The best places for Christmas lunch in Johannesburg

Christmas would be incomplete without song and dance, so Roar Bistro is serving its festive lunch against the backdrop of live music.

Guests can build their own salad using feta, pomegranate, olives, onion and other ingredients. The grilled options include balsamic-roasted beetroot, grilled corn and a variety of peppers. You can even throw in some chicken strips, pasta screws and Peppadews.

There are five main options to choose from, which include Mediterranean baked fish, beef short rib and stuffed pork belly.

For your sweet tooth, there is a Bar-One mousse, the chocolate éclair cake of the day, Mississippi mud pie and other yummy goodies.

Address: 8 Maude St, Sandown, Sandton

This year’s lunch at Carnivore Restaurant forms part of their festive season offerings themed ‘A Beast of a Feast’. Instead of a rigid approach, the restaurant is weaving together seated eating, buffet-style dining and sharing salads across its four-course meal.

The starter is a soup that guests will enjoy with honey bread made by Carnivore chefs, alongside a salad at the table. This will be followed by venison samoosas alongside spicy chicken livers, yakitori and meatballs.

The main course is an all-you-can-eat buffet with options like rump beef, gammon, turkey, crocodile and rabbit. The dessert options include sweet potato pudding, cheesecake, chocolate mousse and, of course, Christmas pudding.

Elevate this year's Christmas experience with a festive lunch at Cyra restaurant. The fine-dining gem has curated a Christmas menu sure to satisfy anyone craving mouth-watering holiday dishes. The 7-course lunch costs R1950 per person. Guest can look forward to a selection of beautifully  presented, flavourful, dishes that capture the essence of the holiday season. 

Address: Lloys Ellis Ave, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg.

Little Neros offers one of the most affordable Christmas Day lunch and buffet offerings in Johannesburg this year, so your festive feast doesn’t have to result in a worrisome January.

They have quite a few options for starters, including chicken livers, the soup of the day, a salad bar for the health-conscious and other offerings.

Whether you have a carnivorous taste or prefer foods that grow from the earth, you are going to leave with a full stomach after digging into their roast lamb, beef, gammon, turkey, roast potatoes and a selection of other veggies.

There are also a few pasta dishes and pizzas to choose from, so come hungry and leave some space to choose from some of the hot and cold desserts on offer.

Fairlawns invites guests to leave slaving over a stove out of their Christmas activities, because the chefs at this Sandton restaurant have got you covered.

Described as a combination of traditional festive favourites and seasonal dishes, their Christmas lunch features a minted leg of lamb or beef with gravy, which are both slow-roasted. You can also opt for the duck legs or the baked kingklip with Thai coconut curry sauce.

These mains are all enjoyed with seasonal vegetables, roasted cinnamon butternut and pumpkin, as well as braised confit potatoes.

The lunch is completed by dessert offerings such as croquembouche, mince pies and even Christmas pudding with cinnamon custard. Before heading home, you can relax with some freshly brewed tea or coffee and perhaps even make new friends with the other guests.

From flavourful starters to a carvery served with an assortment of sides, Christmas lunch at RARE Steakhouse will give you a reason to visit the mall on 25 December.

For starters, their grilled calamari tubes and heads are bursting with garlic, chilli, lemon and other flavours, while their beef trinchada features peri-peri, paprika and red wine aromas. If you prefer chicken wings, you can choose from lemon herb or peri-peri sauce, and boerewors is also available with a Portuguese dipping sauce.

For mains, the restaurant's traditional carvery spread is a meat lover's feast featuring roast chicken, beef, pork and lamb curry. You can enjoy the protein with basmati rice, baby carrots, garlic and parsley potatoes, beetroot salad and other side selections, or you can build your own salad.

To complete your Christmas feast, you can choose from their chocolate brownie with caramel sauce, ice cream and malva pudding.

While the theme park usually closes on Christmas Day, the restaurants at Gold Reef understand that people still need a good meal. Barney's Restaurant & Bar is here to serve you, your family and loved ones.

The Christmas dining experience kicks off with a smoked salmon platter with capers, Cape Malay pickled fish, feta and mint salad and other starters with freshly baked artisan breads.

Your main dish can be a turkey roll with herb gravy, honey-glazed gammon, beef sirloin in red wine, roasted chicken with mushroom sauce or any of their other options. This dish is accompanied by options ranging from creamy potato mash and yellow rice with raisins to creamed spinach, among others.

If your South African palate doesn’t salivate at these options, you can go for the samp and beans, bobotie or a traditional lamb potjie, and there’s pap and chakalaka too.

Sweet options include malva pudding, Peppermint Crisp tart, pavlovas, as well as a range of Christmas cookies and mince pies.

People of the East Rand don’t have to leave their doorstep either, because Kopanong welcomes families, friends and lovers to sit around the table and toast to the joyful season this Christmas.

If you want, you can even book a room for an overnight stay and make the best of this special day.

Guests will be received with a complimentary festive welcome drink upon arrival before digging into the festive feast.

While the establishment has not revealed the details of its Christmas offering, the food will be derived from their Moshate Restaurant menu. This usually means starting off with freshly prepared Mediterranean-style salads accompanied by local charcuterie and artisanal breads.

The main course typically features traditional roasted meats such as turkey, glazed gammon or roasted beef served with gravies, savoury rice and seasonal roasted vegetables. For dessert, guests can expect a selection of hot and cold treats, including traditional malva pudding as well as festive trifles and pastries.

Address: 69 Drift Blvd, Estate, Muldersdrift.

Guests at The Cork Tree can enjoy their Christmas lunch either feeling the breeze on the garden patio or in the facility’s indoor dining space.

The feast begins with freshly baked mince pies served with gravy and a creamy potato mash.

For mains, guests can indulge in the roasted leg of lamb and roasted chicken with yellow rice, pumpkin fritters and other vegetables. For dessert, there is traditional malva pudding and a layered trifle.

The facility’s outdoor children's play area and lawns will also be available for younger guests to run around and make a few new friends.

Address: Corner Grayston Drive and Rivonia road, Sandton.