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Christmas day lunch in Melbourne: Restaurants open but bookings filling up fast

Larissa Nicholson
Larissa Nicholson

Maha restaurant was booked out for Christmas lunch in November.
Maha restaurant was booked out for Christmas lunch in November.Eddie Jim

Melburnians' love affair with dining out is influencing how the city celebrates Christmas Day.

Grandad's roast or an outdoor barbecue offer homespun charm, but more and more people are choosing to leave cooking to the experts and avoid arguments about who will do the washing up.

John Hart, head of industry body Restaurant and Catering Australia, believes more Australians want to enjoy Christmas day at a restaurant as the nation embraces its hospitality scene.

"People have got smaller dining rooms, smaller kitchens, that's just a matter of our lifestyles," he said.

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But getting a spot at some of Melbourne's sought-after restaurants this late will prove problematic.

Middle Eastern restaurant Maha was booked out in November for Christmas lunch, as is The Hellenic Republic, and Matteos ... and Vue de Monde.

And forget about a steak at the Station Hotel – it's a full house there too.

All is not lost though if you still want to eat out on Christmas Day, but you'll have to act quickly. Establishments The Age spoke to that still have tables available warned that there were just a handful of sittings left.

Serving traditional(ish) British Christmas fare:

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The Laurel Hotel has a special lunch menu offering Christmas and pub food.

The Laurel Hotel

289 Mount Alexander Road

Ascot Vale

laurelhotel.com.au

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There are just a few spots left for The Deck's roof top roast.

The Deck at the Prince

2 Acland Street

St Kilda

theprincedeck.com.au/contact.html

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Veludo has a set menu offering fresh seafood and roast meat, but it's booking out fast.

Veludo

175 Acland Street

St Kilda

veludo.com.au/

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The Golden Gate Hotel is doing a three-hour buffet lunch.

Golden Gate Hotel

238 Clarendon Street

South Melbourne

goldengatehotel.com.au/

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Other places to try:

The Shark Fin Inn and its sister restaurants Shark Fin House and Shark Fin Inn Keysborough will be serving yum cha.

Shark Fin Inn

50 Little Bourke Street

Melbourne

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http://www.sharkfin.com.au/

It is Masani's 32nd year serving Christmas lunch and it is planning a number of specialty dishes from regional Italy.

Masani

313 Drummond Street

Carlton

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http://masani.com.au/

If you do not celebrate Christmas or just want to opt out this year, all of the Glick's Cakes and Bagels outlets are planning to open.

Glick's Cakes and Bagels

Various outlets including:

330 Carlisle Street

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Balaclava

http://www.glicks.com.au/

Co Do restaurants in Sunshine and Richmond will be serving full menus of mostly Vietnamese dishes.

Co Do

196 Victoria Street

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Richmond

or

290 Hampshire Road

Sunshine

03 9939 0850

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Larissa NicholsonLarissa Nicholson is a journalist at The Age.

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