Where to eat out on Christmas Day

While there are those who believe a Christmas feast is a fizzer without turkey, ham and all the trimmings, others believe hot days call for cool food. This year, give your family the greatest Christmas gift of all: a Yuletide gathering minus the mess and the fuss. Carla Grossetti raises a glass of fizz to 10 of the best restaurants open on Christmas Day in Sydney.

InterContinental Sydney Double Bay
Chef Julien Pouteau has curated a special buffet available on Christmas Day in the Grand Ballroom. Choose from a multitude of beautifully presented platters full of festive favourites such as oysters, prawns, cherry-glazed ham, roasted meats and vegetables followed by pudding and pavlova. Highlights include the meats cooked at the hearth that is at the heart of the Double Bay dining room, Stockroom. A three-hour beverage package is included in the cost: $250 a person; $125 13-17 years; $60 12 years and under. InterContinental Sydney Double Bay, 33 Cross Street, Double Bay, 02 8388 8388, www.icsydneydoublebay.com

Pei Modern
The slow-cooked Milly Hill lamb shoulder on the Christmas menu at Pei Modern shows executive chef Mark Best's intentions best. Best will be working alongside new head chef Joachim Borenius​ (ex-Marque, Sydney) to produce an array of festive dishes ($150 an adult; $45 a child under five). Start at the Clyde River rock oyster bar before moving on to a buffet laden with tempting options such as Yamba prawns and roast turkey rounded off with roast veg. Don't hold back: finish the meal with Christmas pud and pavlova. Four Seasons Hotel, 199 George Street, 02 9250 3160, fourseasons.com

The Bucket List, Bondi Beach
The Bucket List is the place to go for those who want to say "Stuff the turkey" and loosen things up a bit. Arrange your posse in one of the cordoned-off casual, comfy zones and order from a set menu that includes options such as a bucket of Queensland tiger prawns, pan-roasted Cone Bay barramundi and glazed ham with grain-mustard potato. Finish with a pure fruit icy pole before shuffling down to the sparkling sea and throwing yourself in. There is a fixed entry price of $35 a person, which covers the cost of a main meal as well as additional sides, entrees and kids' meals. The Bucket List, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach, 02 9365 4122, thebucketlistbondi.com

Shipwrights on the Marina
If Shipwrights' waterfront location doesn't put you in a good mood, the food and service at the family-run restaurant will. Ring in Christmas at this under-the-radar restaurant where you can enjoy platters of seafood, traditional roast meats, vegies and desserts. Pull off the highway to find this local secret, which overlooks moored pleasure boats on the decks of Blakehurst Marina. Invite your benevolent aunt along and she might just pick up the tab ($145 adults; $40 children 12 years and under). 739 Princes Highway, Blakehurst, 02 9547 0666, shipwrightsrestaurant.com

Shangri-La Hotel
Tell the extended family you'll be out of town for Chrimbo and crank the nosh up a notch at Altitude Restaurant, on the 36th floor of the Shangri-La Hotel. Here, the festive menu speaks of conviviality: indulge in a five-course feast with matching wines ($320 adults; $150 children under 12) at Altitude or a family-friendly lunch buffet at Cafe Mix, which includes everything from a seafood station to Christmas classics such as mince pies and Christmas puddings ($250 adults; $105 children 12 years and under; kids under six eat free). Shangri-La Hotel, 176 Cumberland St, Sydney 02 9250 6000, Shangri-la.com

O Bar and Dining
O is for organic. This restaurant with the modest moniker nods to the simple, healthful food that chef and owner Michael Moore is known for. Moore has repackaged Christmas by presenting his healthy take on a four-course feast ($160 a person; $60 children 12 years and under). Enjoy watching the sun go down over the city while enjoying refined fare such as snow crab, chilled tomato jelly, minted yoghurt and baby coriander, poached rock lobster tail, a Yamba prawn salad and stuffed free-range turkey breast with salad. Conclude the meal with a light Christmas pudding ice-cream, poached fruits and brandy sabayon. Level 47, Australia Square, 264 George Street, Sydney 02 9247 9777, obardining.com.au

Ho Mei
Say bai bai la to turducken and hello to steamed butterfly buns with roast pork belly. Chef Jasper Yip's modern take on Chinese food on Christmas Day translates, like "ho mei" itself, to "delicious". The six-course MSG-free feast is built around Asian comfort food such as lamb pancakes, soft-shell crab sang choy bao, stir-fried king prawns with home-made XO sauce and seasonal vegetables and sticky sweet mango duck ($65 a person). The set menu also includes a glass of bubbles and dessert. Expect boisterous crowds, an Asian riff on Christmas and an adventure for the palate. Shop 8, 38-52 Waterloo Street, Surry Hills, 02 8021 4806, homei.com.au

Cafe Opera
Those who live their life in the fifth gear will appreciate having the hard work done for them with a Christmas buffet feast the whole family will enjoy. The choose-your-own-adventure banquet is available in three sittings from noon-11pm. Highlights of The Cafe Opera Christmas buffet include Sydney rock oysters, king crab and snow crab, slow-roasted turkey with trimmings, and 48-hour confit pork belly with maple-baked apples. Drinks are included. Cost: $230 a person; $150 young adults; $85 12 years and under. 117 Macquarie Street, Sydney, 02 9240 1260, icsydney.com.au

Gowings Bar & Grill
Gowings' creative food director, Robert Marchetti, ​ has devised a hot and cold menu that is skewed toward the seasons. The set menu ($175 a person) starts with a flute of champagne and nibbles followed by a fruit de mer platter of Balmain bugs, scampi tails, king prawns, oysters, mussels, ocean trout gravlax and cocktail sauce. Take a selfie near the seafood counter before moving on to crowd-pleasing mains such as free-range turkey with black truffle gravy and individual Christmas puddings. 49 Market Street, Sydney, 02 8262 0062, qtsydney.com.au

The Manly Wharf Hotel
Do you prefer to say "feliz Navidad" the night before Christmas? Are you orphaned in Sydney for the festive season? If you answered "yes" to either of these questions, then the Orphan's Christmas dinner at the Manly Wharf Hotel might be just the ticket. The hotel is serving up a low-key dinner of roast turkey, baked potatoes, Yorkshire pud and dessert. For $20, this place is a perennial favourite for homesick backpackers who like their greatest Christmas hits. Best of all: you won't need to rock off to decide who is washing up.
Manly Wharf Hotel, East Esplanade, 02 9977 1266, manlywharfhotel.com.au

Bookings were still available at all venues at the time of publication.