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10 elegant London restaurants to book for Christmas get-togethers

Town's mid-century interiors, with saturated, bold electric lime green and red colours, ceramic tiles and a retro-futuristic coffered ceiling

10 elegant London restaurants to book for Christmas get-togethers

Heather Steele

Published: October 22, 2026 at 10:29 AM

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Planning a big Christmas get-together? Book these London restaurants for private rooms, martini towers, live piano and dessert trolleys

It’s the season for gathering friends and family – and these restaurants make it feel properly festive, with private rooms for bigger groups, candlelit spaces and seasonal menus worth lingering over. Across London, these are the places you’ll need to book early.

For more London restaurant inspiration, check out the 15 best Michelin star restaurants in London or the hottest new London openings.

Elegant London restaurants

Celeste, Notting Hill

From the team behind Estelle Manor in the Cotswolds and Maison Estelle in Mayfair, four-floor townhouse Celeste opened in Notting Hill in June this year. Its launch was deliberately understated, as, like its sister sites, it’s primarily a members’ club. However, its beautiful for Christmas entertaining light-filled restaurant and courtyard are open to everyone. Food leans refined Italian-American so expect to see crudos, sharing pizzettes, multiple pastas (the king crab tagliolini is especially good) and homemade gelato on the menu. Dine at the banquette booths or long tables off to the side. celestenottinghill.com

The courtyard with deep green sofas, a glass roof and dangling plants

One Club Row, Shoreditch

One Club Row’s martini menu, live piano players and NYC-style hospitality have made it a destination for long lunches and late nights alike. The main restaurant seats tables of up to 16 but bigger groups of up to 42 can use two rooms in a former apartment above the restaurant. On the menu find platters of grilled leeks with crab, brown butter, lemon and hazelnut; and steak tartare and beef-dripping toast; followed by roasted meat and fish with roast potatoes and house salad. For pudding don’t miss the NYC cheesecake with quince caramel. Martini towers can, of course, be arranged. oneclubrow.com

A close up of a group of people cheersing with cocktails in hand

Simpson's in the Strand, West End

Grand dame Simpson’s-in-the-Strand reopened to much fanfare earlier this year, following a huge restoration project by legendary restaurateur Jeremy King. Its two restaurants and two bars give you plenty of options. Edwardian Grand Divan on the ground floor looks as good as it ever has, with gleaming panelled walls, white tablecloths and silver trollies carrying roasted meats, which are carved tableside. Upstairs you’ll find Romano’s, a gorgeously green room serving the likes of fish pie or grilled spatchcock chicken with french fries. For drinks, head to art deco Simpson’s Bar. simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk

Edwardian Grand Divan: panelled walls, white table cloths and chandeliers

Image credit: Helen Cathcart

The Pelican, Notting Hill

The Pelican is a gorgeously designed pub that takes food seriously. Whether at the long 12-seat Fireplace table in the main pub or in the Pelican Room upstairs, events here are relaxed and memorable. Meals could kick off with mince on toast and fried cod cheeks with currysauce, before everyone launches into beef and Guinness pie or chicken with chanterelles. Whatever you do be sure to order the impossibly glossy sticky toffee puddings, which are among the best we’ve ever tried. thepelicanw11.com

Brown leather banquette seating, table candles, glasses of white wine

The Camberwell Arms, Camberwell

If hearty yet elevated pub grub is your thing, look to The Camberwell Arms. A neighbourhood boozer that’s been drawing foodies to south-east London for well over a decade, it’s much loved for its refined takes on pies, steaks and ‘things on toast’. Come wintertime the kitchen’s signature pork fat scotch bonnet chillies on toast or beer onions and comté on toast are a must. There’s a lovely private room upstairs for up to 50 guests, lined with paintings by the artist Kate Boxer. thecamberwellarms.co.uk

Camberwell Arms interiors: chalkboards on exposed brick, rustic wooden flooring and large ornate windows

Café Cecilia, Hackney

Max Rocha’s beautiful Café Cecilia turned five this year and has since become one of the capital’s buzziest restaurants. Known for his stripped-back cooking and dedication to British and Irish ingredients, menu highlights include sage and anchovy fritti; sharing onglet and chips with peppercorn sauce; Guinness-bread ice cream; and the signature deep-fried bread and butter pudding with cold custard– all ideal for winter dining. For groups, private hire is available Wednesday through Sunday. cafececilia.com

Candle lit space, with a hand reaching into a dessert

Image credit: Jacob Lillis

Mount St Restaurant, Mayfair

One of Mount St Restaurant’s biggest draws for party season is its collection of art-filled private rooms. The winter-ready Scottish Room (seating up to 28) comes with built-in festive atmosphere – think custom-made tartan chairs, dark-wood panelling and lighting made from antlers. On the food front, menus may feature squab pigeon with ham and smoked bacon en croute and black cherry jam or dry-aged fillet of beef with confit potato, broad beans and girolles. For a pre-meal drink, Audley Public House on the ground floor is one of London’s most elegant pubs. mountstrestaurant.com

Scottish Room: custom-made tartan chairs, dark-wood panelling and lighting made from antlers

The Parakeet, Kentish Town

This bright green pub in Kentish Town attracts some of the UK’s best chefs for its restaurant residencies – and once you’ve tried the team’s own food, you’ll know why. Almost everything is cooked over fire and on the menu you’ll find the likes of hoisin duck tartlet; torched mackerel crudo with smoked bone dressing and cucumber; and john dory with brown butter dashi. For parties, a striking candlelit private room upstairs can host up to 30 guests and comes with its own bar too. theparakeetpub.com

Parakeet interiors: bright green wall, parquet flooring, exposed white brick

Rosina, Wandsworth

Rosina is chef Adam Byatt’s newest opening. Crowd-pleasing dishes include Adam’s PSP (post-service pasta) of spaghetti, anchovy, chilli and garlic, as well as cavatelli cacio e pepe and a signature white risotto. An elegant marble dessert trolley roams the dining room, laden with party-ready tiramisu and simple bowls of iced cherries. On the drinks menu there are five negronis to choose from, including a wintry cherry sour version. A private room seats 14 diners, if you like. rosinarestaurant.co.uk

A marble table with cocktails and snacks in small bowls, wall decorated with art works of Twiggy

Image credit: Mike Sim

Town, Covent Garden

Stevie Parle’s Town was one of last year’s hottest openings. It’s continued to impress in 2026, adding two event spaces, which seat 10 and 18. In the main restaurant – which is enormous and excellent for celeb spotting – you can book tables for up to 10 guests. Food here is focused on modern European dishes made with British ingredients: think fried sage leaves with heather honey and chilli; potato sourdough with gravy; woodland pork with peach and hot mustard; and apple tart tatin with gingerbread ice cream. town.restaurant

Town's mid-century interiors, with saturated, bold electric lime green and red colours, ceramic tiles and a retro-futuristic coffered ceiling

Check out more London restaurant guides

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Best restaurants in Hackney
Best restaurants in Notting Hill
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Authors

Heather Steele

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