Restaurants and cafés open on Christmas Day

CBD

The following CBD restaurants are open on Christmas day.

Time: Sittings available between 11.30am and 8pm.

Enjoy a Christmas like no other with Melbourne's beautiful Yarra River as the backdrop. Arbory Bar and Eatery has sittings available for group sizes of up to 20 people. On offer is a three-course Christmas banquet for $145 per person that also includes flowing beer, cider and wine for two and a half hours. Teens and kids are also welcome and can take part in a cheaper package that includes soft drinks. 

Time: 11.30am and 2pm sittings.

The Duke of Wellington is serving a set Christmas lunch menu this year featuring an 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. 

There are two sittings, 11am and 2pm with limited capacity so get in quick.

Time: 11.30am to 2pm, 5pm to 11pm.

Hot pot might be the best way to bring people together, especially during a time like Christmas. Panda Hot Pot is open to provide you with its regular menu featuring a range of hot pot options suited to those looking to numb their mouths with Sichuan peppercorns or looking to keep things mellow with a milky pork bone broth. Phone the venue to book your spot or reserve online.

Time: Noon to 3:30pm.

Grab a stein full of pilsner and dig into some wienerschnitzel or crisp pork knuckle bigger than your head at Hofbrauhaus's Market Lane location. The restaurant will offer both a set menu and a la carte options.  Stay up to date via its website or Facebook page to find out if will accept walk-ins or if it's fully booked.

Time: 10am to 8pm.

Tim Ho Wan is open this Christmas and will offer its regular menu which includes its renowned barbecue pork buns. There are traditional dumplings and pan-fried turnip cakes that you can eat to your heart's desire, but there is no booze. Fret not though as the food will easily make up for this. Walk-ins only.

Time: 11am to 1.45pm, 2pm to 3.45pm.

The multi-level restaurant and hidden cellar bar is offering a set Christmas lunch featuring family share platters full of your Christmas favourites. Bookings are imperative via this website. 

Time: 5pm until late.

Immerse yourself in a Szechuan hot pot at Da Long Yi which originated in Chengdu, China. Share it with friends or family and prepare yourselves for a spicy, lip-smacking feast. Phone 9041 8191 to reserve.

Time: 11am to 1.30pm & 2.30pm to 5pm

If you're after a laidback Christmas experience, head to the pub – or the Wharf Hotel specifically. The venue will offer a three-course family sharing platter-filled lunch for children and adults alike. Lunch also includes a two-hour basic beverage package. Make a reservation via the website. 

Time: 5:30pm until midnight.

Chef David will pass the hot pot baton on solely to its brother venue David's Hot Pot and will instead offer items off its à la carte menu like Sichuan wagyu beef skewers or a plethora of grilled meats or seafood options this Christmas. Call 8797 2666 to reserve.

Time: 11.30am to 11.30pm. 

Chongqing and its adjacent Sichuan Province are hot pot grandmasters. Here, specially designed tables are fitted with a sunken hot pot receptacle that houses an ornate steel pot. The pot is then often subdivided into at least two (sometimes nine-plus) different broth regions, with the fiery hot mala variety – usually, a beef stock that grunts with tonnes of chillies and Sichuan peppercorns – a must-order. Patrons then order plates of raw ingredients off the menu, concoct themselves a custom sauce from the DIY sauce station, and get to business. Bookings are essential online.

Time: 11.30am to 9.30pm. 

With its roots in Phuket, Jiyu does hot pot like you've never had it before: Thai style. Lovers of a hot and sour Tom Yum soup will be happy here, as will those who crave a creamy coconut broth. Be sure to try its signature seafood hot pot, you'll thank us later. Book your spot via its website or phone 9639 3669.

Celebrate Christmas Day overlooking the stunning waterside views only found at Martha’s Table. Leave the cooking to someone else and enjoy a delicious five-course Christmas lunch (details to be released) designed and prepared by Martha's Tables' expert chefs.

Bookings are essential and can be made via the Martha's Table website.

Time: 10am to 2pm.

Sleep-in on Christmas day then head to Café Lafayette for a Christmas brunch. Expect colourful, Japanese-influenced foods like its take on an eggs Benny that features braised pork belly on a mentaiko potato croquette, or its rainbow latte art that was made for the 'gram. 

Time: 11.30am to 1.15pm, 2pm to 3.45pm.

The rooftop bar and pub is dishing up an extravagant three-course set lunch menu on Christmas day. Think honey and mustard glazed ham or King Ora salmon en croute with all the trimmings. There are even oysters with a shallot vinaigrette. The event is children friendly and bookings are essential via its website.

Time: noon to 1.30pm, 1.30pm to 3.00pm.

The bar and pub is turning off the sports and instead diverting its attention to a specially curated set three-course lunch menu this Christmas. Celebrate in 90-minute sittings and expect festive takes on Aussie classics – like prawn cocktail with brandy spiked sauce and fresh Queensland prawns – and the obligatory Christmas pudding soaked in cognac served with vanilla bean custard. Book via its website.

North

The following northside restaurants are open on Christmas Day.

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Time: 5pm to 11pm.

For those craving a decent North Indian feed there's Punjabi Curry Café: a spice-laden haven where you can mop up a smoky chicken tikka masala with a garlic naan. The venue's extensive menu will be available all night too so you can plan in advance. Phone 9419 5307 or book online.

