Some say the best meals are those made by someone else. And during one of the busiest times of the year, that couldn’t be truer. If the holidays have snuck up on you and left you little time to map out holiday feasting plans, consider these last-minute ideas to save the (Christmas) day.

Head out for Christmas lunch (or dinner)

The restaurants at State Buildings will open on Christmas Day, but will only serve guests that have made a booking. Translation: act fast if you want to dig into som tum and spicy larp at Long Chim, or taste native ingredients at Wildflower. Although Long Chim and Wildflower will only be open for lunch, their siblings Post and Petition Kitchen will also be open for dinner and will be serving polished Italian and modern Australian set menus respectively.

Staying on the hotel dining tip, Hearth Restaurant at Ritz-Carlton Perth will be hosting Christmas Around the Hearth, a six-course dinner showing off local produce matched with Western Australian wines. The menu will feature Shark Bay scallops, dry aged Wagin duck and short rib, as well as roasted pineapple with rum and Bahen & Co. chocolate for dessert. Advance reservations are required and can be made online or by calling (08) 6559 6822.

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Over at QT Perth's Santini Bar & Grill you can book in for a Mediterranean feast of roast turkey, butter poached lobster and Goldband snapper for mains; Christmas pudding topped with marsala custard and cherries for dessert; and a glass of prosecco on arrival. Lunch is already booked out, but dinner bookings are still available at the time of writing.

For something more casual, check in with your local pub. Selected pubs are open for lunch on December 25 including The Bentley Hotel, The Raffles Hotel and The Bassendean Hotel, although these three will only be serving guests that have booked.

Leave the cooking to someone else

QT Perth's catering service, QT at Home has a fully-prepared Christmas feast available for pick-up from the hotel on December 23 or 24 so that all you have to do is reheat, plate and enjoy. It includes a bounty of traditional holiday fixings, from roasted chicken, lamb shoulder and an orange, clove and honey glazed ham, to a seafood spread featuring oysters, smoked salmon, tiger prawns and Shark Bay blue crab salad. There's also a plethora of sides and snacks, plus profiteroles, Christmas pudding, mince pies and a punnet of cherries for dessert. Orders must be placed by December 20.

Pick up some fresh pastries on Christmas morning

Waking up on Christmas morning to flaky croissants, golden baguettes and macarons? Yes please. Maison Saint-Honoré has put together a breakfast box of French pastries available to order between December 20 and 27. Order online from Maison Saint-Honoré's online store, French Sweet, for pick-up or free delivery across Perth. Other bakers around town are also embracing the Christmas spirit with seasonal baked goods including a Limoncello almond Christmas brioche, a chocolate and hazelnut panettone, gingerbread house kits, mince pies and stollen (a yeasted German bread filled with dried fruit and nuts) from Miller & Baker; fruit mince pies, stollen and a buche de Noel (aka Yule log) from North Street Store; while Fatboi Brownies is putting a modern spin on the Yule log via its black forest brownie Christmas log.

Late-night visits to the prawn aisle

Leederville fishmonger Kailis Bros will once again be hosting its annual 36-hour Christmas Seafood Marathon and will open non-stop from 6am on Friday December 23 and close at 6pm on Saturday December 24. Translation: more options for you to purchase your prawns, oysters, fish, crays and all your other Christmas seafood. Fishmongers will be on hand to help you get the most out of your seafood shop.

This article was originally published on December 16, 2022. It has been updated to reflect new information and remove out-of-date details.