London restaurants open on Christmas Day 2021 Updated

At Christmas time, though the streets of London are filled with magical Christmas lights, but on Christmas Day, most of the shops and restaurants are closed, even Chinatown.

An American visitor was surprised when I told her that nothing was open in the UK, not even public transport. My friends in San Francisco have a tradition of going to a Chinese restaurant for lunch on Christmas Day.

I know a lot of couples and small families in London who can’t be bothered to cook a full Christmas lunch just for two so these are good alternatives. The other easy option is to order in a Christmas in box, where everything is prepared and just needs minimal cooking.

This is a list of restaurants in London that is open on Christmas Day. Besides these restaurants and pubs, some hotel restaurants will be open too.

For all of them, it is best to book as they will have limited hours and some set seating times. Some local neighbourhood pubs will be open for those after church drinks before everyone rushes home for Christmas lunch but they probably won’t be serving food.