Restaurants and cafés open on Christmas Day

Join legendary smokehouse Le Bon Ton for a Christmas lunch overflowing with succulent smoked meats, savoury sides, and festive sweet treats. Le Bon Ton’s twinkling lights and slow-cooked aromas create the perfect Christmassy ambience, as you feast on the Southern Pride set banquet, featuring the best of the Le Bon Ton menu, plus a boozy 2.5-hour beverage package. Sittings start from noon on Christmas Day and you can get your tickets here.

Ali Mousavi's father owned Italian restaurants for more than 40 years, so it's no surprise that his new Chapel Street venture continues the family tradition. Found on the corner of Grosvenor Street and Chapel Street, Stella is a four-storey dining experience that delivers an Italian food philosophy with a modern Australian twist, with an ambience to match. The restaurant is offering two brunch sittings this Christmas Day, which you can book online. Think grand seafood platters, chicken cacciatore, a summery fruit pavlova and more, plus a glass of Champange on arrival. Go to the website to make a reservation.

While we Aussies might reckon Valentine's Day is the most romantic day of the year, it's Christmas that's all about the spirit of love in Japan. Paying homage to this culture, contemporary Japanese fine diner Warabi is hosting an exclusive "Love and Omakase' 8-course omakase dinner this year – the perfect way to celebrate the festive season with that special someone. On December 25, specially crafted dishes will include yakimono with quail, foie gras and zensia with ocean trout, yuzu and umeboshi plum, amongst other enchanting delicacies. At the end, you'll be gifted a special Japanese Christmas cake to enjoy at home on Boxing Day. Swoon! For more details and to make a booking, head to the website.

Botswana Butchery isn't your average butchery; the opulent venue houses up to 300 diners across its three grand levels that are fitted out with dining rooms, bars and private function areas. This Christmas, the restaurant is hosting an opulent four-course lunch with dishes highlighting the finest produce from Australia and New Zealand. Start with amuse bouche like tuna cones and zucchini tarts, followed by refreshing summery eats including grilled watermelon, venison tartare and scallop ceviche. The centrepiece is a succulent Aylesbury duck, roasted snapper fillet, harissa roasted cauliflower and 300-gram Westholme wagyu sirloin. Forget about a dry turkey! For more info about the menu, wine pairing options and costs, check out the website.

Love a great cocktail after lunch? Then make a beeline for Gin Palace this Christmas Day, where the bar will be slinging its regular menu of famous chicken, chive and mayo sangas, expertly crafted cocktails and more snacky goodness to keep the good times flowing. It'll be open from 4pm until 3am, perfect for those who'd rather sleep in on Christmas morning and start the festivities a bit later in the day. 

Again, here's another bar open until 3am on Christmas Day so you can turn your festive lunch or dinner into an all-night boozy affair. Here, you can disocver obscure herbal liquors, an excellent vermouth selection, and one of Melbourne’s biggest collections of wormwood liquor, served the way it's supposed to be. A vintage fountain equipped with tiny taps is used to drip iced water through a sugar cube and into the liquor, turning it milky white. We can’t guarantee you’ll hallucinate, but things are spacey enough here as it is. This is a bar for great dates if you're just spending Christmas with a significant other – or even if that date’s with a book and yourself. 

Snugly situated in the basement of the new Le Méridien Melbourne, Dolly is an immersive restaurant and cocktail bar that transports its guests back in time to the glamour and mystique of 1930s cinema. Take the stress out of Christmas this year with Dolly's indulgent Christmas lunch, an extravagant seafood buffet with all-you-can-eat holiday roasts, decadent desserts, and free-flowing drinks throughout the celebration. A booking costs $299 per adult and $149 per child (aged 4-12) – view the full menu and secure a table at the website.

If you'd love to soak up the Christmas fun in the heart of the CBD, how about a festive lunch at The Duke of Wellington Hotel? Hosted on the newly renovated first level, a three-course share style feast will allow you to sit back, relax and spend quality time with the family without worrying about any kitchen disasters. Start with oysters, Queensland prawns and local cold cuts before moving onto the stars of the show – bourbon and apricot-glazed turkey, slow-cooked turkey with cranberry sauce and pan juices and currant, fig, whiskey and chetsnut stuffing. Two hours sittings will be available at 11am and 2pm, with more info available at the website.

Celebrate Christmas Day overlooking the stunning waterside views only found at Martha’s Table. Leave the cooking to someone else and enjoy a delicious Christmas buffet designed and prepared by Martha's Tables' expert chefs, and optional beverage packages. There will also be Christmas carollers, photo opps with Santa Claus Bookings and a gorgeus dessert spread to finish on a sweet note. Bookings are essential and can be made via the website.

