One of the toughest parts of being an expat is when holidays in your home country aren’t celebrated in your new country. For Americans abroad, the biggest missed holiday is usually Thanksgiving.
During our own time abroad in Australia, the first Thanksgiving was a real challenge. Finding a big turkey to feed your American family and friends? Good luck. Pumpkin pie? Well, that’s not a thing Down Under. This led to some hilarious attempts to pull a dinner together – we may have called every baker and butcher in Sydney.
And even if you can find the supplies, many ovens just aren’t big enough to fit a large bird. Sometimes it’s just easier to have someone else do the cooking.
We’ve compiled a list of places in major expat destinations – Amsterdam, Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore, and London – where you can get yourself a proper Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixin’s. Just make sure you book soon since Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away — some restaurants are already filling up!
Bon appetit!
Amsterdam: Places where expats can eat Thanksgiving dinner
Café Belcampo
Neighborhood: Oud West
This highly rated, casual café is hosting Thanksgiving Dinner starting at 6:30pm. For €22,50 they’ll provide the basics: turkey, a vegetarian main dish, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, sweet potatoes, and corn. Drinks are not included in the price and they ask that you bring a starter or dessert to share.
Seasons Restaurant
Neighborhood: Grachtengordel
This elegant restaurant is offering a 3-course (€41,50) or 4-course (€49,50) Thanksgiving dinner. The star of the meal is their slow smoked turkey with cornbread stuffing and gravy. Pumpkin pie is available for dessert.
See the menu or make a reservation
Slagerij De Leeuw
Neighborhood: Grachtengordel
You can’t dine in here – this is a neighborhood butcher, after all. But you can get a complete Thanksgiving dinner to go (and then tell your friends and family you slaved away cooking it). Besides turkey, they also have stuffing, pumpkin, Brussels sprouts, gravy, mashed potatoes and roasted sweet potatoes available. Prices vary based on selection and amount.
Call to place an order or complete an order form
Staring at Jacob
Neighborhood: Oud West
Staring at Jacob is a restaurant popular with locals and tourists alike, and it’s only fitting that they’re celebrating an American holiday since they’re known for their American-style brunch. They’re hosting – in their own words – a “big ass Thanksgiving dinner’. A €10 ticket gets you a seat at a communal table and a full Thanksgiving dinner, a welcome drink, homemade pies, and even leftovers!
HardRock Café Amsterdam
Neighborhood: Grachtengordel
This may not be a traditional option, but rest assured that they’ll be serving up a traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Meal to satisfy your hunger. The restaurant is offering a 2-course meal for
€26,95 or 3 courses for €29,95. If you’re not a turkey lover they have vegetarian meatloaf as an alternative main course.
See the menu or make a booking
Sydney: Restaurants serving Thanksgiving dinner
Cauliflower Hotel
Suburb: Waterloo
This pub has been around since 1838, which makes it older than Thanksgiving (it only became an official holiday starting in 1864). They’re going to be offering a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday the 23rd, but also on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as well. Kid-friendly, too!
Make a lunch or dinner booking
Rocks Brewing Company
Suburb: Alexandria
The venue is a brewery and the chef is American – what more could you want? For $60 you’ll get a traditional Thanksgiving family-style feast starting at 7:00pm.
For full menu to make a booking, email Sarah!
Mr. G’s
Suburb: Double Bay
The Intercontinental Hotel’s post steakhouse will be serving up a traditional Thanksgiving meal in addition to their regular menu items. You can expect all the classics including Roast Turkey with all the trimmings. Bookings are required.
Victors Food
Suburb: Waterloo
Victors Food is a cooking school, but on Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday they’ll be doing the cooking for you. Hosted at the Danks Street Produce Merchants building, Victors will be serving family-style food: platters of turkey and all the trimmings, pumpkin and pecan pies, and full service. $76 for adults; $38 for children 12-18; children under 12 eat free.
Hard Rock Café
Suburb: Sydney CBD
If you’re looking for something a little more…shall we say…rockin’ then the Hard Rock Café on Darling Harbour is hosting Thanksgiving from 11:30am to 11:30pm on the 23rd. $45 gets you a traditional turkey meal; they also have ham and nut roast mains as well.
Melbourne: Places where expats can find a Thanksgiving dinner
Trunk
Suburb: Melbourne CBD
This popular CBD spot is “pledging allegiance to the land of the free and the home of the food coma with a big Turkey dinner, seven sides, and dessert”, all for $70 per person. That sounds like a hard deal to pass up.
Check out the FB page for more info or make your reservation
Dutchess
Suburb: Melbourne CBD
This sleek restaurant in the CBD is offering a 4-course Thanksgiving dinner for $79 per person – you can add paired wines for $30 more.
