Cancel the catering and head to some of the city’s best dining destinations this Christmas Day, from hatted restaurants to rooftop bars and our favourite yum cha spots.
Save the hassle of hosting this Christmas and head out on the town for lunch instead. While many venues close on the day, there are still plenty of our favourites keeping their doors open for the holidays, including on December 25. From hatted restaurants to yum cha and CBD bars, here are Good Food’s top picks for Christmas Day dining (be quick though, as reservations are filling up fast).
A German Christmas at Hofbrauhaus
Enjoy a Bavarian beer hall-style lunch at Chinatown restaurant Hofbrauhaus. On Christmas Day, expect live entertainment, plenty of atmosphere and a traditional German feast. The $85 per person set menu includes dishes like the brined and roasted pork knuckle dish our critic raved about earlier this year, served with sauerkraut, hot mustard, mash and Dunkel-Bier sauce. There’s also schnitzels, bratwurst, kransky and more. Bookings can be made here. Prost!
18-28 Market Lane, Melbourne, hofbrauhaus.com.au
Omakase Christmas dinner at Warabi
Seafood and Christmas go hand in hand – even better when it’s prepared for you. Two-hatted omakase restaurant Warabi is hosting an elegant 14-course dinner ($350 per head) on December 25, starting with a festive cocktail (or mocktail) before moving on to luxe dishes like Tasmanian live lobster, champagne jelly and caviar, and a cherry-sake dessert. Bookings can be made here.
408 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, warabimelbourne.com
Yum cha at Golden Dragon Palace
Christmas Day yum cha is a common tradition in many Aussie households, and one of Melbourne’s best spots for a Cantonese banquet – longstanding yum cha stalwart Golden Dragon Palace – remains open all day, serving classics from several rolling trolleys in its 200-seat dining room. Scallop siu mai, prawn and chive dumplings, and slippery barbecue pork cheung fun are some of our favourites to order here. But be sure to book, as tables are filling up quickly.
363 Manningham Road, Templestowe, goldendragonpalace.com.au
A regional Chinese Christmas at Shunde Cuisine
Another option for Chrissy Day yum cha is Shunde Cuisine, located in the heart of the CBD on Bourke Street with space for up to 400 diners. With BYO wine and karaoke rooms, it’s the perfect spot for a lively (and affordable) Christmas lunch, with the menu spanning both classics and more inventive dishes like avocado pork buns, plus those drawing from across the Shunde region (see: foie gras on toast with black truffle paste). Walk-ins are welcome, or guarantee your spot by booking here.
200 Bourke Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/shunde.cuisine.melbourne
Christmas lunch at From Here by Mike
Recently hatted Sydney blow-in From Here by Mike, located inside the 1 Hotel Melbourne in Docklands, is putting on an indulgent degustation this Christmas Day. For $275 per person, feast on seafood such as Skull Island prawns, poached southern rock lobster and Port Phillip Bay snapper sashimi with caviar, plus dishes like marbled wagyu and dry-aged duck leg. You won’t miss out on your Chrissy ham, either, thanks to the addition of a smoked, honey-glazed prosciutto cotto ham. Book here.
9 Maritime Place, Docklands, 1hotels.com
Lunch with style at Aru
For the first time, two-hatted fusion fine diner Aru is opening its doors on Christmas Day – and with a bang. The festive menu will include never-before-seen dishes, plus an Asian-inspired seafood platter, five-spice hoisin-glazed wood-roasted pork scotch, crispy pork belly, and more. Tickets are $295 per person, with two sittings available (11.30am and 1.45pm). Reserve your spot here.
268 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, aru.net.au
A wood-fired feast at Antara
Aru’s sibling restaurant Antara 128 on Exhibition Street will be firing up the wood oven on Christmas Day. Flame-licked dishes will feel familiar with a festive twist, such as wood-roasted lamb shoulder plated with all the trimmings (think cranberry sauce, duck fat potatoes). Skull Island prawn cocktails and a sour cherry and passionfruit pavlova are also on offer, plus champagne and other festive drinks. Reservations are $225 a head and can be made here.
128 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, antara.melbourne
Traditional roast lunch at Hickens Hotel
Melbourne’s new four-storey mega pub Hickens Hotel is welcoming guests for a three-course traditional roast lunch on Christmas Day. All of the classics will be on offer, from bourbon and apricot glazed ham to slow-cooked turkey and cranberry sauce, Queensland prawn cocktails with a boozy cocktail sauce, plus mini cherry pavlova for dessert. Two sittings are available at 11.30am and 2.30pm. Bookings can be made here – it’s $165 a head for adults and $49 for kids under 12.
127 Russell Street, Melbourne, hickenshotel.com.au
Riverside feasting at Yarra Botanica
Bubbles and lunch on the Yarra doesn’t sound too shabby as far as Christmas lunches go. At Southbank’s floating bar and eatery Yarra Botanica, enjoy a three-course, shared banquet right on the river with views across the city skyline. Bookings will set you back $99 per person, inclusive of a glass of sparkling or a festive mocktail on arrival. Walk-ins are welcome for drinks, too, or make your lunch reservation here.
Southbank Promenade, Southbank, yarrabotanica.com.au
Dining and drinks at BistroX
Vue de Monde founding chef Shannon Bennett’s pop-up restaurant at Fitzroy’s StandardX is continuing for the foreseeable future. Even better, it’s open on Christmas Day. The ground-floor BistroX is serving breakfast from 7-11am Christmas morning, or get out of the house after your post-lunch nap for a cocktail at rooftop bar On Top, open from 5pm. Book here.
419 Fitzroy Street, Fitzroy, bistroxmelbourne.com
Fine dining with Wickens at the Royal Mail
Family road trip, anyone? A few hours from the city, two-hatted fine diner Wickens at Dunkeld’s Royal Mail Hotel is putting on a special five-course tasting menu for Christmas Day. Executive chef Robin Wickens will showcase summer produce from the restaurant’s garden, paired with wines from the hotel’s cellar, all for $365 per person. For a more affordable, family-friendly option, the hotel’s casual dining room Parker Street Project is serving up a three-course seasonal menu for $165 a head, or $190 with a premium seafood upgrade. Children eat for $49. Bookings can be made here.
98 Parker Street, Dunkeld, royalmail.com.au
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Emily Holgate – Emily is the Assistant Producer for the Good Food App at The Age. She previously wrote for the likes of Broadsheet and Urban List.Connect via email.
