Christmas eve in London

[emsny]

For years, we have avoided the UK around Christmas; this year, we shall be in London from the 23rd to the 26th. We're set for the 25th, the 23rd should be no problem, and we're off to Asia on the 26th. Does anyone have a sense of what restaurants will be open on Sunday the 24th? No price constraints, one way or the other. No wish, however, to be presented with a "festive" set menu.

Thanks.

[Jon Tseng]

For years, we have avoided the UK around Christmas; this year, we shall be in London from the 23rd to the 26th. We're set for the 25th, the 23rd should be no problem, and we're off to Asia on the 26th. Does anyone have a sense of what restaurants will be open on Sunday the 24th? No price constraints, one way or the other. No wish, however, to be presented with a "festive" set menu.

Thanks.

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If you're after fine dining two points to make:

a) Your best bet will be hotels. I should imagine most of the joints in the Gordon Ramsay stable will be open for business.

>No wish, however, to be presented with a "festive" set menu.

b) Ha. Snowballs chance in hell of that mate. Anywhere high end thats open will be offering a compulsory set tasting, at a minimum of £75 and more likely in the region of £110 before booze. Christmas, New Years, Valentines. On those days its basically a sellers market...

If you do mind getting mugged by the credit card machine, however your best bet will be ethnic. I'd imagine most of the decent joints in chinatown will be open though check ahead.

Good luck

J

Edited September 6, 2006 by Jon Tseng (log)

[emsny]

Thanks, Jon. More or less what I expected to hear, alas, and a reminder of why we generally stay away from the UK within spitting distance of major holidays.

[Weasel]

Hi Emsny

I actually love going out in City Centres on Christmas Eve, the reason being is that they are usually pretty quiet as everyone has headed home. The atmosphere can be most christmassy and romantic and many places close early so being on the street at about 9 can feel like you have the city to yourself. If it snows then one can feel instantly transported to a 40's movie. I think it might be even more so this year as christmas eve is a Sunday so there won't be the post-work drinks crowd out.

I agree that often hotels are the only place open after 7 ish but why not try one of the trendier hotels rather than the classics? Somewhere like the Zetter has dinner for £40 a head and the food is pretty good there.

Good luck

[emsny]

As New Yorkers, my wife and I are great ones for being in the city when most other people have disappeared - summer weekends, for instance - for much the same reasons as Weasel mentions. The difference, of course, is that few things are closed here. I find the shutting down of London and other UK cities rather depressing. Part of that, of course, is not being home and having no familiar bolt-hole to scurry back to.

[emsny]

This might be useful information in case anyone else is marooned in London at the Festive Season: I just checked with Sheekey. They're going to be open for lunch on December 24th but closed for dinner.