London’s greatest alternative Christmas dinners (if you don’t like dry turkey)

4,118. That’s the number of people recorded as rough sleepers in London between January and March 2024.

But by donating £1 when you eat at one of the 600+ restaurants (including Lina Stores and Quaglino’s) taking part in StreetSmart’s scheme to tackle homelessness, you’d be making a huge difference. 

18. Experience opulence at Savoy Grill

By Rob Buckhaven

Winston Churchill, Oscar Wilde, HM Queen Elizabeth. I’m not just naming English historical names for the sake of it, these are some of the guests of The Savoy Grill. Now, my name, and yours can be added to that glitzy list because The Savoy Grill is running a festive menu from now until 3 January.

Yes, we can all get a slice of Gordon Ramsay at the top of his game (food pun), from starters including braised rabbit croquette, to the decadently unctuous seabream in béarnaise sauce main (which sticks to your ribs, in a good way), and of course their signature Beef Wellington – a tranche of melt-in-bouche beef fillet encased in a super tasty duxelles and flaky, buttery golden pastry.

Don’t panic though, the Swarovski crystal chandelier and Winston’s favourite clock are still in situ after the renovation. And the restaurant director, Thierry Tomasin, might just be the most passionate and charming man in London.   

2 courses for £59, 3 courses for £65. Available Monday – Friday 12pm to 5:45pm. The Savoy, The Strand. Book here.

19. Get served a beautiful selection of sushi at Sticks’n’Sushi’s new openings

By Lola Christina Alao

Sticks’n’Sushi’s set menus take out half the stress of making those all important decisions (deciding what to order). Their newly launched Set For Success set menu is a deliciously satisfying sharer that received plenty of wide-eyed looks from the diners next to us each time a new plate landed at our table (I’d probably have the same reaction).

But the flavours delivered too, the often uninteresting broccoli is transformed into a nutty, subtly sweet side sprinkled with sesame seeds and sat in a soy-based sauce. Each bite of the tender beef tataki brought with it a fun pop from the artichoke crisp topping. Dessert was another standout, a smart reinvention of a crème brûlée topped with a healthy helping of black sesame crumble. Afterwards, stay for another drink at the bar, or simply take in the minimalist, sophisticated feel at Sticks’n’Sushi’s new Islington branch.

Set For Success set menu, £95. Various locations. Book here. 

Sticks’n’Sushi also opened in Battersea last month, just outside the South Entrance of the Power Station. It has an open plan dining room, kitchen counter, lounge and bar — and outdoor terrace perfect for when summer rolls around again.

20. Try some Pan-Asian flavours at Straits Kitchen

By Anushka Suharu

Straits Kitchen at Pan Pacific hotel offers an adventurous dining experience in an elegant, quaint setting. The 5-course Experience menu features dishes that marry Southeast Asian flavours with British ingredients: Scottish smoked salmon, beautifully balanced with sweet miso; chicken satay skewers with a rich peanut sauce; and oh-so-delicate prawn and chive dumplings. The standout, Akashi-Tai Shiraume Umeshu Sake, was the perfect finisher, along with the Gula Melaka Crème Brûlée, a blend of French technique and Southeast Asian sweetness. You’re sure to be left craving more.

Experience menu, £65pp (£100pp with wine pairing). Pan Pacific London, Bishopsgate. Book here.

London’s best melted cheese feasts

Fire & Fromage. £35pp. Best for: raclette fiends. Book here.

What’s better than dipping things in cheese? Pouring cheese on top of things. South Bank’s ever-popular seasonal pop-up, Jimmy’s has brought back its unlimited raclette menu, sliding sizzling slices of molten Raclette cheese (they get it directly from Switzerland) on top of your personal pile of garlic butter-basted new potatoes, charcuterie and crusty bread. Wrap up warm, and leave room for nutella-stuffed mini doughnuts for dessert.

Vagabond Wines. From £20pp. Best for: bougie dunking. Book here.

Nothing says Christmas like dunking pigs in blankets in a vat of melted cheese, as part of Vagabond’s winter fondue sharer option. Throw some crispy baguette, potatoes, and wine into the mix and you’re on to a real good time. The hearty meal is accompanied by a white wine pairing — Prosecco or Rioja — both are refreshingly crisp and perfect. Though not the cheapest feast you’ll eat (note the pigs in blankets are extra), you’ll leave feeling full and festive AF.

