The best restaurants in London open for Christmas Day lunch and dinner

If you're absolutely loaded, then may we suggest the recently re-opened restaurant at London's chicest hotel? Claridge's £495 a head Christmas lunch is far from cheap, but you'll be served a seven course meal complete with elegant canapes, followed by foie gras terrine, seared Orkney scallops and the requisite roasted turkey with all the classiest trimmings. All in one of the loveliest rooms in town. 

This Hackney gastropub is open on Xmas Day, and you'll get some serious seasonal treats as well as the smug feeling you only get by knowing you're dining at one of the coolest pubs in town. Food is fabulous and leans French, with fennel and chicory salads, celeriac and herb remoulade with crispy bayonne ham as well as crayfish & lobster quenelle de brochet to start, before a ginormous 7kg maple glazed whole suckling pig with apples & chestnuts for 10 or more (which comes at £550 per piggy). The Prince Arthur means serious buisness this Christmas. 

A little bit British and a little bit French, at Bob Bob Ricard you'll get caviar and oysters alongside beef wellington and lobster mac and cheese thermidor for Christmas. Of course, we know you're really just going to ding constantly on their infamous 'Press for Champagne' button, and on a day like December 25, that's absolutely understandable. There's a £125 minimum spend per head, which shouldn't take you too long if you keep hammering the fizz. 

This grand Mayfair restaurant – open since 1976 – is a London institution and as such, is offering a classic Christmas Day feast. It's £175 a head, and includes chicken liver parfait tartlets and smoked haddock & mustard crouquette canapes before a big ticket roasted norfolk bronze turkey with pigs in blankets, honey-roasted parsnips, roast potato, yorkshire pudding, roasted chestnuts and sprouts. There's also a truffle brie de meaux cheese course and the whole place is getting a Gstaad-themed apres ski makeover, for extra Xmas points.

In a room that simply sighs with art deco elegance, push the boat out with the full £195 Christmas menu, which includes lobster and tarragon dumpling with shellfish bisque, smoked goose and foie gras terrine, alongside your classic turkey and pud. There's also an impressively well thought-through offering for vegetarians, with a menu boasting cep and tarragon dumpling with chestnut velouté and beetroot wellington. 

Riding House Café offers Christmas dinner in a quirky Fitzrovia setting (think architectural salvage and wall lamps made from stuffed squirrels, for instance). Last year they laid on five generous courses, including delights such as Earl Grey-cured trout, roast turkey, and a festive cheeseboard for the whole table. 

Go fishy this Xmas, with the celeb chef Rick Stein and his ever-jolly brand of feasting. His Barnes outpost offers perfectly festive riverside views of the Thames, as well as a seafood-leaning Christmas day dins; think smoked mackerel, lobster bisque, hand-dived scallops and, of course, some all-important turkey and trimmings. From £125 per person.

Step inside the Great Northern Hotel’s Rails Restaurant for a classy five courses, including salsify and Jerusalem artichoke salad with truffle, roast turkey, beef sirloin, or celeriac, wild mushroom and Swiss chard tart. It's £99 a head including that all-important welcome glass of something fizzy. Mince pies, as well as cheese and chutney are also on the menu, and it's on from 12-6pm – leaving you time to get home and snooze away in front of a Paddington movie. 

Feel uber chic as you stumble down this Mayfair mews to discover a classic London bolthole. This historical gastroboozer goes back at least 500 years, and is the ideal spot to chow down on a three-course Christmas dins. First is oysters and champers, then it's guinea fowl and pistachio ballotine with pickled pear and cognac dressing before roast ballotine of Norfolk
turkey or carved dry-aged rib of beef. It's £165 each. 

At this offshoot of Westminster’s Cinnamon Club, come for a £65 a head slap-up festive Indian feast. There'll be tandoori spiced venison, char-grilled turkey breast tikka with coriander chutney; and Malabar boatman’s kingfish curry with steamed rice. Delicious. 

Want to escape all things Christmas, but still fancy eating well on December 25? Head to Tayyabs. It’s business as usual at this Whitechapel stalwart – the owners aren’t Christian, so there’s not a whiff of turkey in sight, just their regular, extensive menu of Punjabi dishes to pick from. The kebabs are fiendishly good, as is the chilli-spiked lamb served simmering in a karahi. Remember to bring your own booze as it’s unlicensed.

Go high for your seasonal lunch, and check out the London skyline while you're also feeding yourself up for winter. You'll begin with cured Faroe Islands salmon or lobster risotto before beef wellington, foie gras and a bordelaise sauce, or the roast norfolk bronze turkey, with all the trad-est of trad trimmings. It's four courses at £249 per person - but here's a hack; the three course Boxing Day lunch the next day is only £69 a head. 

Cosily luxe Chelsea gastropub The Cadogan Arms is pulling out all the stops this Christmas, with a special menu for the 25th. It'll feel like you're at a long-lost rich relative's house, as they bestow upon you a lavish six course affair for £250 per head – or £220 if you're veggie – including bubbles on arrival and Christmas crackers. Turbot and beef wellington are alternatives to turkey, and there's oysters and mince pies to bookend the feast. 

Come to this polished spot off Park Lane for a five-course Italian feast with a Negroni on the side. Theo will be your nonna for the day, whipping up fresh pasta filled with Dorset blue lobster, beef fillet wrapped in coppa di parma with roasted heritage carrots, and panettone bread pudding with vin santo ice cream. Just don't expect him to give you a cuddle and gift as well. £145 a head, from 12.30 – 4pm. 

A popular neighbourhood bistro, with its retro prints and mirrors, Le Vacherin is filled with Chiswick’s smartest locals, and offers an extensive French-accented menu for Christmas Day. Splash out on the full menu at £115 for foie gras terrine plus British favourites like roast turkey breast - and this joint isn't too chic to offer pigs in blankets to go along with it.