LynnP

We will be arriving in London 24 December so won't have time to scout around ourselves. Anyone have any tips on what is likely to be open Christmas Day? It needs to be walking distance of Scala House (near Tottenham Court Rd tube) as there is no public transport on that day. We will have our then 7 month old daughter with us so not looking for anything formal. I am currently thinking China Town but am worrying about needing to book because of it being Christmas? We don't necessarily want a traditional Christmas dinner, just something to eat but we wouldn't say no to one if it was available in the area.

As a backup I am getting a Tesco's grocery delivery on the 24th or 23rd.

Thanks, Lynn

flanneruk

The simplest solution is to buy the Christmas/New Year edition of Time Out either in your home town or on your arrival in London. It's on sale from about Dec 21, and has pretty good listings of all sorts of things open from Dec 24-Dec 26.

I can't think offhand of anywhere in your area (apart from hotels) that would be doing the full Christmas lunch, but if there were, you'd need to book. You're unlikely to need to book at many ethnics (and it just isn't possible in most of China Town anyway). But do remember that one of the reasons many places close is that there's virtually no-one around in the centre on Christmas Day. Driving through in the past, there have always seemed to be empty seats in the places that were open.

For all the moaning that goes on, there is no recorded example of a visitor starving on Christmas Day. In extremis, the canteen of the Indian YMCA in Fitzroy Square (open to non-residents)will probably be doing nifty veg and non-veg food.

Lori

Lynn,
The simplest solution to your question would be to e-mail Scala House and ask Ken Palos (the owner) or Chris (the manager) for recommendations. We have stayed at Scala House several times and have gotten to know the management and they are VERY helpful. I am sure they can give you some suggestions. There are a number of restuarants on Charlotte St. (one block behind Scala House) but I do not know if any are open on Christmas Day.

There are several grocery stores in the immediate vicinity (including Marks & Spencer) and you can always pick up pre-prepared food in a pinch the day before. If you are just looking for "food" and not a traditional dinner that may be the way to go considering you want to be within walking distance of the apt.

I would suggest (if weather is nice) taking a long walk in Regent's Park on Christmas Day. It is a bit of a walk from Scala House but do-able. We did it one year on Xmas and enjoyed watching all the families out strolling and kids playing (it was a nice day of course).

As a last resort (and I am not a big fan of these places), there is a Garfunkal's about 4 blocks north of Scala House on Tottenham Ct. Rd. They may be open. Personally, I'd fix a simple meal in the apt. tho.

Enjoy your holiday in London.

obxgirl

Lori's suggestion about consulting the Scala House staff is a good one. I'm sure they'd know if there was a place in the immediate neighborhood open.

The londoneats.com site has a list of places open on Christmas day this year. Although a number of them are the formal hotel dining rooms, I noticed Rock and Sole Plaice was included on the list and Covent Garden is walkable (mile or less?) from the Scala House. Additionally, there are a cluster of Indian restaurants on Drummond Street which is only a few of blocks from Scala House (up Tottenham Ct. Rd a bit past Euston Rd).

Good luck.

janis

I would go even farther w/ you contacting Scala House. There are a couple of supermarkets not far from the flats. But on Xmas Eve they may be packed w/ people doing last minute shopping for the next two days.

The owners/managers at Scala House are very helpful -- I'd call them and ask if they could stock your kitchen with the basics for a couple of meals. B'fast foods and some chops or cold cuts, potatoes, tinned soup, coffee/tea, milk, bread, butter, maybe some veg. Just enough to get you through Christmas day.

They would probably be happy to do this for you -- I wouldn't recommend doing this if you were arriving any other time -- but Christmas Eve/Day are a "special case". They would just bill you for the cost of the food.

LynnP

Thanks all for the responses. I did email Ken when we booked and asked him this question. He thought that most places around would be shut and that China Town was our best bet but I thought I would check with you all on here.

Flanneruk, great idea about the Time Out edition. We are spending the week before Christmas in Birmingham so I will grab one when we are there. Don't particularly want the hotel Christmas lunch experience so that is not a problem.


Lori, Regents Park sounds like it would be fun for my daughter too, great tip.

obxgirl, I will be looking into all your tips too.

Janis, maybe I will get the Scala House team to pick up our groceries for us, they are probably more reliable than a one off Tescos order.

Cheers, Lynn

Lori

Lynn,
Ken's wife's name is Anna - perhaps she could arrange the groceries for you (instead of one of the guys there). She is a very sweet lady. If you contact them again please tell them that Lori & John from Tucson, Arizona send their regards!!

I hope you have a great time and that the weather cooperates too.

Kayb95

If you are getting into London early on the 24th, you could probably get to Tescos yourself and buy what you need to make Christmas dinner at the apartment.

Bring certain things from home so you don't have to buy them there (paper napkins, plastic wrap, foil, ziploc bags, handi-wipes, salt/pepper, coffee, etc...) That way you don'thave to completely stock a kitchen at London's prices.

LynnP

Hi, I thought I would post how we went since I am sure this will be a searched for topic for next Christmas.
I got Tescos to make a delivery to the flat on the last delivery day, the 23rd. The Scala House team accepted the delivery for us and it was put away in the apartment when we arrived late in the afternoon of the 24th. The local Tesco Metro was open until 5pm so we had time to grab some perishables just before it shut.

On Christmas Day itself we found several, but by no means most, restaurants open in China Town. We picked one and it was fine. While we were eating a couple of people popped in attempting to book for the evening meal but it was a first come first served place. We arrived at about 12.40 and got the only then vacant table. By 1.30 the line was out the door and into the street.

Most grocery stores were shut but there were a few very small shops in Soho open. We were well set so didn't need it.

Many of the Charlotte street restaurants remained closed for the entire week after Christmas.

We had a great time in London, Christmas Day walking down an almost deserted Regent Street and Oxford Street was surreal!

Thanks for all your help, Lynn