The Cheese Barge. From £32pp. Best for: cheese with a twist. Book here.

Permanently moored in Paddington Basin, this 96ft double-decker vessel is a floating palace of cheese, serving everything from Cornish cheddar to curried cheese curds. Thursdays are Fondue night, involving two house fondues and plenty of delectable dippables. This month they’re teaming up with London’s oldest cheesemongers, Paxton & Whitfield, for a special version of the traditional Swiss Moite-Moite (half and half) style of the gooey stuff. Fondue available every Thursday until March.

21. Eat at Battersea’s newest curry house Tamila

By Kitty Chrisp

Run by ex-roti King chef Prince Durairaj and Glen Leeson, Tamila is Battersea’s newest, and arguably best, curry house. Sister to Islington’s celebrated The Tamil Prince, this dimly-lit spice heaven is perfect for a date night. The buttery paneer puts even modern curry king Dishoom to shame, while the tandoori chicken is a seasoning sensation.

Don’t expect a huge bowl of bright pink British curry on a bed of mushy rice, but instead sumptuous small plates to share that pack a tasty punch, putting a welcome twist on Indian dining. You must – I repeat, must – try the Gunpowder Margarita, too. It’s the best I’ve ever had (and I’ve had many).

Expect friendly staff  – thank you Josephine – and good vibes only. Plates from £10 each, with a few recommended per person. It’s not super cheap, but damn, it’s tasty.

39 Northcote Road, Clapham Junction. Book here.

22. Go for a Michelin-starred West African lunch at Chishuru

By Lola Christina Alao

Chishuru goes big with the first dish on their lunch set menu – Sinasir, a fermented rice cake. It’s a deconstructed version of the well-loved jollof rice, topped with deliciously sweet cherry tomatoes, clementine & chilli dressing, and bronze fennel fronds. I quickly take a second bite in shock, as if the plate of food would run away from me. It’s hard to believe the famous dish (that has become a bit of a West African celebrity) could be topped, but I think Chishuru just might have done it. 

The next standout? Yassa, moreishly tender charcoal-grilled guinea fowl breast, accompanied by a beautiful lemon sauce. Each dish on the menu has a different texture, which makes for a consistently exciting journey. Pair yours with the Suya & Smoke cocktail, which blends pleasant bitterness from blood orange syrup with smoky Mezcal, finished with a nutty suya spice rim. 

The decor is elegant and pastel themed. Abstract ornaments dress the shelves and the lighting is soft. It feels noticeably homely – guests are told to ‘come as they are’, as there’s no dress code here. Chishuru is clearly not afraid to make clear what kind of restaurant it is (its own website states that despite its accolade, it’s not fine dining). This made what was my first Michelin-starred meal feel special yet inviting, a feeling sometimes missing from high-end restaurants in Fitzrovia and the surrounding areas.

Adejoké Bakare is the chef behind the restaurant, and is the first Black woman in Britain to receive a Michelin star. A huge (and well-deserved) achievement and hopefully an example of many more to come.  

Lunch set menu, £45pp. 3 Great Titchfield St, Fitzrovia. Book here.

Where to go for a drink

23. Bloomsbury Club Bar

By Josie Copson

Christmas shopping on Oxford Street? Escape the havoc by dodging around the corner to the Bloomsbury Hotel. Here you’ll find a relaxed underground establishment that oozes class: wood-panelled walls, forest green seating, abstract artwork, and shelves filled with the kind of booze your mum only pulls out at Christmas (if then). 

As couples steal kisses while reflecting quietly on their week, a soulful jazz band adds to the intimate, speakeasy ambiance. More often than not, you’ll find some of London’s most talented and upcoming musicians jamming out in the intimate setting (check the schedule here), providing the perfect soundtrack to date night. ‘We’ll sound better the more you drink,’ the saxophonist joked. With a quirky menu of Egyptian-themed cocktails to sample, that’s not a hard ask (my pick was the crisp ‘Ka’, with mezcal, pineapple and coconut).  

