WHERE TO GO THIS FESTIVE SEASON IN LONDON

FASHION CHOICE GALLERY

At the South-West corner of Leicester Square, The Londoner has transformed its lobby into a moment of pure fashion fantasy. This season, the world’s first “super boutique hotel” partners with SUSAN FANG to unveil the Crystal Dream Christmas Tree—an installation that feels closer to a couture set piece than a festive decoration.

Fang’s ethereal aesthetic replaces the traditional fir with transparent spheres, iridescent bubbles and oversized 3D-printed blooms. Under the lobby lights, the structure glows in soft blush tones, catching reflections like floating glass petals. It’s futuristic romance rather than nostalgia: a tree that feels alive, airy, and almost breathing—her signature language of purity and connection reshaped into festive form.

The lobby becomes a serene pause point between pre-theatre cocktails and Leicester Square’s chaos — a visual reminder of how fashion is shaping the future of hospitality: less tradition, more installation art.

Displayed from 13 November 2025 to 1 January 2026, it’s one of the most photogenic festive stops in Central London.

Sparrow Italia has become one of Mayfair’s most reliable markers of sophistication — the kind of restaurant that understands atmosphere as deeply as it understands flavour. Set inside its five-storey townhouse, the space moves with that polished West End rhythm: dramatic lighting, refined textures, and a dining room that feels purpose-built for winter evenings, cashmere coats, and late reservations. Since opening in late 2022, it’s secured its status as a destination for premium ingredients, carefully curated plates, and a hospitality style that feels both intimate and celebratory.

This season, Sparrow leans fully into richness — a menu shaped for cold weather, thick sauces, and dishes that feel intentionally decadent. Your first indication: the pasta selection. Their bone marrow pasta arrives with an herby, aromatic intensity; the bone marrow wonton inside is tender, juicy, and balanced by a subtle cheese note that lifts rather than overwhelms. The pistachio pasta is unapologetically bold — a thick, creamy pistachio paste that coats every strand, rich without feeling heavy-handed. And then there’s the cheese pasta, a pure winter comfort dish: thick, cheesy, warming, and absolutely right for London’s current chill.

The bar programme is equally precise. The Truffle Martini is a standout: salty, aromatic, and surprisingly elegant. They use their own house-made brine (a mix of olive brine and sherry vinegar), which gives the drink an extra level of complexity — that savoury lift that makes truffle cocktails so notoriously difficult to execute.

Sparrow’s Truffle Menu elevates the experience even further. Highlights include the indulgent Pane Al Tartufo (focaccia with truffle ricotta, honey and fresh black truffle), a wagyu carpaccio with freshly shaved white truffle, and a Slow-Cooked Hen Egg with truffle cream and porcini mushrooms. The mains take the luxury up another level: a decadent Truffle Risotto with 36-month aged parmesan or the Truffle Tagliolini crowned tableside with fresh white truffle. And yes — it all ends with a Truffle Beignet, filled with truffle chocolate mousse and Chantilly cream.

Everything here is intentional. Seasonal. Slow. Rich. A winter dining room that feels made for thick knits, gold jewellery, and lingering late-night conversations. Sparrow Italia isn’t just a meal — it’s a festive moodboard.

Miracle at Henrietta remains London’s most unapologetically festive bar — a place that doesn’t flirt with Christmas but commits to it fully. Walking in feels like stepping into a holiday set built with intention: maximal décor, glowing colours, and that unmistakable buzz of people who came specifically to celebrate.

The cocktails are the main event, each one a tiny performance. The Christmaspolitan (Wheatley vodka, elderflower, dry vermouth, spiced cranberry, rosemary absinthe mist) is a clever rework of a classic — familiar but elevated, festive without being gimmicky. The Miracle Mouse, a sweeter bourbon-led creation with pamplemousse, vanilla, strawberry and citrus, is the closest thing to a dessert in a glass, soft and celebratory. For non-drinkers, the Mellow Mouse offers the same layered flavour profile — apple, strawberry, grapefruit, lemon — proving that festive drinks don’t require alcohol to feel grown-up.

