Hot chocolate, fairy lights and feasts: How Delhi’s cafes and hotels are celebrating Christmas
Across the city, festive experiences are unfolding in parallel, some tucked inside leafy hotel sanctuaries, others spilling onto café patios lit with twinkling bulbs
- Dec 22, 2025,
- Updated Dec 22, 2025 10:31 AM IST
December flips Delhi into a different mood altogether. The air sharpens, evenings slow down, and suddenly the city feels wrapped in fairy lights and the scent of cinnamon. Cafés glow warmer, hotel lobbies smell faintly of baked treats, and Christmas quietly takes over everyday plans, one hot chocolate, brunch, or dinner reservation at a time.
Across the city, festive experiences are unfolding in parallel, some tucked inside leafy hotel sanctuaries, others spilling onto café patios lit with twinkling bulbs. Together, they shape the rhythm of a Delhi December that’s less rushed, more indulgent.
At The Roseate New Delhi, the season arrives with calm elegance rather than noise. The property has turned Christmas into a slow, immersive escape, think lake-facing suites, festive welcome drinks like mulled wine or hot chocolate, and evenings punctuated by carol singing. The experience leans into indulgence with curated festive meals, Christmas turndown treats, spa privileges, and round-the-clock butler service, making it a city staycation designed to feel far removed from it.
Step outside the hotel gates and Delhi’s cafés pick up the festive baton in their own way. By mid-December, Diggin feels like it’s been lifted straight out of a holiday postcard. Wreath-lined arches, cascading fairy lights and oversized ribbons turn both its Chanakyapuri and Bikaner House outlets into Christmas photo zones. Inside, rich hot chocolate, banoffee pie, pesto pepperoni pizza and chocolate-drizzled waffles anchor the experience, making Diggin as much about comfort as it is about charm.
Not far away, Café De Flora leans into a softer, European-style Christmas aesthetic. Pastel façades give way to candy-cane frames, gold ornaments and a statement Christmas tree. The menu stays true to winter cravings, thick hot chocolate, French toast, pistachio-and-rose croissants and indulgent desserts like tiramisu pull-me cake, best enjoyed while lingering over long conversations in the glow of festive décor.
Back at The Roseate, Christmas Eve takes on a refined tone at Kiyan. The restaurant’s festive dinner centres on a specially curated menu featuring Roasted Turkey and Salt-Baked Fish, paired with a glass of house wine. Thoughtful décor and an understated ambience make it ideal for those looking to celebrate without the rush or noise usually associated with the season.
Elsewhere in the city, Café Wink embraces December with warmth rather than spectacle. The lighting turns softer, the décor leans winter-ready, and the menu becomes a comfort-first affair, featuring hazelnut lattes, cinnamon-heavy cappuccinos, creamy hot chocolate, and a dessert counter stacked with brownies, waffles, and tiramisu jars. It’s the kind of place where stepping in for coffee often turns into staying for hours.
Christmas celebrations stretch beyond cafés too. At Roseate House New Delhi, the festive calendar includes a Christmas Eve gala dinner at DEL, the hotel’s all-day bistro. The spread brings together Roast Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing, Glazed Ham, Shepherd’s Pie and Honey Butter Vegetables, followed by classics like Yule Log, Plum Pudding and Gingerbread Cheesecake—turning the night into a full-scale holiday feast.
Meanwhile, quieter winter moments unfold at places like The Big Tree Cafe, where rustic wooden tables, glowing lights and the smell of cinnamon create an almost storybook setting. Comfort food, wood-fired pizzas, creamy pastas, loaded fries—pairs naturally with rich hot chocolate and café-style coffees, making it a natural winter hangout when the season is at its peak.
For those taking Christmas home, Roasted By Roseate has leaned into festive gifting. Its holiday hampers feature dundee and plum cakes, mince pies, stollen bread, plum pudding, ginger huts and signature ginger cookies—crafted as much for tradition as for indulgence.
