...food: 5 Places To Eat on Christmas Day in London

* Collaborative post

I don’t know about you, but in my family, Christmas lasts a whole lot longer than one day.  In fact, most of the rushing relatives, glazed hams, truckloads of presents and pageant preparation happen before the day itself.  By the time Christmas comes and the presents are dashed across the living room floor, I don’t feel like doing much of anything besides slipping a little bit of Santa’s special tipple into my coffee and kicking back.  Sometimes the best Christmas present for a mum and dad is a great takeaway or a restaurant that’s open on Christmas day, and if you live in London or will be visiting friends or family, you won’t have to look far.  

Tennesseeland Chicken and Ribs

81 Ballards Lane, Church End London N3 1XT

No matter how wound up the kids are after a day of new gadgets and sweets, they’re sure to sleep soundly after a little good old-fashioned American southern cooking.  Tennesseeland’s mouth-watering, fall-off-the-bone chicken and ribs are marinated and slow-cooked to perfection, and go great with BBQ. Be careful!  After trying this down-home cookin,’ you may be tempted to lose the Christmas roast forever!

Kish

9 Kilburn High Road, Maida Vale NW6 5SD

“Kish” your cares goodbye, because this London restaurant open on Christmas day features dishes the whole family can enjoy and share, keeping with the true spirit of the season.  Kish deals in Persian fare and entices its satisfied clientele with creamy hummus, grilled chicken and lamb, and exotic saffron steamed rice dishes.  Give your family a truly great gift this Christmas and treat them to a hearty, healthy meal from Kish.

Oriental Star

29 St. James’s Street, Walthamstow London E17 7PJ

Chinese food has been a popular Christmas day go-to for years, and for good reason.  After weeks of sugary pastries and roasts, our taste buds crave a little something different.  Oriental Star keeps the tradition alive with delicious satays, king prawns, crispy seaweed and much more.  Clean up is always easy with Chinese takeaway, and Oriental star delivers, making this one a no-brainer.

The Hungry Buddha

4 Pinchin Street, London E1 1SA

Santa and The Hungry Buddha have a lot in common.  They are both big and jolly, and they both deliver on Christmas day!  Make a quick call to The Hungry Buddha and your Christmas day will soon be spiced up with fantastic Thai dishes like green curry, veggie spring rolls, and classic pad thai.  Thai food is composed of fresh, light ingredients and can offer a much-welcomed break from heavy, fatty Christmas foods!

El Patrino Pizza

173 Battersea High Street, Battersea London SW11 3JS

Nothing Brings the family together on a lazy Christmas afternoon like a big pizza pie, and after all, isn’t that what Christmas is all about?  El Patrino Pizza has been serving up hot slices of all varieties for years, and if you feel like giving your family another present, add some fried calamari, bruschetta or a chocolate fudge cake to your order.  You’ll have the kids shouting mamma mia!

If you fancy a change from the usual turkey dinner, which one of these would tickle your festive fancy?