It’s the kind of bar designed for December mood-setting: a quick escape after work, a pre-dinner warm-up, or a full evening of leaning into the season. Nothing here is subtle — and that’s exactly the charm. Miracle at Henrietta is Christmas condensed into a room, a cocktail, and a decision to simply enjoy it.

Novikov Mayfair has always been one of those London institutions that understands glamour as a full-body experience — lighting, music, energy, and menu all working at the same rhythm. This winter, the space feels even more alive. A season of new cocktails, late-night programming, and festive touches that pair beautifully with its signature Asian-European menu.

The first impression is sensory: mirrors everywhere catching light, reflective surfaces shimmering like a jewellery box, and illuminated, record-style décor that adds a contemporary, almost lounge-bar gloss. It all feels intentional, polished and unmistakably Mayfair.

The drinks follow the same mood. The Honey Mango isn’t your classic tropical sweetness; it’s lighter, cleaner, more refined, almost refreshing in a way that cuts through winter heaviness. The Wasabi Martini does what a good festive menu should — surprise you. Sharp, green heat that softens into something elegant. And then the Paloma, a classic done exactly right: crisp, balanced, mood-setting.

The food menu this season is refreshing in the best way — full of flavour, but not heavy, not overly sweet, not overly salty. The new Dubai Chocolate Rocher is the perfect example: an amped-up, more decadent version of the childhood favourite, but still surprisingly light on the palate. It arrives glossy, layered, and indulgent without being overwhelming.

Paired with this culinary refresh is Novikov’s new music programme, Novikov Live: “Blues Meets Funk & Soul”, running every Tuesday at 9:30pm. It turns midweek into an experience — slow blues, rich vocals, live energy vibrating through the Lounge Bar. Tickets (£45 for two) include a signature cocktail and four finger-food bites, making it an elegant escape from central London’s festive rush.

This season, Novikov isn’t trying to reinvent itself — it simply refines what people already love: glamour, flavour, and an atmosphere that feels like you’ve stepped into the midweek version of a Friday night. If festive dining had a soundtrack, this would be it.

The Nine Elms Kitchen at Park Hyatt London River Thames approaches the festive season with the elegance you’d expect from a contemporary luxury hotel — thoughtful menus, elevated comfort, and a dining experience shaped around warmth rather than excess. Nine Elm Kitchen has crafted a Christmas offering that respects tradition but isn’t afraid of refinement, resulting in a meal that feels familiar, polished and genuinely festive.

The Champagne pairing sets the tone. Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve opens the meal with bright acidity and clean texture — the ideal companion for a Christmas lunch that mixes classic flavours with delicate modern touches.

Starters ease you in with balance and freshness. The Jersey oysters arrive with a cranberry twist; add lemon, Tabasco or green Tabasco, and the flavours snap into something vibrant and unexpectedly seasonal. The roasted pumpkin with goat cheese and cranberry is comforting without being heavy, while the ham terrine — featuring turkey and stuffing — is a subtle yet charming festive hybrid. Vegetarians are genuinely well cared for here, and the mushroom pâté deserves its own spotlight: creamy, aromatic, rich but never overwhelming.

Mains deliver on the Christmas promise. The honey-glazed ham with clove and orange is tender and beautifully perfumed; eat it with the orange peel and the bitter-sweet edge takes the dish somewhere elegant. The turkey is moist, well-sauced, and lifted with cranberry tones. No Christmas plate is complete without sides, and their versions are standout: perfectly roasted baby Brussels sprouts, silky celeriac purée, roast swede, carrots, parsnips, crispy potatoes, and a sweet, soft pig in blanket.

Desserts keep the mood celebratory but not heavy. A buttery mince pie, a creamy brandy-snap cheesecake, a fresh chocolate yule log, and the classic Christmas pudding with warm brandy sauce — each one miniature, refined, and dangerously easy to eat “just one more.”

From 16 November to 28 December, their Festive Sunday Brunch expands this experience into a lavish buffet (£85 adults, £35 children), combining seasonal starters, traditional mains and indulgent desserts.

The Nine Elms Kitchen  is December done thoughtfully — a festive meal built around comfort, craft and quiet luxury.

