Christmas & New Year's Eve With a Private Chef in Lisbon

Christmas and New Year's in Lisbon mild weather, the city lit up, family and friends gathered. It's the time of year when the food actually matters. Not just "what's for dinner" but "this is the dinner everyone's been looking forward to."

The problem: either you spend the whole day cooking and miss the party, or you go to a restaurant offering a fixed "festive menu" that's the same for every table. Neither option feels right for the most important meals of the year.

A private chef solves both. You stay with your guests, the food is custom-designed for your group, and everything is cooked fresh in your kitchen. That's a Christmas dinner worth having.

Christmas Dinner With a Private Chef

Justin Jennings has cooked Christmas dinners for families across Lisbon and Cascais for years. The approach is simple: tell him what your family loves, any traditions you want to keep, and any dietary needs and he builds a menu around it.

That might mean:

• A traditional roast with all the trimmings, prepared as a polished private dining menu
• Seafood-forward (Portuguese Christmas tradition) with Justin's fusion twist
• A multi-course tasting menu that mixes Australian, Asian, and European flavours
• Something completely different because it's your Christmas, not anyone else's

Justin arrives in the afternoon, cooks while you're having drinks with family, serves a dinner that raises the bar for the whole evening, and cleans up so you can end the night on the couch instead of at the sink.

New Year's Eve

NYE in Lisbon is electric fireworks over the Tagus, rooftop parties, the energy of the city counting down. But the dinner before midnight sets the tone for the whole night. A private chef at your apartment or villa means:

• Justin provides an initial personal reply, availability confirmation, custom menu and quote within 24 hours, often sooner, including weekends and holidays.
• Single-event private chef service starts from €85 per person. Premium requirements receive a custom quote.
• Your friends, your space, your music, your champagne at midnight
• A multi-course dinner that makes the night feel special before you even leave the house

Why Book Justin Jennings, winner of the TV cooking competition The World Cook for Christmas?

Because the food on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve should be the best food you eat all year. Justin Jennings winner of the TV cooking competition The World Cook with 25+ years of experience of international experience brings that level to your home. Not a restaurant. Your home. With your people.

Justin provides an initial personal reply, availability confirmation, custom menu and quote within 24 hours, often sooner, including weekends and holidays.

Pricing & Booking

Ingredient choices are assessed during menu planning and reflected in the custom quote.

Book early. Justin provides an initial personal reply, availability confirmation, custom menu and quote within 24 hours, often sooner, including weekends and holidays.

What a Private Chef Christmas Dinner Actually Looks Like

Forget the stress of cooking for 12 people while trying to enjoy your own Christmas. A private chef changes the entire dynamic of the day. You wake up, someone else is handling the food, and you get to actually be present with your family.

The chef arrives mid-afternoon (or earlier for larger groups), brings all high-quality ingredients freshly sourced for the agreed menu, and takes over your kitchen. By the time your guests sit down, the house smells incredible and you haven't touched a pan.

For expat families in Lisbon and there are thousands this is particularly valuable. You might want a traditional roast with all the trimmings, or you might want something that reflects where you're living now. Portuguese bacalhau on Christmas Eve followed by an Australian-style Christmas lunch the next day. A fusion menu that bridges home and Lisbon. That flexibility is what you get with a private chef that you'll never get from a restaurant.

New Year's Eve The Hardest Table in Lisbon

Try booking a restaurant for New Year's Eve in Lisbon. You'll get a set menu at 2-3x the normal price, a room packed with strangers, and a midnight countdown where you can't hear the person next to you.

A private chef at home (or a rented venue with a view) gives you everything a restaurant can't: your own music, your own guest list, your own pace, and food that's genuinely excellent instead of mass-produced for a holiday crowd.

Pro tip: Justin provides an initial personal reply, availability confirmation, custom menu and quote within 24 hours, often sooner, including weekends and holidays.