Festive feasting doesn’t have to end on Christmas Day and there are plenty of London restaurants offering menus sure to satisfy even the most gluttonous desires this New Year.
From one-off events to exclusive tasting menus, the capital’s dining scene is offering a vibrant selection of food to ensure London sees the year out with a full belly.
Let your last meal of 2018 be an indulgent one – cheers.
Dishoom
Vintage Bombay glamour will be a theme across the capital on December 31, as Dishoom hosts celebrations at all five of its London restaurants. The decadent menu, at £65 per person, features one-off dishes including the lamb raan biryani and paneer bemisal as well as old celebratory favourites such as the chilli chicken, jackfruit biryani and house black daal. No New Year would be complete without a game or two — so each table will be offered two rolls of Dishoom’s matka dice. Any table that scores a six the first time will be treated to a bottle of bubbly and those lucky enough to roll a six again will get a round of drinks on the house. The Kensington branch is even going one step furtherm with a live jazz band.
Across London, for more information and to book visit dishoom.com/bombayglam
Quaglino's
The St James’ stalwart is rolling out the red carpet to create a Hollywood Awards Night theme for New Year’s Eve. There will be ‘paparazzi’ snapping guests on arrival and live music from BELAIR who know how to get the party started. That will be followed by DJ Josh Hodge who continues festivities until 4am. The entertainment will be accompanied by a delicious three-course signature menu created by recently appointed Executive Head Chef Nuno Goncalves.
Starter options include marinated yellowfin tuna with scallop ceviche, cucumber sorbet and bloody Mary jelly with lime and vanilla dressing. For mains there is Herefordshire dry aged beef fillet, bone marrow & black Perigord truffle gratin with roast cepes puree, wild mushrooms, burnt onion and port jus. For pudding the menu features frozen lemon parfait, champagne sorbet with verbena meringue or scrumptious Winter truffle & white chocolate panna cotta which even has a sprinkling of 24ct gold. The early sitting is £100 per person or the late dinner is £200 per person. Bar packages start at £165 for two people.
16 Bury St, SW1Y 6AJ, quaglinos-restaurant.co.uk
Murano
It’s not just the new year that this place is commemorating, as 2018 marks the 10 year anniversary of Angela Harnett's much loved restaurant. To celebrate, Murano is laying on a decadent seven-course tasting menu with a sentimental twist: each team member has picked their favourite dish from the past decade to make up an exclusive NYE menu, which includes a pumpkin tortellini with sage butter for mains and an Amaretti and pistachio soufflé with hot chocolate sauce for dessert. Tickets cost £150 per person and must be booked in advance.
Queen St, W1J 5PP, ottolenghi.co.uk/nopi
NOPI
Ottolenghi’s Soho haunt will be putting on a special set à-la-carte menu. Guests can mix and match between veggie, fish and meaty plates with familiar favourites such as clementine burrata and roasted aubergine making an appearance. This exclusive menu, priced at £80 per person, features both a glass of fizz to get things started and a dessert to round the evening off — the perfect New Year celebration.
21-22 Warwick St, W1B 5NE, ottolenghi.co.uk/nopi
100 Wardour St
100 Wardour St will host a Havana style Fiesta del Soho, starting with a three-course meal followed by the liveliest music, fun cocktails and a dash of Cuban spice. The fiesta will continue until 4am with entertainment from the Gents Quartet, The Fellas Full Band and DJ Diddy Jiyane, Jamie Walker and Josh Cutler. The early sitting is priced at £65 per person and it is £130 per person for the late sitting in the club and restaurant.
100 Wardour Street, W1F 0TL, 100wardourst.com
Sushisamba Covent Garden
Belt out Auld Lang Syne in slick surroundings at Sushisamba’s swanky new Covent Garden site. Those looking to wine and dine before slipping off into the night can opt for an early experience between 6pm-7.30pm at £125, while night owls can opt for the late night dining version which permits bookings from 8.30pm-10.30pm at £185. Ticketholders can enjoy a welcome cocktail and a specially-curated sharing menu while listening to a backdrop of live music. For anyone looking for a lighter bite, there’s the option to enjoy drinks and sushi canapes under the restaurant’s Attenborough-style "live" plant ceiling for £75.