Fazenda Bishopsgate captures the exact mood this guide is built around: the way modern hospitality mirrors the energy of contemporary fashion — immersive, expressive, and quietly high-stakes. In the City, where December becomes a parade of end-of-year dinners, polished tailoring and “last hurrah of the season” glamour, Fazenda feels like a destination that understands how people want to feel: indulged, seen, and part of something a little theatrical.

The atmosphere is warm but intentionally refined — amber lights, dark leathers, an elegance that nods to South America without ever feeling theme-driven. It’s the kind of room where you automatically sit taller. Where your outfit matters. Where the mood builds like a collection reveal — steady, sensory, beautifully paced.

Their festive tiers — Gold, Platinum, Indulgent — are structured almost like a lookbook. The Market Table is the opening spread: vibrant salads, fruits, cured meats, cheeses and savoury elements that you assemble the way you’d style an editorial flat lay. It’s abundance presented with restraint; colour presented with intention.

Then the choreography begins. Passadores move through the space like models on a circular runway, carving Picanha, Cordeiro, Filet and more. Each cut arrives as its own “look”: a shift in texture, temperature, aroma. Dramatic enough to feel special, never overplayed. And the elevated additions — Butter-Bathed™ Lobster Tail, Roasted Bone Marrow, Queen Scallops, Baerii Caviar — turn the dinner from a festive meal into an end-of-year ritual. It’s celebration as a multisensory experience.

Our tasting at FINO distils what makes Fazenda so successful. The beef-and-cheese bites with their charred-nori smokiness; the cheese starter lifted by bright pickled onions; the pork skewer carrying a whisper of cinnamon and apple; and the standout beef sandwich — a whole dinner compressed into one perfectly balanced bite. Even the lobster delivered beyond expectation — buttery, garlic-rich, perfectly tender — while the scallops surprised with that “seafood-meets-beefiness” depth that shouldn’t work but absolutely does.

The cocktails follow the festive brief with confidence. One felt like an alcoholic pastel de nata crossed with tiramisu — warming, velvety, a dessert disguised as a drink. Another leaned citrus and floral, while the classic margarita anchored the selection with that December comfort. And the nixta-based savoury cocktail added a bold, salty, modern edge.

Fazenda is the City’s December uniform in restaurant form: layered, confident, indulgent, with moments of surprise that keep the night feeling alive. It’s a place to dress with intention, savour the theatre, and embrace the season the way fashion people secretly love to — with texture, warmth and ceremony.

Shoreditch has never done Christmas quietly, and One Hundred Shoreditch proves it by partnering with Charles Jeffrey Loverboy — a designer whose work already blurs fashion, club culture and storytelling. Instead of cosy nostalgia, this year’s installation is a narrative: The Highland Xmas Tree (In Transit) — a chaotic, half-escaped creature of the Highlands, still boxed, still alive, still causing trouble.

It’s festive décor reimagined through the Loverboy lens: punk humour, unruly spirit, and folklore-meets-fashion energy. The lobby becomes a stage where the tree doesn’t just sit — it performs. It’s loud, theatrical, and gloriously imperfect, a playful counterpoint to the polished surroundings Jacu Strauss designed for the hotel.

This collaboration fits perfectly into fashion’s broader shift toward experience-driven storytelling. The installation isn’t about looking pretty; it’s about feeling something — chaos, humour, rebellion, personality. And that’s what makes it one of the most exciting festive stops in East London.

Whether you’re passing through for cocktails at Seed Library or embracing Shoreditch’s nightlife afterwards, this is the Christmas moment for people who want their December with attitude, not just aesthetics. It’s bold, clever, and culturally rooted — the kind of partnership that makes fashion and hospitality feel part of the same ecosystem.

This year in London, festive season isn’t just decorated — it’s curated. Fashion has stepped fully into hospitality, transforming restaurants, bars, and hotels into extensions of lifestyle rather than simple destinations. Whether it’s immersive installations, couture-inspired décor, truffle-season indulgence or South American feasting with ceremony, each venue becomes an experience that invites you to dress up, step in, and live the season rather than observe it.

From Central London’s sculptural trees to City dining with theatrical warmth and Shoreditch’s rebellious festive spirit, these spaces show exactly where fashion is heading: toward mood, storytelling, and environments that shape how we celebrate. December has never looked — or tasted — this good.