10 best London restaurants for Christmas get-togethers

Planning a big Christmas get together? These are some of London's best restaurants for groups, and it's not all classic Christmas dinner – gather a group and head for a Thai, Spanish, Filipino or Turkish feast...

For more London restaurant inspiration, check out the 15 best Michelin star restaurants in London or the best pubs in London with great food.

1. Ambassadors Clubhouse

Punjabi

Luxurious Punjabi cuisine is the heart of the offering at Ambassadors Clubhouse, the latest venture from the team behind Michelin-starred Gymkhana. Taking inspiration from the party mansions and palaces of northern India, its feast menus are ideal for groups of six to 10, set in a sultry, darkly opulent setting.

Menu highlights for meat-eaters include its famous BBQ butter chicken chops, achari duck chaat with masala mathai and decadent tawa masala crab cheela. For vegetarians there’s a smoky dunghar paneer tikka with kaju masala and creamy malai morel mattar. Finish with the indulgent gur malai toast with saunfiyan apples and burnt ghee ice cream. The attentive staff are on hand to guide you through every dish with expert precision, and there’s an after-hours party bar called Ambassy downstairs too. ambassadorsclubhouse.com

2. Leydi

Turkish

This modern Turkish restaurant from chef Selin Kiazim – formerly of Oklava – has quickly built a reputation as one of the best restaurants in the city. Its feast menus are a journey into the soul of contemporary Turkish cooking, kicking off with a meze of Turkish breads (tirnak pide and lavash), cacik minted yogurt, smoked aubergine pounded with garlic and sundried red pepper salca muhumara.

The mangal grill is central to the Leydi menu, used for its flavour-packed shish köfte, chicken shish and karides tiger prawns with pul biber. Other menu highlights include freshly baked lahmacun and an islak burger – a spiced beef köfte bun drenched in garlic tomato sauce. For dessert there are delights like Turkish ice cream with pick and mix toppings, pistachio katmer and künefe. Expect free-flowing raki, wines from Turkey, Lebanon and Greece, and exquisite cocktails with a touch of smoky spice. leydilondon.com

3. Farang

Thai

This award-winning modern Thai restaurant in Highbury from chef Sebby Holmes serves up a fantastic six-course feasting menu that’s perfect for a festive gathering. You can opt for dishes like as salted turmeric flossed tiger prawns, peanuts, coconut and sour apple miang bites; ‘gai prik’ beer-battered free-range chicken in a sweet and salty fish sauce glaze with lemon zest, fresh herbs, crispy garlic and chilli; and whole marinated plaice served with three-flavoured sauce, lemongrass, samphire, ginger, roasted rice powder and fresh lime. Finish with homemade pineapple sorbet or coconut panna cotta with palm sugar. A wine pairing and vegetarian sharing menu are also available. faranglondon.co.uk

4. Belly Bistro

Filipino fusion

This new opening from Omar Shah (of Ramo Ramen and Mamasons fame) fuses French bistro classics with soulful Filipino twists, served alongside a carefully curated wine list. Set in a cosy, sun-drenched location in Kentish Town, the wood fire focused menu is designed for sharing feasts.

Start with smoked aubergine and heirloom tomatoes with bagong and lime, and the delicious crispy king prawns with patis fish sauce and calamansi hot honey. The wagyu picanha with bistek sauce and braised shallots is the star of the menu, and there’s an equally exciting woodland mushroom ‘arroz caldo’ with adobo vinegar for vegetarians. Pandan jasmine rice and beef fat fries for the table are a must, but save room for the ube tiramisu with Maker’s Mark bourbon, tres leches and blueberry compote. There’s also an excellent coconut espresso martini. bellylondon.com

5. Kinkally

Georgian

This contemporary Georgian-inspired restaurant in the heart of Fitzrovia from chef David Chelidze is a minimalist, understatedly cool setting for a festive feast, featuring some of the most innovative cooking in London right now. The menu of smaller and larger plates alongside khinkali dumplings (from which the restaurant’s name comes) is designed for sharing, and inspired by Georgia’s ancient food culture.

Kick off with a selection of smaller plates, like the golden beetroot pkhali, kumquat and barbary bun, or the baked aubergine with spiced satsebeli and vanilla matsoni. From the larger plates, the chkmeruli guinea fowl with lemongrass is a must-try – a twist on a traditional Georgian dish that’s rich in garlic and cream. The artfully crafted, stripy khinkali dumplings are also a must, with fillings including wagyu, peppercorn plum sauce and Svanetian salt, or cauliflower kveri, hazelnut and bell pepper sauce. There’s also a chic cocktail bar downstairs called Bar Kinky, which serves exquisite cocktails infused with herbs, spices and unique global spirits. kinkally.co.uk

6. Lolo

Spanish

The latest venture by renowned Spanish chef José Pizarro opened its doors on Bermondsey Street earlier this year, capturing the warmth, joy and togetherness that José feels when preparing his favourite dishes at home.