Get footloose and fancy-free this Christmas Day at the Espy. This year your Christmas lunch depends on where you want to sit; the Espy ground floor is hosting a modern take on the classic Aussie Christmas feast ($175 per person and $65 for kids), and there will be fresh seafood starters followed by traditional meats with plenty of vegetarian options, plus a three-house bevvy package with tap beers, house and sparkling wines and soft drinks. Click here for more info. Mya Tiger, on the upper floor, is serving a festive Cantonese banquet including a take on a 'traditional' Char Siu roast ham ($185 per person and $65 for kids). Find all of the details on the website. 

If you feel like getting a lil' fancy this Christmas, look no further than the recently hatted Prince Dining Room. Dishes will include kingfish ctartare, oysters, and turkey pie for the table to share, plus Cape Grim sirloin rump cap, prawns and burrata. Finish on a sweet note with an Aussie classic: mango and passionfruit pavlova. Book via email to secure your spot. 

Enjoy a Christmas like no other with Melbourne's beautiful Yarra River as the backdrop. Arbory Bar and Eatery has sittings available for groups of six to 14 guests this Christmas Day. General table reservations come with a minimum spend of $85 per person, which you can book online. Get in quick as tables are likely to book out.  

Pizza lovers need no introduction to 400 Gradi, one of Melbourne's best restaurants for slices of properly authentic Napoli-style 'za. The Crown venue will be open on Christmas Day, with all its menu favourites available, including pizza, pasta, risotto, big meaty mains and desserts. If your family loves Italian food and you'd rather not cook this year, make a booking now at the website.

If you haven't had a chance to check out the new multi-level pub Morris House yet, Christmas Day is just as good a time as any. A decadent lunch will be served in the dining room as a four-course share-styel menu, with sittings available at 11am and 2.30pm. You'll begin with indulgent entrees like Skull Island king prawn cocktail with lemon, truffle marie rose and paprika, oysters, pâté and a festive-inspired beetroot tartare with brandy-soaked raisins and croutons. Christmassy mains include a stunning beef wellington, grilled Southern Rock lobster, seared salmon fillet and a nutty roast with plenty of sides to share. Finish with a perfect Christmas pudding drizzled with brandy sauce for dessert. To make a booking, head to the website.  

The multi-level restaurant and hidden cellar bar is offering a set Christmas lunch featuring family share platters full of your favourite dishes. There are two sittings available at 11.30am and 2pm, with the set menu going for $155 per person ($65 for kids). And no one will be excluded this festive season, with State of Grace's plant-based Christmas Day lunch menu on offer, too. Bookings are essential via the website. 

This rooftop bar and pub is dishing up an extravagant three-course set lunch menu on Christmas Day. Think honey and mustard glazed ham or turkey with all the trimmings. You can also feast on oysters with a shallot vinaigrette, king prawn cocktails and a traditional Christmas pudding with brandy sauce, and vegan options are available for each course. The event is kid-friendly and bookings are essential via the website.

This bar and pub is turning off the sports and diverting its attention to a specially curated three-course lunch menu this Christmas, with a complimentary drink on arrival. Celebrate in two-hour sittings and enjoy festive takes on Aussie classics like prawn cocktails with brandy-spiked sauce, fresh Queensland prawns, the obligatory mince pies and everyone's favourite, the pav. Book via the website.

For a next-level Christmas feast head to Nobu's nightclub-esque food hub at Crown Melbourne. The menu that usually features sushi and sashimi, baby tiger prawn tempura and beef tenderloin with wasabi salsa will instead offer a lavish five-course banquet, including a selection of premium fresh seafood dishes and a glass of Veuve Clicquot Champagne per person. Reserve online.

Upscale Hawthorn pub, the Auburn Hotel, is offering a three-course set menu in its brand new-atrium style Pavilion on Christmas Day. Expect all the usual suspects, including ham, turkey and more. And make sure you save some space for the end-of-meal cheese selection, featuring blue cheese, brie, smoked cheddar, quince paste, lavosh and muscatels. Be sure to reserve your spot online – there are three sittings available, with spots going for $150 for adults and $55 for kids. 

Go on a culinary journey to Thailand this Christmas and book a table at Bangpop in South Wharf. Attend one of the multiple  sittings and since there's no set menu, you're free to delight in delicacies from both the regular and limited edition Christmas menus. Cocktail masters will also be shaking up a selection of special festive-themed cocktails to keep the fun times flowing. Book online.

Partake in a three-course festive set lunch menu with paired tipples at Middle Park Hotel. The venue will accept bookings online and there are two sitting available at 11am and 2.30pm. Save the hassle and stay out of the kitchen this Christmas and head to this boutique pub where everything is taken care of –including dietary preferences! There are plenty of gluten and dairy free options, plus a separate vegan menu. 

The Smith is a smart and elegant all-day eatery with an obligatory open kitchen, bar area, restaurant and double function rooms. The venue is offering a 3-course share-style feast full of festive favourites with all the trimmings, across two sittings at 11am and 2.30pm. Think honey and mustard-glazed ham, Christmas turkey with sage and onion stuffing and a mushroom and chestnut roast for the vegans in your family. Book online now so you don't miss out.