Cocktails from £17. 16-22 Great Russell St, Bloomsbury. Book here.

24. Drink at eccentric wine bar Quill

By Sophie Laughton

Borough Market is easily one of my favourite places in London, and I don’t go there nearly often enough. That might change now Quill has opened its doors, as this eccentric little wine bar, complete with dramatic chandeliers and spiral staircase, makes for the perfect after-work haunt. 

The latest feather in the cap of whimsically-named Fables & Company, Quill is the literary little sibling of Covent Garden’s quirky Plume and Brixton’s pocket-sized Finch. Its very generous by-the-glass wine list, even more generous bar snacks and unorthodox cocktails (try the punchy, jet-black Inkwell) are enough to get the creative juices flowing. But if you’re not so poetically-inclined, Southbank’s poet-for-hire Luke Erasmus is on hand to bash out a personalised ditty on his typewriter, just for you.

But when it’s this cold, you’re probably most interested in wine that’s been mulled. Quill does that very well too, thanks to the inclusion of a surprise ingredient that I was sadly sworn to secrecy on. Get your fill of the hot stuff on their festive bar trail, as you top up your Mulled Wine Tavern tankard on a merry jaunt from Plume in Covent Garden to Borough Market (or vice versa) with a pitstop at The Mulled Wine Tavern in Southbank Centre Food Market.

Wine by the glass from £8, sharing snacks from £7. Mulled Wine Trail Tankard £30. 1 Bank End, Borough Market. Book here.

25. Drink cocktails in a fantastic pirate bar

By Sophie Laughton

A pirate ship-themed bar round the back of Regent Street should be deeply naff. Except with Gabriele de-Vere, the industry veteran behind openings like Sketch and Mr Foggs, at the helm, it’s a work of pure genius – with some seriously delicious rum cocktails to boot.

Rhum Tavern is Gabriele’s passion project, and you can tell: every detail has been meticulously planned, perfected and executed to a level that would make the set designer of Pirates of the Caribbean blush. Dead Men Tell No Tales’, a macabre version of a Porn Star Martini, is served in a startlingly realistic skull (I believe there was a 3D printer involved).

Meanwhile inspired lighting – which filters through wooden grates overhead –  gives the exact feeling of being hunkered below deck in a 16th century galleon. Except instead of miserable sailors rations, you’re quaffing the crispest daiquiris while eyeing up the 400-bottle strong rum list, and feasting on cubes of Robata-grilled salt beef (apparently this was all the rage on the high seas in the 1700s). Maybe it’s the pirate life for me after all…

Cocktails from £10. 48 Margaret St, Marylebone. Book here.

What’s on

26. See immersive art installations at The V&A

Each year, the V&A commissions a designer to create a Christmas installation for the museum. This year sees artist and designer bring her bold and playful aesthetic to life through set design and immersive installations.

With art rooted in pop culture and the concept of the ‘readymade’, expect plenty of unusual objects and textures at this free exhibition. Find out more here. Until Sunday 5 January 2025.

27. Sixes Social Cricket

It’s that time of year again: when you have to frantically book adult entertainment for your annual Christmas catch-up with your old sports team/uni mates/knitting club. Try Sixes Social Cricket, which conveniently has just opened a new branch in easy-to-get-to London Bridge. The concept is virtual golf meets cricket, but far more fun.

Each batting net has an adjoining area for your game where you can sledge your friend who is at the crease while enjoying a drink. The trademark food offering for pre-or-post match sustenance is the ‘Botham Burger’, named after the legendary England all-rounder. And the smashed patty lives up to his ‘Beefy’ moniker, with the burger and chips more than a match for any of the Instagram-friendly street food vendors at nearby Borough Market. As far as Christmas get togethers go, this one’s a big hitter…

Off peak tickets £10pp; Peak £15.50pp. 50 Bermondsey St, London Bridge. Book here.

28. Experience the 80s in photos

A new 80s-tastic exhibition has landed at Tate Britain looking at everything from documentary images of anti-racist protests in east London to an exploration of the aggressive, competitive nature of office life.

The 80s: Photographing Britain runs at Tate Britain from 21 November 2024-5 May 2025. Book here. 

