Tasty Treats

If you’re as obsessed with food and drink as we are, you’ll appreciate our tips on where to find the tastiest Christmas treats and tipples this bountiful borough has to offer! You’ll find that Greenwich’s grocers have the goods to make your Christmas a treat for all the senses.

Sweet festive treats Greenwich

This is the season for an indulgent hand-made sweet treat, and not just because desserts have gone viral on social media! You’ll find Greenwich abounds in creative producers who make festive treats the old-fashioned way. Take Crosstown Doughnuts at Greenwich Market, where special new Christmas flavours are hand-baked especially for the festive season. 
Dark Sugars, another confectioner that cuts no corners, sources cocoa from individual farmers across the globe and their dark-chocolate truffles make great presents for sweet-tooths, while their thick, velvety hot chocolate will warm you to your toes on a chilly December day.
Sticking to the doughnut-and-chocolate theme, Brazilian Churros at Greenwich Market fries fresh churros to dip in silky chocolate or dulce de leche sauce as you wander amongst the stalls. And, if traditional slab fudge is calling you, the Fudge Patch always cooks up a special batch for Christmas.
 

Traditional Christmas dinner at a characterful pub

Whether it’s a traditional pub roast on a chilly Sunday or Christmas dinner with family and friends (and no one stuck with the washing up), Greenwich caters to all needs this festive season. 

The long-established favourite Davy’s Wine Vaults, offers a Christmas menu featuring traditional turkey alongside more modern dishes. The Young’s suite of historic Greenwich pubs – Enderby House, Richard the First, The Coach and Horses, The Old Brewery and The Cutty Sark – plus cracking local pubs the Trafalgar Tavern, The Oystercatcher and The Admiral Hardy – all are putting on special Christmas menus and full Christmas-Day dinners. 

Christmas Afternoon Tea

Christmas is the perfect time to spoil a loved one with a proper afternoon tea. Blackheath’s Clarendon Hotel offers a delightful afternoon tea over the Christmas period. Served from 1-5pm daily in the Meridian restaurant, The Clarendon’s Luxury Afternoon Tea includes a selection of teas, delicate freshly made finger sandwiches, homemade fruit scones with Devon clotted cream, plus a 'sparkling' option to enjoy it with a glass of fizz.

Want to delight a little someone in your life? How about taking them for Afternoon Tea with Santa himself? Get booking early for this unique experience at Charlton House & Gardens this Christmas. Afternoon tea is just one element of a magical day with kids’ craft activities, local artisans selling their wares, and an afternoon of Christmas carols.

If you've stopped by the Painted Hall to enjoy Luke Jerram's Mars installation, now is the perfect time. Enjoy a Festive Afternoon Tea at the Undercroft Cafe (daily from 2 – 23 December) and you’ll also be able to access discounted tickets to this incredible otherworldly installation. And adults can upgrade their afternoon tea with chilled Prosecco. 
Taking the Christmas inspiration even further this year DoubleTree by Hilton London Greenwich is serving a special menu of Christmas-themed flavours at their Afternoon Tea offering in December. Think turkey, stuffing and cranberry finger sandwiches, mini mince pie crumble, and you can choose to swap your traditional Prosecco for a glass of warmed mulled wine to top it all off.
 

Winter warmers

Inspired by the Christmas markets on the continent, Londoners have long embraced the ‘hot mug of something warm and sweet’ to accompany an evening spent listening to carols, admiring Christmas light trails, or shopping for gifts. 

In Greenwich this year, you can take in views of the River Thames from the traditional rooms of the Trafalgar Tavern with a cup of sumptuous hot mulled cider or mulled wine.

On weekends at Greenwich Market, make a beeline for the Victus & Bibo stall for their famous mulled wine or hot spiced apple drinks before hitting the market stalls. And tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the market you’ll find a tasty mulled wine on offer by the open fire at the Coach and Horses.

Or for those who like to eschew tradition, you can refuel with a deliciously decadent hot chocolate from Dark Sugars. It is a feast for the eyes as much as the belly.

Unique dining experiences this Christmas

If you want to wow your work colleagues, surprise family, or you’re looking for an unexpected Christmas experience – Greenwich has some truly unique dining experiences to make 2024 one to remember.

On Friday 13 December, you can get serenaded by a live jazz vocalist over a glass of mulled wine before enjoying a three-course, seasonal dinner prepared by expert chefs under the incredible Mars installation by Luke Jerram in the Painted Hall. Savour the experience with a coffee, petit fours, and the after-dinner bar.

Bringing a unique twist to your Christmas dining, Sticks’n’Sushi has a special Santa menu: Stick'n’Santa. Complementing all the mouth-watering flavours you’ve come to expect from this much-loved Japanese restaurant in Greenwich, you’ll find one-off creations like Chicken Balls in Blankets and Gingerbread Matcha Eggnog. 

The InterContinental London - The O2 is taking care of Christmas for you with a festive set menu in the lead up to Christmas, plus a special buffet brunch with breathtaking views of the River Thames and London's Canary Wharf on Christmas Day in both their Market Brasserie and Kinaara restaurants. The former is already booked out, so don’t delay.  

How about taking your Christmas lunch to the water? With views of iconic Thames landmarks, a welcome glass of bubble and a three-course traditional Christmas menu, City Cruises is offering landlubbers a Christmas to remember cruising London’s historic river before returning to dock just as the city comes alight with its blockbuster Christmas lights.