35 The Market, WC2E 8RF, sushisamba.com
St. John
Start the evening off with bubbles and nibbles in the bar at St. John's NYE do. The award-winning nose-to-tail restaurant will be serving up brown shrimp and white cabbage to start and a whole suckling pig with a vibrant red wine stuffing for mains, followed by a sorbet and vodka palate cleanser and a sticky ginger loaf with butterscotch sauce to finish — all for a reasonable £87.50. You certainly won’t welcome 2019 with an empty stomach here.
26 St John St, EC1M 4AY, stjohnrestaurant.com
Madison
Go wild for the Wolf of Wall Street Party at Madison. With hints of hedonism and all night dancing, resident DJ Dan Healey is on the decks. The views of the city and its fireworks should be rather spectacular. Bar tickets are available for £135 and include a welcome drink and canapés until 9pm.
One New Change, St Paul’s, EC4M 9AF, madisonlondon.net
Sky Garden
This venue offers a prime firework viewing spot to ring in the New Year, and the decadent setting has lavish menus to match. As well as 360° views of the capital, rooftop restaurant Fenchurch offers a six-course feast with plates such as wild bream with poached oyster and wild sea bass with truffle at £395. Meanwhile, the Darwin Brasserie is putting on a four-course experience with equally luxurious dishes including a pressed guinea fowl terrine and a mushroom, ricotta and black truffle strudel, priced at £275 per person.
20 Fenchurch St, EC3M 8AF, skygarden.london
Caractère
See 2018 out with a bang with a seven-course dinner at Caractère, priced at £145.00 per person. Throughout the evening guests will be presented with watercolour risotto, seared scallops, poached lobster, roast saddle of venison, whisky and raisins profiteroles and a cheese course, with the option for a wine pairing too — if there's room, that is. When the clock strikes midnight, diners will be treated to a tarte au sucre — also known as a sugar pie — with a glass of bubbly. Lovely.
209 Westbourne Park Rd, W11 1EA, caractererestaurant.com
Berners Tavern
This Fitzrovia haunt will be offering a celebratory menu with quintessentially British plates such as a Norfolk quail Waldorf salad with a chopped liver sauce and a rack of lamb with barbecue belly, as well as a silky white chocolate and pecan mousse with sharp blackcurrant sorbet. Those looking to head off to their own parties can opt for the 7pm sitting at £100. The later sitting at 9pm costs £80 more.
10 Berners St, W1T 3NP, editionhotels.com
Marriott London County Hall
This gala dinner secures front row seats to the New Year’s Eve fireworks, with prime views of the celebrations as they unfold on the Thames. Guests can start 2019 with a full belly thanks to the hearty menu at Gillray’s Steakhouse — located inside the venue — which has been designed by executive chef James Welch. A section of canapes will kick off the proceedings, followed by a braised chicken and foie gras terrine and a butter poached lemon sole to start. An earthy slow-roasted beef fillet oxtail pie will be on the cards for mains as well as a white chocolate orange mousse for dessert. Booze will be taken care of too as each course is paired with a specially selected wine — perfect for toasting the new year.
London County Hall, SE1 7PB, marriott.co.uk
Shangri-La
For those looking to splash out on celebrations, Shangri-La is putting on a gala dinner more than 30 levels up, priced between £420-£520 per person. The evening will take place in the Ren Room where a luxurious six-course meal will be on offer, featuring lobster salad, goose terrine and traditional roast partridge. It's also the perfect place to catch London’s famous pyrotechnics.
31 St Thomas Street, SE1 9QU, shangri-la.com
Ormer Mayfair
Ring in the New Year in lavish surroundings at this Mayfair haunt. It’s laying on a five-course tasting menu that journeys through earth, land and sea, including scallops, oyster mushrooms, sea bass ceviche and venison. A glass of bubbles is included in the £149 dinner and the restaurant will also welcome a live harpist to serenade diners during the final few minutes of 2018.
Flemings Mayfair, W1J 7BH, flemings-mayfair.co.uk
