There's nothing quite as wonderful as preparing a festive feast for family and friends. There's nothing quite as good as planning a festive feast. The actual preparation can be chaotic, stressful and outright awful.
Which is why it's so comforting to know that there are options out there. Options that include chefs, wait staff, stylists and party planners. Because the one thing that beats DIY-ing the family knees-up, is calling in the professionals who cater for a crowd on the regular. You're guaranteed to have a much better meal, and consequently a much better time.
Here are our picks for dining out on 25 December in Melbourne and Sydney. Get your booking in quick smart, as people are quickly cottoning on to the magic of getting other people to do all the hard work for you.
Cheers to a traditional Christmas at the Arbory Bar & Eatery. Source: Arbory / Simon Shiff
Merry Melbourne
We can think of worse ways to spend Christmas day than floating along the Yarra, sipping a glass of bubbly and eating a three-course seafood meal prepared by Executive Chef Nick Bennett.
$150 per person
11.30am, 3pm and 6.30pm
1 Flinders Walk, Melbourne
We can think of worse ways to spend Christmas day than floating along the Yarra, sipping a glass of bubbly.
Lunchtime is already fully booked, but you can still slip in to linger over a very-late lunch. With a carvery including a 3-hour whisky honey glazed ham and Tasmanian whole salmon; plus a vegan station with dishes like summer heirloom roasted root vegetables, your whole crowd will be well catered for.
$99 per person, children $29
4.30 pm
1 Southbank Boulevard, Melbourne
The colourful, festive, tasty Thai at BangPop is just made for special times. Source: BangPop
$69 per person, children $29
11.30am - 3pm
35 South Wharf Promenade, South Wharf
This bustling Melbourne pub knows how to put on a party and they go all-out on Christmas day. A fun one for the kids, as the atmosphere is chilled and festive. The three-course menu entices with dishes like bourbon and maple glazed St Bernard’s pork belly, turkey Wellington and passionfruit curd pavlova served with "drunk uncle" berries.
$120 per person, children under 12 $40
11.30 am and 2 pm
27 King Street, Melbourne
Add a little sparkly glam to your party with a six-course Parisian-inspired Christmas menu.
Add a little sparkly glam to your party with a six-course Parisian-inspired Christmas menu. Enjoy views across the Yarra as you down Moet and Chandon NV and sup on courses featuring John Dory, wagyu beef and a spectacular Mont Blanc dessert.
$195 per person
Crown Melbourne, Riverside, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank
Note that other Crown venues including , and are also taking Christmas Day bookings.
Sparkling Sydney
The whole city twinkles around you while you dine on Chef De Cuisine, Insup Kim’s delicious five-course Christmas menu. A meal at Altitude is a treat any time of year, but especially at Christmas.
Lunch $320 per person, children 5-11 years $160; dinner $225 per person, children $140
12 pm and 6 pm
176 Cumberland Street, Sydney
Between the pişmaniye and the pomegranates, Turkish cuisine feels particularly festive. Source: Efendy
$115 per person, $165 with matching wines
Bookings
76 Elliott Street, Balmain
When you want to push the boat out (or simply watch the boats), luxe Q Dining should top the list. A four-course set menu created by award-winning executive chef Joshua Davidson, paired with flowing beer and Champagne promises a particularly joyous occasion.
$329 per person, children under 12 $89
12.30 pm
61 Macquarie Street, Sydney
A four-course set menu paired with flowing beer and Champagne promises a particularly joyous occasion.
This whimsical, eccentric French eatery on Oxford Street knows how to put on a show. A five-course Christmas lunch is served with a "modern twist", but you can bet that won't be the only twist on the day. Famous for delighting their guests with the unexpected, Claire's is guaranteed to be a fun place to celebrate.
$125 per person
12pm
35 Oxford Street, Surry Hills
Quay is still the indisputable leader of top-notch dining in Sydney, so where better to bring the joy than in the private dining room of this three-hatted stalwart? The five-course menu has been exclusively designed by 2019 Good Food Awards Chef of the year, Peter Gilmore. Let's just say, this should be a Christmas meal to remember.
$450 per person
Bookings
Upper Level, Overseas Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay
Ambient Adelaide
If tradition is what floats your boat at Christmas, the Mayfair is where you'll want to head. The turkey, spiced ham and roast veggies are all present. There's added interest, however, with a French-themed gateaux buffet rounding out your meal.
$190 per person, children under 18 $99, under 5 $39
Bookings
45 King William Street, Adelaide
Christmas day is really all about the pudding Source: China Squirrel
Ho, ho, ho and a bottle of rum - Christmas at The Kensi is a relaxed, kick-back-and-feel-grateful kind of event. The menu ranges from zucchini and pecorino arancini for entree, to pan-seared barra for main and it's one of the few places in town serving up a traditional Christmas pud for afters.
$110 per person, children 5-12 years $35, under 5 $12.50
Bookings
23 Regent Street, Kensington
Ho, ho, ho and a bottle of rum - Christmas at The Kensi is a relaxed, kick-back-and-feel-grateful kind of event.
Head to the Intercontinental for a buffet with all the fixin's. It features an intriguing mix of cuisines including Vietnamese squid salad with papaya, watermelon and feta salad, barramundi with burnt butter, nori and fried capers and braised lamb shoulder with thyme. Not your average Christmas lunch.
