The Best Christmassy Restaurants in London in 2024
London during Christmas is so magical. Full of Christmas cheer, London goes all out during this season. If you’re looking for the best Christmassy Restaurants in London, look no further. Imagine, sipping on a cute cocktail in a Santa mug or visiting the most stunning restaurants like Daphne’s which is full of baubles and festive decor!
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My favorite book that helped me when I first came to London was Pretty City London. I highly recommend buying it as it’s also a great Christmas gift. It tells you all the beautiful cafes and neighborhoods to visit and was founded by the Instagram page @prettycitylondon.
🎅🎄Top Christmas Themed Tours in London!
1. Christmas Lights Tour by Vintage Bus Open Top
2. Christmas Lights Walking Tour
3. London Vintage Bus Afternoon Tea (Christmas Themed)
4. Christmas Sights and Sounds of London Tour
5. Guided Winter Markets Food Tour
The Best Christmassy Restaurants in London in 2024
1. Daphne’s
Check out my Instagram video here on Daphne’s at Christmas!
🍽️ Cuisine: Italian
📍Location: South Kensington (Google Maps)
🕛 Opening Hours: Daily 12pm–11pm; Sunday til 10:30pm
⭐ Rating: 4.3 (1,214 reviews)
📸 Instagram: @daphneslondon
I absolutely LOVE Italian food and Daphne’s is not only the most beautiful Christmassy restaurant in London, it’s also the tastiest.
Every year, Daphne’s decorates the restaurant super festively with baubles and ribbons hanging from the ceiling. It is different each year and you really need to reserve ahead to get a table over the holiday period. You can walk in, if you’re lucky to snag a table but I’d recommend trying that on a weekday at opening time.
Be sure to ask for a table by the fireplace for the best spot. They open at 12pm so if you’re the first to arrive, you can quickly snag a clear photo or video of the stunning decor.
Another pro-tip is getting that photo in between services. So, first sit down is at 12 and if the tables up front leave before 2pm, there could be another window to get some empty shots of the place.
When I visited Daphne’s, I tried one of their amazing pasta dishes and finished with tiramisu which is so delicious.
2. Clos Maggiore
🍽️ Cuisine: French
📍Location: Covent Garden (Google Maps)
🕛 Opening Hours: Daily 12pm–10:30pm; Sunday til 10pm
⭐ Rating: 4.5 (2,321 reviews)
📸 Instagram: @clos_maggiore
Clos Maggiore is a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant located in the heart of Covent Garden. It’s one of the most Christmassy places to eat in London for sure. It is also listed in the Michelin Guide. From the outside to the inside, it’s got festive decor. The food is also as good as the place looks, It’s not one of those Instagram hotspots that don’t live up to the experience. I had a bird cocktail in a birdcage which was super unique. For my meal, I enjoyed truffle mashed potatoes (my fav thing ever is truffle!) and pork cheeks with polenta.
3. Miracle Bar at Henrietta
Check out my Instagram video on the Miracle Bar
🍽️ Cuisine: French
📍Location: Covent Garden (Google Maps)
🕛 Reservation slots: 1pm / 3pm / 5pm / 7.15pm / 9.30pm
📸 Instagram: @henriettahotel
The Miracle Bar at Henrietta is the most festive bar in London. You can order the cutest cocktails featured in a Santa mug, dinosaur, and more unique vessels. The room is decked with so much holiday cheer. You can also get food here so you can come hungry and thirsty!
The Christmas pop up bar is typically open the first to second weekend of November and runs through December 23rd. In 2024, you can book the Miracle Bar from November 11 – December 23rd.
Some spots are available for walk in at a first come first serve basis but it’s recommended to reserve ahead.
4. The Greenhouses
🍽️ Cuisine: Mediterranean
📍Location: Marylebone (Google Maps)
🕛 Opening Hours: by private booking
⭐ Rating: 4.5 (2,321 reviews)
📸 Instagram: @thegreenhouses_
Check out my Instagram video here on The Greenhouses
The Greenhouses is a super unique dining experience with 9 private dining rooms. Each are decorated gorgeously throughout the different seasons.