Together, these spaces define December in Delhi. Some invite you to slow down inside luxury sanctuaries, others encourage long café afternoons wrapped in fairy lights. But all of them tap into the same instinct—to step out, warm up, and let the city’s Christmas mood do the rest.
December flips Delhi into a different mood altogether. The air sharpens, evenings slow down, and suddenly the city feels wrapped in fairy lights and the scent of cinnamon. Cafés glow warmer, hotel lobbies smell faintly of baked treats, and Christmas quietly takes over everyday plans, one hot chocolate, brunch, or dinner reservation at a time.
Across the city, festive experiences are unfolding in parallel, some tucked inside leafy hotel sanctuaries, others spilling onto café patios lit with twinkling bulbs. Together, they shape the rhythm of a Delhi December that’s less rushed, more indulgent.
At The Roseate New Delhi, the season arrives with calm elegance rather than noise. The property has turned Christmas into a slow, immersive escape, think lake-facing suites, festive welcome drinks like mulled wine or hot chocolate, and evenings punctuated by carol singing. The experience leans into indulgence with curated festive meals, Christmas turndown treats, spa privileges, and round-the-clock butler service, making it a city staycation designed to feel far removed from it.
Step outside the hotel gates and Delhi’s cafés pick up the festive baton in their own way. By mid-December, Diggin feels like it’s been lifted straight out of a holiday postcard. Wreath-lined arches, cascading fairy lights and oversized ribbons turn both its Chanakyapuri and Bikaner House outlets into Christmas photo zones. Inside, rich hot chocolate, banoffee pie, pesto pepperoni pizza and chocolate-drizzled waffles anchor the experience, making Diggin as much about comfort as it is about charm.
Not far away, Café De Flora leans into a softer, European-style Christmas aesthetic. Pastel façades give way to candy-cane frames, gold ornaments and a statement Christmas tree. The menu stays true to winter cravings, thick hot chocolate, French toast, pistachio-and-rose croissants and indulgent desserts like tiramisu pull-me cake, best enjoyed while lingering over long conversations in the glow of festive décor.
Back at The Roseate, Christmas Eve takes on a refined tone at Kiyan. The restaurant’s festive dinner centres on a specially curated menu featuring Roasted Turkey and Salt-Baked Fish, paired with a glass of house wine. Thoughtful décor and an understated ambience make it ideal for those looking to celebrate without the rush or noise usually associated with the season.
Elsewhere in the city, Café Wink embraces December with warmth rather than spectacle. The lighting turns softer, the décor leans winter-ready, and the menu becomes a comfort-first affair, featuring hazelnut lattes, cinnamon-heavy cappuccinos, creamy hot chocolate, and a dessert counter stacked with brownies, waffles, and tiramisu jars. It’s the kind of place where stepping in for coffee often turns into staying for hours.
Christmas celebrations stretch beyond cafés too. At Roseate House New Delhi, the festive calendar includes a Christmas Eve gala dinner at DEL, the hotel’s all-day bistro. The spread brings together Roast Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing, Glazed Ham, Shepherd’s Pie and Honey Butter Vegetables, followed by classics like Yule Log, Plum Pudding and Gingerbread Cheesecake—turning the night into a full-scale holiday feast.
Meanwhile, quieter winter moments unfold at places like The Big Tree Cafe, where rustic wooden tables, glowing lights and the smell of cinnamon create an almost storybook setting. Comfort food, wood-fired pizzas, creamy pastas, loaded fries—pairs naturally with rich hot chocolate and café-style coffees, making it a natural winter hangout when the season is at its peak.
For those taking Christmas home, Roasted By Roseate has leaned into festive gifting. Its holiday hampers feature dundee and plum cakes, mince pies, stollen bread, plum pudding, ginger huts and signature ginger cookies—crafted as much for tradition as for indulgence.
Together, these spaces define December in Delhi. Some invite you to slow down inside luxury sanctuaries, others encourage long café afternoons wrapped in fairy lights. But all of them tap into the same instinct—to step out, warm up, and let the city’s Christmas mood do the rest.