$225 per person, children 6-12 years $90, under 6 $20
12.30 pm
North Terrace, Adelaide
Note that the Intercontinental ballroom is also taking Christmas Day bookings.
Bright Brisbane
Roll out an elegant Christmas with a five-course modern Australian or vegetarian menu that runs the gamut from a white peach-infused scallop carpaccio and a caramelised onion tart for starters, with a pan-seared reef fish served with saffron rice to fig and honey roasted nut and pumpkin duck breast to follow, and a fruit-adorned mango pavlova to finish. The word 'food baby' springs to mind, but that's hardly elegant, now is it?
$155 per person, children $65
Bookings
181 Mary Street, Brisbane
There are so many ways a pav can go wrong, that it's tempting to order out this year. Source: Adam Liaw
The Treasury's famous Christmas lunch buffet delivers year after year. This year they're rolling out festive fare from every corner of the globe, so try some Peking duck, nigiri, whole baked reef fish, roast turkey, Yorkshire puddings - even a suckling pig. Dessert is every bit as extra, with all the favourite mince pies, gingerbread, plum pud and a Bûche de Noel. Book us in!
$279 per person, children 13-17 years $195, 5-12 $135, under 4s are free. Additional booking fees apply.
12 or 1 pm
130 William Street, Brisbane City
We're sure the full menu (and free-flowing drinks) are wonderful at the Goldfinch. However, we can't stop thinking about their dessert offering: a smashed pavlova bar. This genius idea would be worth a seat at the table alone (picture an assortment of fruits and toppings plus as much whipped cream as you dare dollop on top... hmmm... pav station). Sorry. There are undoubtedly loads of other great reasons to stop into this airy, bright and breezy spot for Christmas lunch, including 10 other desserts. Pav station.
$199 per person, children 13-17 years $129, 5-12 $69, under 4s free.
Bookings
Cnr of Ann & Roma Streets, Brisbane City
If it's seafood you crave on Christmas day, The Westin can fill your cup. The seafood buffet should keep you occupied, but save room for the dessert table. They're also putting on three hours of drinks, lucky door prizes and live entertainment, so a jolly time will be had by all.
$299 per person, children 13-17 $120, 4-12 $65, under 4s free.
12 - 3 pm
Westin Ballroom, 111 Mary Street, Brisbane City
Playful Perth
If a swim on Christmas day is essential, this is where you should head. One of Perth's newest, hippest destinations, you can have a quick swim in the pool before settling in to eat the night away. Lunch is sold out, but a three-course dinner is laid on from 5 pm. Alternatively, you can start the day out right with a boozy buffet from 6.30 am.
$35-$95 per person, dinner for children under 12, $45
Breakfast from 6.30-11am, dinner from 5pm
900 Hay Street, Perth
A guaranteed Insta-worthy Christmas at Hyde. Source: Supplied
If you fancy a bit of plate breaking and Greek dancing with your Christmas fare, Eat Greek is the place to be. A full Greek buffet featuring grilled calamari, slow-roasted lamb, roast beef, chicken souvlaki, youvetsi, afelia and more will keep your energy up to keep your dancing toes going.
$115 per person, children 7-12 $55, 6 and under $30
Bookings
110 Riverside Road, East Fremantle
Add a little glam to your Christmas classics with lunch or dinner at one of Perth's finest. The three-course set features Christmas classics with an Italian twist - a sample choice might be herb-crusted veal carpaccio, followed by Dorper lamb shoulder, ending with a classic tiramisu. For dinner, the à la carte features mandarin-infused honey-cured salmon, ricotta gnocchi, pork and sage cotoletta and coconut panna cotta.
Set menu $155 per person, children under 12 $45
Lunch 12.30-3pm, Dinner 5.30-9.30pm
The State Buildings, 1 Cathedral Avenue, Perth
Christmassy Canberra
This modern-Australian steak favourite is offering a five-course Christmas lunch. Three choices for entrees, mains and dessert, you could select a pork belly crackling and eggplant dish to start, follow it up with crispy skin salmon and end on a high with a bûche de noel.
$155 per person
12 - 3 pm
25 Mort Street, Canberra
A six-course degustation menu by chef John Leverink promises to make this a memorable Christmas. The menu reflects the seasons, so expect something more southern hemisphere festive, rather than turkey and pudding. have featured Yamba prawns, artichoke agnolotti, coffee maple duck breast and rosemary Cowra lamb rump.
$200 per person, children $90
12pm for 12.30pm start
Grevillea Park, Menindee Drive, Barton
Happy Hobart
An à la carte menu tempts with St Albi's signature modern-Australian fare. Garlic and rosemary cutlets, spanner crab pate, apricot and pinenut turkey breast, duck-fat potatoes and a butterscotch sticky date pudding will hit the spot.
$145 per person
Bookings
49 Albert Road, Moonah
Darling Darwin
Lunch on the water sounds perfect for Christmas, and Wharf One delivers. Dine on a huge buffet featuring every imaginable Christmas classic, plus seafood galore. The menu also includes native-Australian ingredients to add an Aussie twist.
$159 per person, children 5-12 years $80, under 5s free.
12-3 pm
19 Kitchener Drive, Darwin