The dining spaces are perfect for groups. Think birthdays, wedding parties, and Chritsmas get-togethers. Plus, the food was fantastic! It really felt like a fairytale dining here.
To dine here, you have to pre-book ahead and pre-order your meal. When I came, I tried a variety of appetizers including an aubergine dip, tahini dip, and a beef tortelli. For the main, I tried a delicious risotto. However, the meals change frequently so this is just an idea of what they have to offer!
5. Coppa Club
🍽️ Cuisine: European
📍Location: Tower Bridge (Google Maps)
🕛 Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-11pm; Sund 9am-10pm
⭐ Rating: 4.0 (7,943 reviews)
📸 Instagram: @coppaclub
Coppa Club is the ideal place to dine during winter in London. You have heated igloos with a view of Tower Bridge. It’s great for groups as well! They have some Christmas decor and festive drinks on the menu. To have a table in the igloo, you must reserve ahead and there’s a minimum spend required of around £35 a person.
6. Dalloway Terrace
🍽️ Cuisine: Modern European
📍Location: Tottenham Court (Google Maps)
🕛 Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 12pm-11:30pm; Sat-Sund 11am-11:30pm
⭐ Rating: 4.2 (1,130 reviews)
📸 Instagram: @dallowayterrace
The Dalloway Terrace is one of the most instagrammable restaurants in London. Each season, the terrace transforms into a winter wonderland. It is part of a beautiful hotel, the Bloomsbury Hotel. Also, adjacent is a stunning cocktail bar called the Coral Room.
7. Sketch
🍽️ Cuisine: European
📍Location: Mayfair (Google Maps)
🕛 Opening Hours: Wed-Sat 8:30am-2am; Sund – Tues 8:30am-12am
⭐ Rating: 4.3 (8,863 reviews)
📸 Instagram: @sketchlondon
Check out my Instagram video on Sketch at Christmas
Christmas at Sketch is always super special. It’s London’s most beautiful restaurant and actually, it was named one of the most beautiful restaurants in the world. It is also a Michelin Star restaurant!
In 2023, Sketch has a white winter theme, beginning with a magical passageway adorned with winter larch branches, woodland blossoms, and a delicate carpet of Limonium. As you wander through this starlit tunnel, you’ll see many other rooms full of silver birch trees and snowflakes.
The bathroom is always the real highlight when visiting Sketch too! This year, there’s a Christmas Snow Globe and the egg-shaped bathroom stalls have Christmas trees on top.
Add this to your bucket list places to go this season for Christmas in London.
8. Sushi Samba
🍽️ Cuisine: Asian
📍Location: Covent Garden & Shoreditch
🕛 Opening Hours: Daily: 12 pm–1:30 am
⭐ Rating: 4.5 (10l reviews)
📸 Instagram: @sketchlondon
Sushi Samba has a Covent Garden and Heron Tower location (in East London). The Heron Tower one has views of London which are pretty stellar to see. Both locations usually decorate for the festive period and if you love sushi, this is the place for you!
9. 34 Mayfair
🍽️ Cuisine: British
📍Location: Mayfair (Google Maps)
🕛 Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 12–11 pm; Sunday: 12–11 pm
⭐ Rating: 4.3 (1,471 reviews)
📸 Instagram: @34mayfair
34 Mayfair is beautifully decorated for Christmas and they offer delicious food and festive drinks to pair. Located in Mayfair, it’s a must visit festive restaurant in London.
10. The Ivy
🍽️ Cuisine: British
📍Location: Many locations including Chelsea (Google Maps)
🕛 Opening Hours: Daily 8 am–12 am
⭐ Rating: 4.2 (5.229 reviews)
📸 Instagram: @the_ivy_collection
The Ivy has many locations around London and they are usually decorated with festive displays each year. This one above was from a couple years ago and was so stunning with a Santa’s office and sleigh display. The interiors of the restaurant are also beautiful too.
