The best Christmas Day lunches in Melbourne

Acclaimed Southeast Asian fine diner Sunda is bringing native Australian and Asian flavours to the Hotel Windsor. Executive chef Khanh Nguyen has dreamt up a decadent six-course menu featuring over 15 dishes. Some of which will include a spin on the classic prawn cocktail, glazed ham, turkey, roasted potatoes and glazed carrots. There will be a free flow of drinks including wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages and you can make it for a 12pm or 1pm sitting with the advice of allowing three hours' time for each. $388

Put a French spin on your Christmas this year with Bistro Guillaume. Its set five-course menu could come with a glass of Moët & Chandon Champagne, Fraser Isle spanner crab, Lakes Entrance John Dory with smoked mussel and kombu butter, Mayura Station wagyu with pommes Anna and a truffle vinaigrette, La Luna Holy Goat with honeycomb and brioche and a classic pav to top it off with. $220

For on-land festivities join Arbory Bar as it collaborates with Four Pillars and provides guests with the three-course banquet to celebrate the festive season. There will be Four Pillars cocktails, flowing beer, cider, wine and champagne available for lunch and dinner. Join in for a three hour sitting from 11:30am onwards. Book via the website. $196 per adult, $105 per teen (13-17 years) and $45 per child (12 and under).

Go on a culinary journey to Thailand this Christmas with BangPop in South Wharf. Attend one of multiple sittings that go for two hours at a time and receive a drink of your choice upon arrival. Taste the likes of crisp pork belly with mustard greens and dried chilli, or a rich beef Massaman curry. There also a vegan menu too. $129 for adults, $55 for children under 16.

Prahran Hotel is set to treat you to a three-course shared lunch menu and a four hour beverage package so you're bound to have a very jolly Christmas. The specially curated lunch commences at noon and tickets can be booked online. $165 per adult.

Whether you're looking for a more formal four-course lunch in its upstairs dining room or a casual three-course experience by the riverside, Pure South Dining in Southbank has you covered. Each offering is paired with premium beverages and you can choose from a list of mains that includes King Island grass fed beef wellingtons served with asparagus, shallot and sauce Bordelaise or pan roasted Huon salmon with smoked potato, peas and preserved lemon. $249 for adults in the upstairs dining room, $199 for adults who dine riverside, and $95 for teenagers and $75 for children over the age of two who dine in either area. 

The Duke of Wellington is located a stone's throw away from Flinders Street Station so you can roll all the way there after you've stuffed yourself silly at lunch. There's the obligatory ham (with a bourbon and apricot glaze) and turkey (slow-cooked with a currant, fig and chestnut stuffing), plus cold cuts, prawns, oysters and Christmas pudding. Vegetarians can feel at home too with a separate menu subbing the ham for eggplant and the turkey for pumpkin. $95 for adults, $35 for children aged 12 and under.

If you want to feel like Eloise in the Plaza during Christmas, this one’s for you. Just replace the Plaza with Brighton Savoy and you with Eloise. Dine in the hotel's main ballroom and enjoy a traditional Christmas lunch that comes with freshly carved roast turkey breast and smoked ham with all the trimmings, plus a seafood tasting plate and for dessert there's a Christmas plum pudding topped with hot brandy custard and fruit mince pies. The hotel is hosting group bookings of six adults or more and lunch runs from 12:30pm to 4pm. $199 for adults, $99 for children between ages of four and 12, and $48 for children aged four and under.

Sit down for a three-course lunch at Meat Market. Check out views of the Yarra in South Wharf as you saunter over to the raw bar containing Coffin Bay oysters and more, or enjoy your choice of main including cider-brined free range organic turkey with macadamia and apricot stuffing. There are multiple sittings and each lasts for two hours. $129 for adults, $55 for children under 16.

The Conservatory is known for offering a classy buffet experience in its elegant space, but it’s switching it up for Christmas lunch and offering a set five course menu with a glass of Piper Heidsieck Champagne per adult and live entertainment on offer. Expect the likes of blood orange and gin cured ocean trout with oscietra caviar, Moreton Bay bugs, wild mushroom tortellini, turkey breast wrapped in serrano ham and a golden chocolate dessert that looks like a bauble filled with popping candies and nougatine honey parfait. $285 for adults, $125 for children.

Also located in Southbank is Ludlow Bar. Check out the views of the Yarra and sit down to a three-course menu featuring classic Christmas staples like turkey ballotine served with creamed silverbeet, potato fondant and green peppercorn jus, or a seasonal berry pavlova with honeycomb and chantilly cream. There’s even a separate children’s menu for the little ones. $130 for adults, $40 per child under 12 years.