Christmas Menus in Glasgow: Introducing Madurai’s Festive Season

For most of the year, the average adult eats nearly half of their meals alone. In a 2017 University of Oxford study with The Big Lunch, the figure was 10 of every 21 meals a week. Then December arrives, and suddenly everyone is trying to find one evening that works for everyone.

That is the season behind the Christmas menu in Glasgow at Madurai this December. There are three options: a Festive Lunch on weekdays, a five-course Festive Tasting Menu, and Festive Feasts for groups of eight or more.

Why December Is the Month Everyone Comes Together

Anyone who has organised a December get-together knows how it goes. People who haven’t seen each other since last year suddenly agree on a date. Someone volunteers to take charge. The group chat comes alive. The same three people turn out to be unavailable on the Thursday.

It sounds like a seasonal quirk, but research suggests it is closer to a need. The same Oxford study found that the more often people eat with others, the more likely they are to feel happy and satisfied with their lives. And 76 per cent of respondents believed a meal with other people brings them closer together.

Which makes December something of a correction. It is the one month when almost everyone decides, at the same time, to put the people they care about first.

How Glasgow Does the Festive Season

Glasgow does this in public. Last winter, Glasgow Life ran a free Christmas lighting trail through the city centre along Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, from late November into January. Its Winter Wonderland sites at St Enoch and Glasgow Green drew families, groups of friends and anyone else wandering the city after dark.

Darkness arrives early in a Scottish December, so the day tends to split in two. There are the daylight hours for shopping, errands and weekday catch-ups, and the long evenings for the main event. The lights come on, the city centre fills, and people arrive from every direction to meet someone.

Madurai is a South Indian-inspired restaurant on St Vincent Street in Glasgow city centre, only a short walk from Central Station, which makes it an easy place to meet. Glasgow Life’s Christmas pages list what is on around the city this year. The question that follows is where to eat.

Three Ways to Enjoy a Christmas Menu in Glasgow at Madurai

Madurai’s cooking draws on the naturally gluten-free traditions of South India, using rice, lentils, coconut and spices. All three festive menus run through December, with the Festive Lunch available on weekdays. If South Indian dining is new to you, our guide to how a South Indian meal works is a good place to start.

The Festive Lunch: Weekdays 12pm to 3pm

The Festive Lunch is served on weekdays between 12pm and 3pm throughout December, from £17 per person.
It is the menu for the working week, when a long lunch has to fit around a diary. It suits colleagues marking the end of a busy month, friends catching up before Christmas, or anyone taking a break from the shops while there is still daylight.

The Festive Tasting Menu: Five Courses

The Festive Tasting Menu is a five-course experience of South Indian-inspired cooking, at £39 per person, available all through December.

A tasting menu has one quiet advantage. It removes the decisions. Nobody hunches over a menu while the evening ticks by. The meal arrives in order, with a beginning, a middle and an end, and the only thing left to choose is who to bring. It suits a birthday that falls in December, a couple’s night out or a pre-Christmas treat.

Festive Feasts: For Groups of Eight or More

Festive Feasts are the menus designed for larger groups, and they are available all through December. There are three menus, priced from £30 per person at £30, £35 and £45, and each group chooses one menu for the whole table.

This is the one festive option built around sharing. Every dish is served family style, to share, so plates arrive together and get passed around the table. Large groups tend to get stuck on ordering. One menu per table means the decision is made once, in advance, which makes it a good fit for work teams, families and big friendship groups. It helps to agree on a menu before you book.

How to Choose the Right Festive Menu

The three menus suit three different kinds of December plan, and the right one usually comes down to the day, the occasion and the size of the group.

If the plan is a weekday and the diary is tight, the Festive Lunch is the natural fit. It runs from 12pm to 3pm, starts at £17 per person, and finishes while there is still daylight left to get on with the rest of the day.

If the plan is an occasion, the Festive Tasting Menu at £39 per person gives it a shape. Five courses give the meal a clear beginning and end, and nobody has to negotiate what to order.

If the group is eight or more, Festive Feasts are the answer. With menus at £30, £35 and £45 per person, the group agrees on one and the whole booking is settled in a single conversation.

One practical point applies to all three. December diaries fill up quickly, so it helps to settle the date early and let everything else follow from there.

A Gluten-Free Christmas Menu in Glasgow

December bookings often include someone who has to check labels. At a gluten-free restaurant, that stops being a problem.

Coeliac UK has run its Gluten Free Accreditation scheme since 2012. It reports that more than 2,500 UK venues now hold it, each having passed strict audits and staff training. Madurai is one of them, with a fully gluten-free kitchen.
That applies to all three festive menus. Whoever is at the table, they can choose the same menu as everyone else, with no separate order and no extra questions. For anyone looking for a gluten-free Christmas menu in Glasgow, the festive meal can simply be a festive meal.

Festive Menus at Madurai: Your Questions Answered

When are the festive menus available?

All three menus run through December. The Festive Lunch is served on weekdays between 12pm and 3pm, while the Festive Tasting Menu and Festive Feasts are available all through the month.

How much do the festive menus cost?

The Festive Lunch is from £17 per person and the five-course Festive Tasting Menu is £39 per person. Festive Feasts start from £30 per person, with three menus priced at £30, £35 and £45.

How big does a group need to be for Festive Feasts?

Festive Feasts are for groups of eight or more. Each group chooses one menu for the whole table, and every dish is served family style, to share.

Are the festive menus gluten free?

Madurai’s kitchen is fully gluten free and accredited by Coeliac UK, and that applies to all three festive menus.

Where is Madurai, and how do I book?

Madurai is at 142a St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5LQ, a short walk from Central Station. You can book through the booking page or call 0141 221 7722.

Booking Your Christmas Menu in Glasgow

All three menus run through December, and the full details are on the festive menus page. The Festive Lunch is available on weekdays from 12pm to 3pm, and Festive Feasts need a group of eight or more.
The festive season in Glasgow has always been about who turns up, and where they end up meeting. Whether you want a weekday lunch, a five-course tasting menu or a feast for a big group, Madurai’s South Indian-inspired Christmas menu in Glasgow is ready for December.

Book a table at Madurai or see the festive menus.