29. Watch emotive theatre show Hadestown

By Jeremy Ullmann

Telling the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice through American folk and New Orleans jazz is a hell of a premise — and fortunately, Hadestown delivers the idea faultlessly. The collective scenes are so devilishly good, while the music is both catchy and emotional. You’re expertly guided through the metaphorical storytelling by Hermes (Melanie La Barrie), and the theatre design is so masterfully utilised that it becomes a character in itself – the gasps as the stage transitions from earth to Hadestown’s underworld said it all.

Hadestown is a spectacular, otherworldly achievement. A Word to the Wise: you haven’t seen anything like this before.

Hadestown is booking to 28 Sept 2025 at the Lyric Theatre. Tickets from £20. Book here. 

30. Fly your own starship at Bridge Command

By Martina Andretta

Vauxhall is hiding a truly out-of-this-world experience underneath its railway arches. Bridge Command, an extraterrestrial immersive show, takes place in a meticulously crafted starship. The set alone makes the visit worth it – forget about VR headsets and stuffy rooms. As soon as you step in, you will be handed a uniform and asked to choose a role. Will you be in charge of navigation? Or will you look after the engines?

From dodging asteroids to battling against space pirates, every decision you and your crew make will shape the outcome of your mission. Things will go wrong, but the actors will be at hand to help you. The experience lasts roughly two hours, depending on your choices. And be careful – they will carry over to future visits.

Whether you’re a die-hard sci-fi fan, a seasoned gamer, or simply looking for a unique night out, Bridge Command is for you.

Bridge Command is at 63 Albert Embankment, London, Vauxhall, SE1 7TP. Tickets start at £40. Book here.

31. Check out inspiring artworks by diverse artists at Hope93

Founded by Aki Abiola, Hope93 is a brand new gallery in Fitzrovia that showcases work by historically underrepresented talent and seeks to make fine art accessible to all.

Having opened just in time for Black History Month, the ultra-cool space features include incredible paintings by self-taught Tanzanian artist Sungi Mlengeya and Tunji Adenyi-Jones’s vibrant artwork that fuses Renaissance-inspired details with Yoruba folklore.

54 Eastcastle St, Fitzrovia. Free.

32. Enter the Bat Cave at Batman Unmasked (ENDING SOON)

By Sophie Laughton

The Bat is back. At least, all his cloaks, gizmos and gadgets are. In honour of the caped crusader’s 85th birthday, a new exhibition has landed in London’s Covent Garden that will delight Batfans from every generation. Beginning in Wayne Manor, journey through a brilliant series of themed rooms, each packed with a huge selection of original props, costumes and memorabilia from all the major movie adaptations.

Highlights include Uma Therman’s dazzling Poison Ivy costume, Heath Ledger’s legendary nurse outfit and clown mask as the Joker, the Batmobile from 2022’s gritty The Batman (parked fittingly in a smoke filled garage), and a tiny cowl from The LEGO Batman Movie.

Not a film buff? Get the full Gotham experience walking through eerie immersive rooms or hit up the interactive gaming room to race a Scalextric Batmobile or rescue your pals from a burning building. But you best be quick – the Batman won’t be staying for long…

Tickets £21. Until 30 December. 45 Wellington St, Covent Garden. Book here.

33. Watch a theatre show all about being single with Why Am I So Single? at the Garrick Theatre

By Lola Christina Alao

Why Am I So Single is a silly, fun exploration of a heartwarming friendship between two (very single) best friends. The show delves into the nuances of modern life through big songs, like ‘Meet Market’ about the mostly weird and not very often wonderful world of tinder and hinge, where they poke fun at all the generic prompts by men — like ‘I like good coffee and good company’ and “south London born and bred’.

It makes its target audience very clear with references that you’d only understand if you’re a zillennial (people born three years before the end of the millennial generation or three years into Gen Z) – ‘who even uses Facebook anymore? It’s all about vine!’. Through all the humour though, they give an incredibly vulnerable performance that explores themes of grief, trauma, class and belonging.

Tickets from £20. Until Thursday 13 February 2025, Garrick Theatre, Charing Cross Road. Book here. 

See you next week!

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