Yum cha, bratwurst and omakase: Where to book on Christmas Day in Melbourne
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 - reservations are filling up fast).
A German Christmas at Hofbrauhaus
Enjoy a Bavarian beer hall-style lunch at CBD restaurant Hofbrauhaus. On Christmas Day, expect live entertainment, plenty of atmosphere and a traditional German feast. The $85 per person set menu includes dishes such as the brined and roasted pork knuckle dish our critic raved about 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
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Sign upOmakase 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 such as 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. 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 such as 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 such as marbled wagyu and dry-aged duck leg. You won’t miss out on your Chrissy ham 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. The menu is $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
Retreat with martinis and chook sangers at Gin Palace
One of Melbourne’s longest standing and revered spots for late-night cocktails is open every day this festive season – including Christmas Day for the 27th consecutive year. Escape the traditional festivities with a martini and one of Gin Palace’s famed chicken sangers. Walk-ins are welcome from 6pm on the 25th.
10 Russell Place, Melbourne, ginpalace.com.au
Seafood and a traditional roast 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 the classics will be on offer, including bourbon and apricot glazed ham, 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
Breakfast at Bistro X, drinks at On Top
Standard X’s casual French restaurant Bistro X is here to stay. After a four-month pop-up residency led by founding Vue de Monde chef Shannon Bennett, it’s now a permanent stayer under ex-Pure South chef Ben John. Even better, it’s open on Christmas Day. The ground-floor Bistro X is serving breakfast from 7am to 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
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 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
A Brazilian beach club Christmas at Afloat
Just across from Yarra Botanica, Arbory Afloat is also open on Christmas Day with a selection of dining packages from its new Brazilian-inspired menu. Now open for the summer and leaning into the vibes of Rio de Janeiro, opt for a la carte dining with a minimum spend of $95 per person from the regular all-day menu, or book the Rio Banquet experience (minimum of eight guests at $80 per person). You can also book a riverside cabana or lounge space to lean into the casual beach club vibes – the $40 package includes shared snacks, small plates and pizzas. Reserve your spot here.
2, Flinders Walk, Melbourne, afloat.melbourne
A sunny courtyard lunch at The Royce
Glamorous St Kilda Road hotel The Royce is adding a touch of luxury to Christmas Day with a banquet at The Terrace – the hotel’s sunny, conservatory-style courtyard space. The festive menu will kick off with a glass of bubbles on arrival, followed by a banquet of lobster cocktails, baked Moreton Bay bug, plus a special turkey roulade with a pork and sage stuffing, cranberry jus and sides of duck fat potato pave and truffled heirloom carrots. Save room for eggnog mille feuille and Christmas pudding ice cream to finish. The one-off menu is $225 per person, plus a bespoke kids’ menu is available for $125. Book here.
Emily Holgate – Emily is a producer for the Good Food App at The Age. She previously wrote for the likes of Broadsheet and Urban List.Connect via email.