11. Churchill Arms
🍽️ Cuisine: Thai
📍Location: Kensington (Google Maps)
🕛 Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 11 am–11 pm, Sunday: Tuesday, 11 am–10:30 pm
⭐ Rating: 4.5 (7.091 reviews)
📸 Instagram: @churchillarmsw8
Churchill Arms is a famous pub in London which decorates its facade yearly with Christmas Trees. In fact, they spend around 25k a year on flowers to cover the exterior of the pub. During Christmas, there are over 90 trees covering this pub! Oh my! The pub serves Thai food interestingly. This is the only pub with Thai food in London.
12. Festive Afternoon Tea at the Library, Marriott County Hall
🍽️ Cuisine: British
📍Location: The Library at Marriott County Hall (Google Maps)
🕛 Opening Hours: Daily 6am–10pm
⭐ Google Rating: 4.2 (341 reviews)
📸 Instagram: @thelibraryatcountyhall
Afternoon tea is a must when visiting London as it’s the quintessential thing to do. For those who aren’t familiar with Afternoon Tea, it’s a light meal typically served between lunch and dinner.
You’ll get to enjoy unlimited tea and a selection of sandwiches, pastries, and cakes. It is said to have been introduced in the 1840s by Anna, the Duchess of Bedford, who began having tea and snacks in the afternoon to alleviate hunger between lunch and dinner, eventually popularizing the social practice in England.
The one at Marriott County Hall in the Library is my favorite because it has a view of Big Ben. Be sure to request a good table along the window so you can enjoy the views with your tea. They also include some festive treats to make it Christmassy.
Other festive afternoon teas include:
- Lanes of London
- Strand Palace
- Biscuiteers
- The Langham
- Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill
- The Savoy
13. Hot Chocolate Experience at The Chinoiserie
🍽️ Cuisine: International, British
📍Location: Knightsbridge (Google Maps)
🕛 Opening Hours: Daily 7 am–11:30 pm
⭐ Rating: 4.4 (80 reviews)
📸 Instagram: @jumeirah
This is one of the best Hot Chocolate experiences in London! You can get the milkiest and thickest hot chocolate at The Chinoiserie which is located in The Carlton Tower Jumeirah Hotel.
For £18 each, you get a hot chocolate and a tower full of cute treats. There are little gingerbread men cookies, sprinkles, marshmallows, and more which you can add as toppings for your hot chocolate.
Plus, there are beautiful Christmas Trees in the dining hall making for a festive atmosphere.
14. The Great Christmas Feast at the Lost Estate
📍Location: West Kensington (Google Maps)
📸 Instagram: @lostestateofficial
Tickets start at £149.50 and should be booked online ahead as the show does sell out.
If you want to be entertained and have a Christmas feast, then adding The Great Christmas Feast at the Lost Estate is a must this holiday season in London. It is located in West Kensington and is one of the most unique things to do in London. The play is a story featuring Charles Dickens and is based on the Christmas Carol. The experience is very interactive with the actors engaging and involving the audience. There are 3 acts and in between each act, you’ll enjoy a 3-course meal featuring duck, potatoes, and other Christmassy snacks.
Best Hotels to Stay in London for Christmas
If you are visting London during Christmas, there are so many amazing hotels to choose from it can be overwhelming. As long as you’re near a tube you can get just about anywhere quickly. However, if you want to be where all the action is, I’d recommend staying in Covent Garden, Soho, or Westminster. This is where you will find the most Christmas light displays and attractions. But so that you know, the decor and cheer is spread literally all over London!
Here are my top hotel picks:
Luxury: The Savoy | Claridge’s | Hotel Cafe Royal
Mid-range: The Tower Hotel | The Hoxton | Treehouse | Mamma Shelter
Budget: Hostel One Notting Hill | Wombat’s City Hostel
Hopefully, with this post, you’ll be ready to dine festively with my selections of the best Christmassy Restaurants in London!
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10 Best Pubs in Hampstead, London