East

The following restaurants in Melbourne's east are open on Christmas Day.

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Time: 11.30am to 1.30pm, 2:30pm to 5pm.

Upscale Hawthorn pub, the Auburn Hotel, is offering a set three-course set menu on Christmas Day. Expect all the usual suspects, including ham, Christmas turkey with a sage and onion stuffing and a juicy chipolata. Make sure you save some space for the end-of-meal cheese selection, featuring blue cheese, brie, smoked cheddar, quince paste, lavosh and muscatels. Reserve online.

South

The following southside restaurants are open on Christmas Day.

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Time: noon to 3pm with sittings every 30 minutes.

Go on a culinary journey to Thailand this Christmas with Bangpop in South Wharf. Attend one of the 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's also a vegan menu. Book online.

Time: noon to 3pm with sittings every 30 minutes.

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. 

Time: 12am to 3pm, 5pm to 7.30pm, 8pm to 10.30pm.

Put a French spin on your Christmas this year with Bistro Guillaume. Its five-course set menu includes a glass of Veuve Clicquot Champagne, Charcoal Grilled Clarence River Prawns, Truffle Brioche, Bannockburn Free Range Chicken and Bûche de Noël for dessert. Reserve online.

Time: 11.30am to 1.30pm, 1.45pm to 3.45pm.

Christmas lunch at Merrywell won't be your usual cheeseburger and shake affair, but a set four-course share menu upstairs with a glass of Chandon sparkling wine on arrival. Dinner will offer its usual à la carte menu though so you can still get your fix of Americana fare. 

Time: noon to 3pm, 5pm to 7.30pm, 8pm to 10.30pm.

Head to Nobu's nightclub-esque food hub occupying three levels at Crown Melbourne. The menu that usually features sushi and sashimi, baby tiger prawn tempura and beef tenderloin with wasabi salsa will instead opt to offer a set two-course lunch menu and a set dinner menu, too. Reserve online.

Time: 11.30am to 3pm, 5.30pm to 9.30pm.

The upmarket Chinese restaurant will offer its tanks of live seafood, with its cellar stacked with marquee names (if you fancy a Domaine de la Romandee-Conti 2008, it’s yours for $32,880) and a menu stuffed with eyebrow-lifting dishes such as the Imperial Treasure seafood claypot of abalone, sea cucumber, fish maw and more (it’s $398 – order ahead). Book online.

Time: 11.30am to 2.30pm.

Prince Dining Room will offer two sittings this Christmas with a set lunch menu. Dishes will include 12 hour slow-cooked lamb shoulder, Crystal Bay prawn cocktail rolls and mango and passionfruit pavlova. Book online.

Time: Noon onwards (lunch only).

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. Book online.

Time: noon to 3pm, 5pm to 7.45pm, 8.30pm to 11.45pm.

Conservatory is Crown’s upmarket buffet restaurant and this Christmas they are stuffing the bain maries full of your Christmas favourites – including sumptuous seafood and turkey with all the trimmings. Reserve online.

Time: 11.30am to 2pm, 2.30pm to 4.30pm. 

Partake in a three-course set lunch menu with bubbles on arrival at Middle Park Hotel. The venue will accept bookings online.

Time: from noon.

Riverside bar Ludlow will offer punters the chance to cast their gaze over the Yarra as they sample a set three-course lunch menu. There's plenty of beers on tap and an extensive wine list so rally the troops and book online.

Time: Noon to 3pm, 5pm to 7.30pm, 8pm to 10.30pm.

Crown Melbourne’s upmarket Chinese restaurant has a set five-course traditional set menu in store for your festivities. Book online.

Time: Open. 

The latest incarnation of the Esplanade Hotel in St Kilda, one of Melbourne’s most famous pubs, is far too big and sprawling to simply pop by for a pint.

This year your Christmas lunch depends on where you sit: the Espy Ground Floor is hosting a modern take on the classic Aussie Christmas feast. There will be fresh seafood starters, followed by traditional meats with an abundance of sides. 

Mya Tiger, on the upper floor, is serving a festive Cantonese banquet where you can enjoy fresh seafood and local veg dishes, crayfish san choi bao and pork and prawn siumai. 

Don't want to commit? The beer garden is open for walk-ins.

Find all of the details on their website. 

Time: 11am to 1.30pm, 2.30pm to 5pm.

The Exchange has long held a reputation and the odd award for its parmas, but the pub has a set three-course lunch menu fit for both adults and kids in store for Christmas. Reserve via the website. 

Time: 11am to 1.30pm or 2.30pm to 5pm

The Smith is a smart and elegant all-day eatery with obligatory open kitchen, bar area up front, restaurant out back and double function rooms upstairs. The venue will offer a family-friendly set menu feast. Book online.

Time: Noon.

QT Melbourne's signature restaurant will offer one sitting on Christmas Day with a three course à la carte menu featuring the likes of ocean trout confit, scotch fillet with béarnaise sauce and honey and lavender roasted carrots. Reserve your spot online.

Time: 11am to 1pm.

Enjoy feeling like you've arrived at a friend's place and receive bubbles on arrival with a three-course set lunch menu at contemporary pub Newmarket Hotel. The family-friendly venue near St Kilda's foreshore is accepting bookings now online.