Christmas 2020: Hong Kong’s best Christmas dinners & menus

Have a coastal Christmas at 8 Createive’s beachside Italian eateries in Repulse Bay. Sup on warming pumpkin soup, spicy tagliatelle ‘nduja, and hearty oxtail tagliolini at Fratelli, and wash it all down with the complimentary Prosecco and masala chai hot toddy included in the five-course holiday menu ($1,088 for two). For something a little lighter, try the three-course menu of crowd-pleasing greatest hits from Amalfitana ($699 for two)—tricolore salad, pizza Bolognese, and tiramisu, with two complimentary glasses of Prosecco. Both menus are available all day from 24 to 26 December.

Fratelli, Shop 112B, G/F, The Pulse, 28 Beach Road, Repulse Bay | (+852) 2887 0082

Amalfitana, Shop 105, G/F, The Pulse, 28 Beach Road, Repulse Bay | (+852) 2388 7787

Have yourself a plant-based Christmas at Kind Kitchen and Green Common, where a selection of vegan-friendly festive dishes will be available from 18 December to 3 January. Tuck into meat-free goodies such as avocado and “chicken” tartare ($69), Christmas “turkey” ($78), and homemade tofu and chocolate tart ($38). All of the above, as well as a few other dishes—like Beyond beef “steak” in a red wine sauce and ginger peach resin panna cotta—are available as part of Kind Kitchen’s Christmas set menus ($488 for two people, $838 for four), while Green Common will only be serving a la carte dishes.

Kind Kitchen, 1/F, Nan Fung Place, 173 Des Voeux Road Central, Central | (+852) 2110 0055

Green Common, locations across Hong Kong

This holiday season, Woolly Pig Hong Kong presents a globe-trotting series of Christmas menus across its concise-yet-varied portfolio. Celebrate against the glittering backdrop of Victoria Harbour at modern Australian eatery Hue, where the four-course Christmas menu ($850 per person) comprises Hokkaido scallop ravioli and confit turkey leg with walnut mousse; if you prefer hearty bistro fare, consider District 8, where the Christmas menu ($360–$410) is stuffed with decadent dishes like cauliflower soup with hazelnuts and French truffles, Wagyu beef Wellington, and a berry-laden Christmas pavlova. Both restaurants’ Christmas menus are available for dinner from 24 to 26 December, as well as lunch on 25 December.

For a Californian spin on the classic Christmas meal, head over to Big Sur’s alfresco patio. From 24 to 26 December, they’re offering a Christmas turkey dinner set ($2,500) for six to eight people which comes with a whole smoked turkey and all the trimmings. Stuff your face with the likes of honey- and miso-glazed roasted carrots and parsnips, cheddar and jalapeño cornbread, smoked apple pie with salted caramel custard, and bite-sized pecan pies.

We might not be able to travel to Italy this Christmas, but you can still get a taste of regional Italian eats at DiVino Group’s restaurants. Savour traditional flavours like homemade cappelletti in capon broth, pig trotter on a bed of stewed lentils, and a sweet, raisin-studded panettone with hot chocolate sauce at DiVino Patio from 24 to 27 December—all the aforementioned dishes are available a la carte or as part of a three-course degustation menu ($458 per person). Across the harbour, Spasso is serving up a luxurious five-course dinner menu on 24 December ($698 per person) including Norwegian king crab soup, beetroot “cavatelli” with veal ragout, and a flambéed apple tarte Tatin.

DiVino Patio, Shop 11, 1/F, Causeway Centre, 28 Harbour Road, Wan Chai | (+852) 2877 3552

Spasso, G5, G/F, Empire Centre, 68 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui | (+852) 2730 8027

This holiday season, Pirata Group is serving up a wide range of flavours across its portfolio. Tuck into lobster spaghettini, Christmas veal roast, and panettone at Pirata ($480–$690 per person), sizzling garlic prawns, truffle croquettes, and grilled suckling pig at The Optimist ($580–$680 per person), or porchetta with crackling, roasted turkey, and roast sirloin at Meats ($490 per person). Meanwhile, popular pasta bar Pici is serving up signatures like truffle bresaola rolls and truffle tagliolini, as well as limited-edition dishes like king prawn tagliolini and wild berries crème brûlée as part of its “Festive Goodies” holiday menu ($218–$290). All of the Pirata Group restaurants, including Chaiwala, Honjo, Tokyolima, The Pizza Project, and Tmk are serving festive dinner menus between 24 to 26 December—see the full menus here.

