For some it may sound like sacrilege, but for a growing number of others, enjoying a lovingly crafted Christmas Dinner at an acclaimed restaurant is a welcome reprieve from the needling smoke alarms, clanking piles of baking trays, charcoal turkey and almost everything else that can turn blissful family time into an afternoon of Boiling Point chaos.
From hearty British classics to teetering Turkish platters, here are the best restaurants shouldering the stress on Christmas Day.
Famed for their immaculately prepared cuts of lamb, chicken and beef, Turkish steakhouse Etci Mehmet offer a decadently carnivorous festive menu from Thu 20 Nov until Tue 30 Dec, including Christmas Day.
With both lunch and dinner options available, the dishes on offer include a mezze platter, lamb shoulder, roast chicken and seasonal sides, with vegetarian options available on request.
Situated next to Whitefield Metrolink station, discerning Chinese restaurant 8 Manchester offers a staggeringly affordable Christmas Day banquet featuring chicken and sweetcorn soup, duck spring rolls, har kau, fillet steak, beef curry and more.
Experience a Christmas Day celebration with a touch of art deco glamour at the iconic Hotel Gotham, whether you’re a resident over the holiday period or simply seeking a Gatsby-esque festive soiree in the heart of the city.
Beginning at midday with a glass of festive fizz and a selection of elegant canapés, guests can revel in the breathtaking surroundings of the hotel’s award-winning 2-AA Rosette Honey Restaurant for a sumptuous Christmas Day lunch with all the trimmings, crafted from the finest seasonal ingredients.
Afterwards, retreat upstairs to the exclusive Club Brass members’ bar to sample mulled wine, mince pies and a classically warm and charming Christmas atmosphere. From 5.30pm onwards, Gotham serves an assortment of cold cuts, British cheeses, home-baked bread and pickles.
Promising traditional favourites with a unique twist, the inimitably refined King Street Townhouse Christmas Day celebrates ten years of exceptional service with a day of seasonal sophistication like nowhere else in town.
Guests are welcomed with a glass of Laurent-Perrier – along with tea, coffee and petit fours for bookings after 3pm – before settling in for the main event, which features pressed ham hock, duck liver & guinea fowl terrine, roast halibut, roast bronze turkey, mushroom & potato pithivier and more, rounding off a memorable occasion with a choice of festive desserts.
Set against the sparkling Manchester skyline, 20 Stories’ wintry feast draws inspiration from timeless yuletide stories, from The Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol to Home Alone and Love Actually.
The exclusive menu arrives in five chapters, each featuring a selection of sumptuous dishes, including beef carpaccio, roast Cheshire turkey breast and Christmas pudding.
One of Manchester’s favourite special-occasion dinner choices for over twenty years, celeb hotspot San Carlo runs a Christmas Day Festive Lunch stuffed with authentic Italian dishes including Tuscan pate, Tournedo Rossini, Salmone Prosecco e Gamberetti, Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding and Torta Pistacchio, punctuated by more champagne sorbet palate cleansers and a selection of seasonal vegetables.
Manchester’s oldest independent Italian restaurant, Don Giovanni, welcomes diners once again this winter.
The four-course Christmas Day menu promises to celebrate the best of Italian culinary artistry, from smoked salmon blinis and butternut squash soup to lobster ravioli and slow-roasted turkey, finishing with a selection of indulgent desserts, including chocolate fondant, profiteroles and tiramisu.
Zouk Tea Bar & Grill will be offering a range of signature curries and roast platters on Christmas Day. Priced at £79.95, guests can enjoy a glass of Prosecco or Shloer, a starter platter with Samosa Chaat, Chicken Tikka, Lamb Chops and Punjabi Lollipops, and poppadoms with pickles.
For mains, there’s Turkey Tikka Massala, Lamb Rogan Josh, Goan Fish Curry, Paneer Makhani, Roast Chicken Raan or Roast Lamb Raan, and a Snowberry Pavlova for dessert.
- Words:
- Wolf McFarlane
- Published on:
- Fri 7 Nov 2025
One of Manchester’s best-known fine-dining institutions, Peter Street Kitchen serves a Christmas Day Luncheon with peerless extravagance.
Guests can pick between stracciatella, plum-glazed duck breast and 48-hour cured Scottish salmon with Hamachi and caviar for starters, followed by a palate cleanser consisting of Moët Brut jelly with blood orange sorbet, before a range of irresistible main courses including oven-baked black cod, aged beef wellington and corn-fed chicken breast.
Dessert options include Madagascan vanilla yule log, yuzu mousse and Valrhona chocolate fondant, with salted caramel chocolates and a pâte de fruit selection as the petit fours.
Check out the full menu HERE and book your table below.