Glasgow

Banca Di Roma
31 Royal Exchange Square
This stunning space of swirling staircases and frescoes offers a remarkably large set menu, featuring ample Christmas classics (with Italian riffs): try pumpkin soup with taleggio and mascarpone, or burrata with winter vegetables. Follow with venison ragu and fettuccine, or a turkey and ’nduja pizza.

The Butchershop Bar & Grill
1055 Sauchiehall Street
If your tinsel and comedy jumper threshold is low, steakhouses tend to be a place of respite: this is one of the best without being savage on the wallet. Dark shades of wood and leather keep things classy and food includes steak and duck, with turkey paupiette if you want a bit of both worlds.

Drygate Brasserie
85 Drygate
The East End taproom comes alive with big groups. The kitchen is a cut above your average bar food, and the winter brasserie menu runs throughout December. Steak sandwiches and jerk roast chicken are both great and set menus bring entry to festive disco nights (Friday) or ceilidhs (Saturday).

Five At Phillies
1179 Pollokshaws Road
In the first festive stretch since Five March took the kitchen reins at Phillies, the energy of the bar spills into the dining area where their food gets into the spirit. Think harissa salmon, kimchi sprouts, limoncello and raspberry tiramisu, plus curated wines from adjoining wine shop Curious Liquids.

Hillhead Bookclub
17 Vinicombe Street
Quirky Christmas options for the young and the young at heart, with Christmas karaoke on Thursdays and office parties with live entertainment on Wednesdays. Festive buffets make food less of a focal point without it becoming an afterthought, and while there is a set menu, there’s not a turkey in sight.

The Landsdowne
7a Lansdowne Crescent
What could be more Glaswegian than curry on your Christmas night out? Under the safe stewardship of the Mother India group, this basement stretches way back and can accommodate serious numbers. Expect great curries, as well as street food and small plates.

Turkiye Efes
97-99 Candleriggs
Every weekend’s a busy one in this Merchant City Turkish spot that does big tables and grilled meats marvellously. The festive menu starts with complimentary balloon bread with garlic butter, and then it’s business as usual: shish kebabs, pides and slow-cooked casseroles. It’s a prime location to move on from once the eating is over too.

Vega
Floor 7 – Entrance on Hope Street, YOTEL Glasgow, 260 Argyle Street
Glasgow’s not the prettiest city, but it’s still an impressive skyline looking towards the river from Vega’s seventh-floor location. It’s about the fun around the food here: festive disco brunches on Sundays, drinks packages where you can pimp up your prosecco, that view, and tenpin bowling on your private lane.

Edinburgh

Ardfern
10-12 Bonnington Road
Keep your festive gathering relaxed with small plates to share, delicious cocktails and interesting wines at Ardfern. It’s a flexible way to dine, perfect for when you don’t quite know where the evening will take you. That said, don’t miss the hash browns.

Bonnie & Wild
St James Quarter (Level 4), 415-417 St James Crescent
While ordering from their individual kitchens is a great option for varied budgets and dietaries, Bonnie & Wild works for groups. Their private dining room (12–18 diners) has a choice of menus and The Tryst Bar is bookable for bigger bashes.

Cannonball Restaurant & Bar
356 Castlehill
Cannonball’s 17th-century grandeur feels even more atmospheric at Christmas. Their three-course festive menu celebrates local produce, including plenty grown in the Contini kitchen garden. Try the North Sea roast cod with black garlic, burnt onion and Jerusalem artichoke.

Dishoom
3a St Andrew Square
It’s always worth rustling up a crowd for Dishoom’s Christmas feast menu (and if you’re going à la carte, there’s a whole new menu to explore). For feasting, think slow-cooked turkey raan, okra fries, jackfruit biryani and plenty of warm roti and naan. Save room for the mince pie kulfi for afters.

Hendersons
7-13 Barclay Place
A salad haven in heavy-eating season, vegetarian dishes star at Hendersons. There isn’t a set festive menu: wintery favourites include vegetarian haggis and a hearty Sunday roast. Book the big private room if you’re planning a gathering of the clans.

Kahani
10/11 Antigua Street
This classic curry house is an Edinburgh institution, but the flavours still pop at Kahani. The Christmas menu is a riff on a great-value banquet option: it’s a set price with BYOB so there’s no bill-splitting stress at the end of the night.

Kyloe
1-3 Rutland Street
It may be Christmas, but sirloin steak and proper chips are firmly on the festive menu at Kyloe, alongside roast chicken, curried cod, and tempting squash, mushroom and beetroot pithivier. Fully gluten-free and vegan menus promise to keep everyone happy and well fed.

Sotto
28 Deanhaugh Street
This new Stockbridge Italian hangout is a great place for relaxed get togethers over big plates of pasta. Have a drink and snacks in the bar upstairs, then settle into the downstairs trattoria: go for the four-course chef’s choice sharing menu for cosy family-style dining.