Where to have Christmas Day lunch and dinner in Sydney 2023

Restaurant and bar St Siandra brings year-round summer vibes to Mosman, so much so that the Mediterranean-inspired venue is situated on a white-sand private beach (yes, really), overlooking the turquoise waters of the Spit. Spend Christmas Day watching yachts glide by with Spritzes on tap, and eating delicious dishes like roast porchetta with smoked honey; whole barbecue snapper; and burnt apricot gingerbread trifle. How's that for la bella vita?

This ace deli-bar-bistro will be open on Dec 25, and it's offering a brilliant set menu for $250 per person. Forget the family dilemmas, and make a beeline for Continental Deli (and their killer 'Mar-tinnies') instead.

Gowings Bar and Grill is pulling out all the stops on Christmas Day. Their festive feast includes kings prawns with a zesty Italian sauce, dry-aged Thirlmere duck breast with orange star anise, and cherry chocolate tiramisu. Lunch here will cost you $260 per adult (and $100 for each child aged six to 12). And if you wanted to stay home and feast (but not do the hours of cooking) QT is offering Christmas banquet catering for up to six guests, available to pick up on December 23 and 24. 

Yes, England has the snow and Christmas jumpers, but we have the sea. Snag pole position this Christmas and make a booking at Promenade Bondi Beach, which is open for lunch. Feast on chilled king prawns, Moreton Bay bugs with Marie Rose sauce and cherry-glazed ham with honey mustard right on Sydney's most famous stretch of sand. Booked out? The front area is open for walk-ins, so get down there quick!

Glebe Point Road's café and restaurant the Wedge will be open for Christmas Day, which is good news if you're keen for a great cup of Joe (us) and great feed (also us). Sit back and leave it all to the team – they will be serving a three-course family friendly lunch which costs $150 per person, and includes Champagne on arrival. A kid's menu is available, and there will be bonbons!

You'll have a joyeux Noël at Loulou Bistro in Milsons Point. The three-course French-style sharing menu ($195 per adult, and $50 for kids) features freshly cooked Yamba prawns; Loulou’s signature chicken liver parfait; John Dory Farci; roast saddle of lamb; traditional Christmas cake ‘Bûche de Noël’ and more.

Lunch at Pilu at Freshwater is like stepping through the looking glass into a Mediterranean island holiday on a normal day, so we wouldn't sniff at the idea of whiling away Christmas Day there. For $330 per adult (or $150 for kids), you'll be served a fresh, Italian-inspired, seafood-centric menu, with a side of sea breeze.

Pasture of Kirribilli and new sibing Pasture of Balmoral will both be open for Christmas Day lunch this year. Their three-course menu will feature dishes like cured salmon carpaccio; king prawns; and Sydney rock oysters. For mains, enjoy either slow-roasted lamb shoulder with a rosemary-pepper crust; or turkey breast with pork and fennel sausage, and pistachio stuffing. Finish with a pav or matcha honey coconut pannacotta. The lunch costs $170 per person, and that includes a drink.

With postcard-perfect water views and an inspired take on seafood, Ormeggio is an archetypal Australian summer destination. At Christmas lunch, you'll get a luxury four-course sharing menu that will set you back $375 per adult (or $150 for children). Dietary requirements can be catered to with notice, and matching wines are available.

Barangaroo's all-day Italian eatery and patisserie is opening for Xmas Day, and will be serving a three-course meal featuring fresh seafood  – think a seafood crudo platter, swordfish steak – and tiramisu for $160 per person. There's also a vego option available, too.

Have Christmas in the clouds – 81 levels above the city – at one of Sydney Tower’s revolving restaurants. A five-course menu plus a glass of Mumm Champagne on arrival is going for $270 per head ($95 for each kid). Or $300 for a guaranteed window seat. A vegan menu is also available.

Fratelli Fresh at Manly and the Entertainment Quarter is open this Christmas Day, and tbh we would love delicious pasta and flowing Spritzes on Dec 25. The share-style feast will set you back $95 per person, and includes things like antipasti boards, maple and orange glazed Christmas ham and an Italian Christmas trifle for dessert. And there's a kid's menu available, which costs $19 per child.

What could be more festive than Christmas at the QVB? The QVB's restaurant Reign is offering a shared Christmas feast with cocktail on arrival for $195 per adult and $80 per child. So you and your kin can be treated like royalty for the day.

If you're not sure what to do on Christmas Day, why not spend it wining and dining by the beach at Ripples Chowder Bay in Mosman? Sounds good to us. Ripples will be serving a three-course lunch including salmon crudo with beetroot, seaweed and wasabi mayonnaise; duck liver parfait with peach chutney, pistachio and crostini; and lamb rump with potato puree and salsa verde for $275 per person. A kid's menu is available for $95 per child under 12 years old. Bon-bons and Christmas decorations will channel festive vibes.

New French restaurant Charlotte Bar and Bistro is open this Christmas Day and we reckon the stunning dining room is a great option for Dec 25. The festive three-course menu costs $295 per person, and includes plates like fresh kingfish, salmon and tuna carpaccio with cherry tomatoes, lime, sunrise kumquat and caviar; vegetable tart featuring zucchini, eggplant, mushroom, thyme, kale and hollandaise; lamb loin with heirloom carrots, rosemary and a thyme jus; and a delicious Yule log to share for dessert.

Spend Christmas sky-high, filling your belly with an endless feast at Sydney Tower’s 82-storey high restaurant. The buffet lunch is $159 a head ($179 for a window seat; $75 for kids). You'll be taken on a culinary tour around the globe, with more than 30 international dishes to choose from. You'll also take a (seated) tour of Sydney, as the restaurant revolves.

