food and tipples to let us know that Christmas is here!

From festive afternoon teas to Christmas lunches and dinners, here is a round-up of the best Festive menus!

Afternoon Teas:

Corinthia London

Corinthia Hotel is world renowned for its lavish afternoon tea served in the stunning Crystal Moon Lounge. Their festive afternoon tea is even more luxurious, and is topped off with a trolley laden with sweet treats being wheeled to your table to serve the final course of cakes, pastries, marshmallows and so much more!

Corinthia’s Festive Afternoon Tea: £60 per person
With a glass of Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut Champagne: £70 per person
Book your table at Corinthia London

The Intercontinental Hotel, Park Lane

Afternoon tea at The InterContinental Hotel is always a delight at any time of year. However the Twelve Days of Christmas festive afternoon tea is spectacular. Served in the luxurious Wellington Lounge which offers views of Hyde Park, there is also live music from a pianist to accompany this special experience.

Twelve Days of Christmas Afternoon Tea: £65 per person including a glass of Champagne
Book your afternoon tea at The InterContinental London.

Dukes London Hotel, Mayfair

Tucked away in Mayfair, Dukes is a beautifully furnished and stylish 5-star hotel serving Afternoon Tea in their cosy conservatory. I tried their MarTEAni Afternoon Tea created in partnership with The East India Company and inspired by the hotel’s world renowned martinis.

Unlike many other Afternoon Teas at luxury hotels, this has more of an intimate feel to it as you aren’t seated in a large space, this makes it more of a relaxing experience and less formal too.

Dukes Festive Afternoon Tea: £37 per person
Dukes Festive MarTEAni Afternoon Tea: £49per person
Book your afternoon tea at Dukes London

Restaurants:

Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Cafe and Terrace

Dining at Harvey Nichols at this time of year is perfect for getting some Christmas shopping done too! The set festive menu includes a choice between a meat, fish or vegetarian dish for each course and so catering for a variety of needs. I loved the cured duck, served with winter slaw, pecorino, crisp parsnips and sweet soy sauce, and for my main course the sea bass with Jerusalem artichoke was delicious.

The dishes are ideal portion sizes for lunch, and the cocktails are particularly good, making this a great place for a festive lunch with friends.

3 course festive menu: £33 per person
Book your table at Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Cafe and Terrace

Mango Tree, Knightsbridge

Mango Tree are offering a Thai festive banquet which is full of vibrant flavours and scrumptious dishes. The menu offers four starters, three mains, and one dessert to share, which is a great amount of food. I l tried the vegetarian option and loved the diced sweetcorn and chestnut wrapped in tofu Sskin, as well as the french bean tempura with basil mayo.

This is a festive menu like no other, and is a great alternative to the traditional English Christmas food.

Festive Sharing Banquet: £45 per person
Book your table at Mango Tree London

Caxton Bar and Grill, St James’s Park

Based in the beautiful St. Ermins Hotel, Caxton Grill is a little known restaurant which serves a delicious British/European festive menu.

The set menu here features some distinctive dishes including smoked duck, duck rillettes with mulled wine gel and beetroot cured monkfish, as well as the traditional roast turkey tournedo with cranberry and chestnut stuffing, seasonal vegetables and all the traditional trimmings. Dessert was the highlight for me, as my toffee apple mousse with crème fraîche ice cream was exemplary.

2 course festive menu: £35 per person
3 course festive menu: £45 per person
Book your table at Caxton Bar and Grill

Paladar, Waterloo

For those looking for an alternative Christmas menu, Paladar is perfect. Serving the magical flavours of Latin America, the dishes on this set menu are exotic yet delicious.

The set Festive menu features 10 dishes to share, including palm heart tiradito with truffle, seared coconut-chilli prawns on blue corn tortilla, and grilled chicken skewers with mole Poblano and pickled red onion. Their cocktails are also fabulous and a must-try, with plenty of tequila, pisco and mezcal concoctions to choose from.

Festive Sharing Menu: £35 per person
Book your table at Paladar London

The Arkley, Barnet

For those not wanting to travel into central London for their festive gathering, The Arkley is the ideal cosy modern bar, pub and restaurant located in the leafy suburb of Barnet

Their classic festive menu offers three courses including a range of fabulous seasonal favourites throughout such as duck llver and port parfait, maple pork belly and pig cheek, and, of course, Christmas pudding.

The Arkley is a great place to enjoy a few drinks as well to dine and indulge in good quality wholesome food.

3 course Classic Festive Menu: £27.95 per person
Book your table at The Arkley, Barnet

Camino, London

Camino is one of my favourite Spanish Tapas restaurants in London, and their festive menu highlights many of their popular dishes. This include Arua Ulloa (cheese fritters), Jamon Serrano, corn-fed chicken breast and for dessert the delicious Torrija, egg-fried brioche served with a delicious turrón ice-cream.

Camino’s festive menu is ideal for large groups, and there are several locations around London to choose from.