The festive set menu includes the best of what it has to offer, starting with pan con tomate verde with extra-virgin olive oil and manchego, and classic devilled eggs with Cantabrian salt-cured anchovy. The seafood course features tuna crudo with pink peppercorns and coriander, and cuttlefish with black squid ink sauce, followed by the mains, which include stuffed lamb saddle with jus, spinach and preserved peach. It’s finished with a delicious olive oil and almond cake with peaches and yogurt. It’s a beautiful, light, chicly designed space, with a vibrant atmosphere and entire menu of different gin and tonics to choose from. josepizarro.com

7. Jikoni

Global fusion

Chef and food writer Ravinder Bhogal’s culturecrossing creativity at Jikoni is consistently some of the most thrilling food you can eat in London. Its feasting party menus take inspiration from South Asia and the Far East, Middle East, East Africa and the UK, cooked into dishes like prawn toast scotch egg with banana ketchup, crispy kale chaat with date and tamarind chutney, and pressed shoulder of Cornish lamb with ras el hanout, burnt aubergines and pistachios. The crispy aubergine with Sichaun caramel is a true highlight, as is the wow-worthy pandan pavlova with strawberry sorbet and yuzu curd. A beautifully welcoming spot for a fantastic feast. jikonilondon.com

8. Noreen

Middle Eastern

This new Middle Eastern restaurant offers a fresh approach to ingredient-led cooking in the heart of Marylebone, drawing inspiration from across the Arabian Peninsula. It’s a beautiful, buzzy space with evocative fabric banquettes and ornate crockery befitting of its Levantine menu, which is designed for sharing.

Start with flavour-packed dips such as badenjan aubergine purée with miso-roasted aubergine and walnuts, or whipped feta with chilli, chives and spiced crisps with homemade flatbreads. Bigger sharing dishes include lamb flatbread with slow-cooked lamb shoulder and authentic mahyawa anchovy sauce, sea bass with citrus tahini and samphire, and king prawns in olive oil and roasted garlic with baharat samak. The cocktail menu was created in collaboration with Mr Lyan and features ingredients like black lime, tahini and hibiscus. Try the Arabian coffee and salep martini with vodka, date molasses, salep and spice, or the light, zesty black lime and mango sharbat with white rum, black lime, mango cordial and Campari. noreen-london.com

9. Hotori

Japanese

Nestled on an unassuming street close to Chancery Lane is Hotori, a new Japanese yakitori restaurant that celebrates beak-to-tail eating, with exquisite precision and delicious attention to detail in a bright, contemporary space. Its uses Fosse Meadows chickens – which are totally free-range and grown naturally in small flocks to at least 81 days – and aim to celebrate every part of the bird.

The Hotori set menu is perfect for a festive feast and features six cuts: teba (wing with kombu sea salt), negima (thigh with spring onion and yuzu salt), soriresu (chicken oyster with sansho pepper), bonjiri (parson’s nose with kombu sea salt and truffle dust), obi (inner thigh, tare and truffle salt) and tsukune (chicken meatball with tare-cured egg yolk). For yakitori aficionados there’s also a 17-course, complete beak-to-tail menu, which uses the entire chicken. It also offers excellent tempura, sushi rolls and small plates, like yellowtail carpaccio with yuzu and truffle sauce. The wine list focuses on small-scale, biodynamic producers and there’s an excellent sake menu for pairing. hotori.co.uk

10. Tatar Bunar

Ukrainian

Shoreditch’s new Ukrainian restaurant from chef Alex Cooper has quickly become known for serving big, hearty portions in a beautifully rustic setting – it has a long shared table in the middle, making it an atmospheric spot for a gathering with friends. Kick off with onion village bread with lardo and pickled tomatoes before diving into the middle plates, which include minced lamb chebureki, potato latkes with wild mushrooms and cabbage varenyky. There’s also ceremonial tatur borscht, which is designed for sharing, followed by dishes from the grill, like Bessarabia wagyu, lamb chops with yogurt and tomato or chicken with spring onions. Inventive cocktails include a martini with elderberry capers. And save room for the crème brûlée varenyky. Follow on Instagram @tatarbunar.london.