This truly resplendent modern Turkish feast by the harbour will cost you $195 per person for Christmas lunch ($95 for those 14 and under). Enjoy the sunshine and Barangaroo’s prime waterfront location, and fill up on Turkish delights including mezes like charred calamari and green harissa; pomegranate-roasted chicken with pickles and garlic toum; and tahini chocolate mousse with caramelised white chocolate and halva ice cream.

Christmas lunch on the sparkling harbour? Sign us up. This year, Kingsleys' Xmas offering includes a four-course set menu with a glass of of bubbles, beer or Bellini on arrival. Kick things off with Sydney rock oysters, seared bluefin tuna, Spanner crab salad, grilled tiger prawns and seared Hokkaido scallops, before moving on to a bunch of delicious hot numbers. It will cost you $229 per person.

Alessandro Pavoni was one of the avant-garde in Sydney's modern Italian scene, but he's turned right back to old-world grandeur. His dream: to bring the gold-brocaded opulence of Italian fine dining to Sydney. So if a grand, Christmas sounds like you, consider booking in at A'Mare. For $390 per adult, you'll be treated to a grand three-course menu, with highlights like spaghettoni with live steamed mudcrab, mascarpone cheese and lemon zest; and grilled Wagyu tritip with beef jus and Jerusalem artichoke cream. That's A'Mare.

Does three hours of bottomless drinks with fresh tiger prawns, slow roasted turkey, all the sides and Christmas pudding with brandy sauce on Dec 25 sound good to you? If so, reserve your seat at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park and lap it up. The lavish hotel is offering a festive lunch offering for $375 per adult, and $199 per child (four-12 years old). And, rumour has it Santa may even pay a visit.

On Christmas Day you can order à la carte from this swish restaurant tucked into the ground floor of the Star. Or, go all out and treat yourself to a southern rock lobster ($180 for 600 grams). You deserve it.

Like the idea of an Italian Christmas? At Cucina Porto (another of the Star's venues), you can enjoy a four-course Christmas Day sharing menu featuring fresh seafood, pastas and salads, for $135 per person.

Sit back and relax this Christmas Day overlooking beautiful Manly Beach at Little Pearl – and forget about the washing up. The relaxed eatery will be slinging a ten-course set menu with hawker-style shared plates – think Bay bugs with chilli XO butter; wok-tossed Sichuan king prawns with crisp noodles; beef cheek Panang; and pavlova with yuzu curd. The feast, which comes with a two-and-a-half hour booze package, costs $199 per person. Cheers.

Head to Crown Street's the Winery on Christmas Day and enjoy a three-course feast with a two-hour drinks package for $189 per person. Think prawns, honey-glazed ham, all the trimmings and pavlova for dessert. Plus, kids under 12 can order a mini platter for $39 per person, which comes with sweets and a drink.

Does roast turkey, slow-roasted lamb, fresh lobsters, oysters and prawns, pavlova and Christmas pudding sound good to you? Us to. If you're keen, make a booking at Pullman Sydney Hyde Park for a lunch (12.30pm) or dinner (6pm) booking. It'lll cost you $159 for adults, $75 for children, and under five eat for free. Round up the cousins.

Dine in style at Luke Mangan's Glass Brasserie, the glassed-in dining room at the Hilton Sydney. Dig into the festive four-course menu for lunch ($259 per person). 

At this swanky steakhouse, your Christmas classics get a gourmet makeover. Think turkey with macadamia stuffing, heirloom carrots and rhubarb chutney; Murray cod from the charcoal oven, and more. It's $225 for adults, and $65 for the kids.

If you'd like your Christmas spread with a side of harbour views, book your seats at the Hyatt Regency Christmas Day lunch. It's $299 per adult, but that includes bevvies, along with all the seafood, turkey, hot buffet selections, sides and desserts of your dreams. Tickets for children aged six to 12 are $120. If you prefer the European approach, they also host a Christmas Eve dinner (for $159 per adult).

Fire, smoke, ice and steam – that's a reference to the four dedicated open kitchens that husband and wife restauranteurs Ross and Sunny Lusted have installed in the middle of their sprawling eatery Woodcut, which is part of the Crown Sydney on the Barangaroo waterfront. If you want spectacle with your Christmas Day lunch, then Woodcut could be the spot. As Ross Lusted says, “Hospitality is entertainment. We’re in the entertainment business." You can dine on a four-course menu at Woodcut on Christmas Day for $390 per adult and $130 per child.

This modern Italian restaurant set in the leafy greenery of the Domain, opposite the Art Gallery of New South Wales, is putting on a Christmas lunch with plenty of antipasto bites, delicous share plates and a prosecco on arrival. It’s $195 for adults and $75 for kids.

Celebrate Christmas in style at the Bar or in the elegant surroundings of the Intercontinental's Ballroom. Their sumptuous offering features festive favourites like glazed ham and turkey, plus fresh seafood and yum desserts. Get a seat for $320 per adult (including a glass of Chandon) or $160 for kids six-12. Childen five and under dine for free. 

Joyeux Noël! Enjoy a French-flavoured Christmas Day at Sofitel Darling Harbour. Their Christmas Day lunch is a decadant affair – both the food and the views – that will set you back $300 per adult (and just $49 per child). 

This sprawling hotel on the corner of Sydney's Hyde Park takes an old-school-glamour approach to everything it does, and its Christmas Day lunch is no exeption. The bottomless banquet features Christmas favourites elevated in true 'grand' style: fresh seafood is on ice, the turkey is slow roasted and the pavlovas are delicatedly crowned with berries. If that isn't enough to sell the kids on parting with their toys for an hour or so over lunchtime, the fact that Santa will be in attendance might just seal the deal. A seat at the table costs $399 per adult and $199 per child.