For sumptuous dining experiences that won’t break the bank, check out S&S Hospitality’s portfolio of restaurants. Reach dizzying heights at Alto’s six-course Christmas dinner ($688 per person) on 24 and 25 December, where you can enjoy Jerusalem artichoke soup, foie gras terrine, and roast turkey with pork stuffing while perched above the twinkling lights of Causeway Bay. A few neighbourhoods over, British export Duck & Waffle is doing what it does best for its four-course Christmas dinner ($700 per person) over 24 and 25 December—confit duck leg on a buttermilk waffle—while also serving up a couple of festive specials like butternut squash and saffron arancini and brioche and raisin pudding with toasted corn ice cream.

For a distinctly Parisian spin on Christmas, pop into Bouchon Bistro in Central for a five-course supper ($498 per person) on 24 December, where you can cleanse your palate between decadent foie gras with fig mostarda and beef Wellington in Bordelaise sauce with apple sorbet and a shot of schnapps. Alternatively, see off the year with panoramic sea views and a modern European spread at Harbourside Grill, where the Christmas dinner menu ($648 per person)—which is available from 24 to 26 December—contains such hits as seared foie gras and confit duck leg with poached quince, roasted capon chicken with cabbage and truffle sauce, and apple tarte Tatin.

For a contemporary Italian dining experience, check out Spiga or its spacious alfresco terrace, Portico. The five-course dinner tasting menu ($788 per person) is available on 24 and 25 December, and comprises amberjack carpaccio with cannellini beans, plin ravioli stuffed with braised Marengo beef brisket, and a yoghurt chocolate mousse with roasted banana. Sister restaurant Fiamma offers similarly thoughtful modern Italian fare on the Victoria Peak, with a slight Sicilian twist. The four-course dinner ($588 per person) available on 24 December features curled busiate pasta with anchovies, fennel tops, and pine nuts, grilled lamb chops with wild fennel pollen and puntarella salad, a baked aubergine with smoked Scamorza cheese, and more.

Take in the views from the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront at Marco Polo Hongkong, where dinner options on 24 and 25 December run the gamut from elegant Italian cuisine to festive buffet spreads and sweet Yuletide treats. Treat yourself to an indulgent six-course Italian dinner ($1,388 per person) at Cucina, where you can gaze at the glittering cityscape while savouring dishes like handmade tortelli with Guinea fowl, and a perfectly formed little Christmas tree for dessert. Meanwhile at Café Marco, Santa’s helpers have put together a dinner buffet ($788 per person) comprising roast turkey, roasted ribeye, and duck liver terrine; for a more comprehensive spread of Christmas sweets, head to the Lobby Lounge for the festive semi-buffet dinner ($728 per person), where you can chase grilled beef tenderloin with Christmas stollen and mince pies.

At sister hotel Gateway Hong Kong, Three on Canton is serving a range of international flavours at its dinner buffet ($788–$988 per person) between 24 and 26 December, from roast turkey to roast prime rib with Yorkshire pudding, black truffle and mushroom pasta and roast king prawn and steamed scallop with rice vermicelli. If you’re visiting on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, you might even catch Santa Clause on distributing gifts to the younger guests.

Marco Polo Hongkong, 3 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui | (+852) 2113 0088

Gateway Hotel, 13 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui | (+852)2113 0888

This year, celebrate Christmas on the underrated Eastside before anyone else catches on. At the stylish Hyatt Centric in North Point, diners have two choices for dinner on 24 and 25 December: the family-friendly buffet ($738–$788 per person) with a cameo from Santa at The Farmhouse or a pan-Asian feast with free-flow drinks ($900–$1,000 per person) at rooftop bar and restaurant Cruise. Tuck into classic Christmas comforts like slow-roasted turkey and honey-glazed Christmas ham or fresh seafood like Canadian lobster, whole Hamachi, and Alaskan king crab legs at The Farmhouse; alternatively, pop into Cruise for a sharing menu of French oysters, Wagyu sirloin, and Peking duck, washed down with two hours of free-flow beverages.

Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour Hong Kong, 1 North Point Estate Lane, North Point | (+852) 3762 1234

If your priority at a bottomless brunch is the seafood station, then the four- to six-course Christmas dinner ($1,158–$1,588 per person), available from 24 to 26 December at The Langham’s Bostonian Seafood & Grill may be of interest. Scale the seafood tower to start before you indulge in the poached Boston lobster tail with foie gras, Australian Black Angus tenderloin, and milk chocolate and gingerbread crème brûlée. For something a little less extravagant—but no less delicious—head to the hotel’s Main St. Deli, where you can enjoy a three-course dinner ($558 per person) including roast turkey roulade and a Black Forest yule log cake from 23 to 26 December.

The Langham, 8 Peking Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui | (+852) 2375 1133

For a refined Mediterranean Christmas meal, consider The Pottinger Hong Kong—specifically, its flagship Italian eatery, Gradini. This year, the five-course Christmas dinner menu ($888 per person) is available on 24 and 25 December, and is full of delicacies like Mediterranean lobster, scallop, and mussel seafood salad, as well as seasonal Guinea fowl consommé, homemade ravioli with wild mushrooms, cheese and oxtail, and a Kobe beef Wellington with braised lentils. Conclude the meal on a fresh, light note with the delightfully contrasting textures of Gradini’s sabayon gratin with mixed wild berries.

Gradini Ristorante E Bar Italiano, Lobby, The Pottinger Hong Kong, 74 Queen’s Road Central, Central | (+852) 2308 3088

Dial up the heritage holiday feels at The Murray on 24 and 25 December, where you have the choice between a five-course dinner menu ($1,288 per person) of European classics such as langoustine mi-cuit, slow-cooked Dover sole, and roasted venison at Popinjays, the hotel’s stunning rooftop restaurant, or a four-course menu of The Tai Pan’s produce-driven modern bistro dishes ($988 per person), served at the family-friendly Garden Lounge. Savour sake-marinated codfish, prawns a la plancha, roast turkey roulade, and Australian Wagyu two ways, among other seasonal dishes.

The Murray, 22 Cotton Tree Drive, Central | (+852) 3141 8888

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Treat yourself to a Christmas meal to remember with the Shangri-La Group; at Island Shangri-La, Michelin-starred Restaurant Petrus is marking the occasion with a five- or eight-course “Winter Wonderland” dinner menu ($1,888 or $2,588 per person, respectively) on 24 and 25 December featuring Georges Bruck foie gras, line-caught turbot, and Rossini beef. Meanwhile, family-friendly Café Too! is serving up a buffet of international plates ($738–$1,168 per person) from 24 to 26 December: besides the classic roast turkey, diners can sup on bouillabaisse, roasted whole lamb, double-boiled Yunnan chicken, Wagyu boat noodles, and more.

At Kowloon Shangri-La, upscale Italian restaurant Angelini is serving four- or six-course dinner tasting menus ($1,688–$2,088) of oysters, Fassona beef, Ossetra caviar, and venison on 24 and 25 December. For a more casual supper, head to Café Kool for the seafood dinner buffet ($778–$1,138 per person) between 24 and 26 December, where you can fill up on freshly shucked French Fine de Claire oysters, bread crabs, whole lobsters, and snow crab legs—and that’s before you even get to the hearty mains of laksa, tom yum soup, and beef bourguignon.

Island Shangri-La, Two Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty | (+852) 2877 3838

Kowloon Shangri-La, 64 Mody Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui | (+852) 2721 2111

Add a little class to this year’s Christmas proceedings with a meal at contemporary Italian fine dining establishment Aria, where executive chef Andrea Zamboni has designed an elegant seven-course festive dinner menu ($1,688 per person) showcasing seasonal winter ingredients. The menu, which is available on 24 and 25 December, features inventive dishes like Ode to Xiao Long Bao, a turbot ravioli with crayfish, citrus, and basil, and Uovo all’Uovo, Zamboni’s best-selling dish of scrambled Livornese hen’s egg, poached quail egg, salmon roe, Baeri caviar, and white truffle.

Aria, 24/F, California Tower, 30–36 D’Aguilar Street, Central | (+852) 2804 1116