See the full menu and make a booking now
Le Bon Ton
Suburb: Collingwood
This baroque restaurant and bar are doing a special pre-set Thanksgiving dinner on November 23rd. Customers rave about the food and service and they know how to do meat right, so you won’t be disappointed.
Get more info on the dinner or make a booking
Singapore: Ideas on where to eat a Thanksgiving dinner
Brewerkz
Neighborhood: Clarke Quay
Nothing is better than getting seconds and thirds on Thanksgiving. That’ll be easy at Brewerkz’s Thanksgiving Buffet. Dig into familiar holiday dishes like sweet potatoes with marshmallows, Oatmeal Stout Roasted Sirloin, Bone-in-Gammon Ham, Fennel Crust Pork Loin, and the essential, Roasted Turkey Breast. Tickets are SGD $55 per person.
Meatsmith
Neighborhood: Marina Bay
Any restaurant named “Meatsmith” is a winner in my book. Their Thanksgiving Dinner includes turkey (obviously) and other holiday staples like mashed potatoes with gravy, cornbread stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and of course pies galore. Lunch tickets are SGD $60 per person and dinner tickets are SGD $98 per person.
The Beast
Neighborhood: Kampong Glam
The Beast is a casual American South-style bar and restaurant that’s doing its own take on the traditional Thanksgiving spread: Cajun roasted turkey, 12 hour smoked brisket, cornbread stuffing, and bourbon caramel spiced cake (among other options). Prices vary based on your selection. They’ll also be offering Thanksgiving dishes for takeaway.
The American Club Singapore
Neighborhood: Tanglin
This members-only expat club covers every American holiday, as you’d expect. The option in the Eagle’s Nest dining room is already completely booked out, but there are still lunch and dinner options on the 2nd Floor. The member price is SGD $99 and the guest price is SGD $109.
Learn more
Kitchen Table at W Singapore Sentosa Cove
Neighborhood: Sentosa
Thanksgiving Dinner at this venue is surprisingly affordable for a luxury hotel restaurant on a luxury island. SGD $68 per person (and up) will get you a tasty turkey dinner with all the fixings. End the evening with customary pumpkin and pecan pies.
Melt Café at the Mandarin Oriental
Neighborhood: Marina Bay
The hotel’s Melt Café is hosting an impressive Thanksgiving Dinner Open Buffet starting at SGD $85 per person.
Singapore Marriott
Neighborhood: Orchard
The Marriott will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner at two of its restaurants. The trendy Pool Grill will be offering a simple dinner buffet for SGD $52 while the more upscale Marriott Café will have a huge buffet for SGD $118 per person ($46 per child aged 5-12).
See the Pool Grill menu or the Marriott Café menu
Mezza 9 at the Singapore Grand Hyatt
Neighborhood: Orchard
A Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet in this swank hotel restaurant will set you back SGD $108 per person.
London: Restaurants serving Thanksgiving dinner for expats
The Breakfast Club
Neighborhood: 7 locations including Angel, Battersea, Bankside (London Bridge), Soho, Canary Wharf, Hoxton, and Spitalfields.
The hip chain of restaurants is hosting Thanksgiving dinner at most of their London locations (and one in Oxford). They’re serving up a three-course dinner and lovely vibes. Oh yeah, the turkey is roasted in bacon and beer…delicious. Prices start at £28 per person
Riding House Café
Neighborhood: Fitzrovia
This London gem is putting on a family-style Thanksgiving feast. After stuffing your face with turkey, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, and…er, stuffing, pumpkin and pecan pie are on the menu for dessert. £40 per person. Bookings required.
See the menu or book your table
Village East
Neighborhood: Bermondsey
The Village East is a highly rated restaurant known for its brunch and cocktails. They might just make a name for themselves for Thanksgiving Dinner as well: £40 per person gets you turkey and every side imaginable (cornbread & sausage stuffing, maple-buttered sweet potatoes, mac & cheese, glazed sprouts & bacon, and more) plus pumpkin or pecan pie for dessert.
See the full menu or book your spot
Ffionas
Neighborhood: Kensington
Quaint and delicious, Ffionas is the restaurant with a chef so nice she started her name with the same letter twice. Or something like that. Ffor £59 per person you’ll get to experience her ffamous 3-course Thanksgiving dinner ffeast (see what I did there?). Takeaway options are available on the 22nd.
See the menu or make a booking
Bread Street Kitchen
Neighborhood: The City
Chances are Gordon Ramsay won’t be around to berate you or the kitchen staff at this restaurant, which is one of many in his empire. That means you’ll get to celebrate Thanksgiving in peace, which will be easy to do with a 3-course menu including bacon-wrapped pickles with a spicy crab and Tabasco dip to start, confit turkey leg mains, and all-American desserts like pumpkin pie and peanut butter parfait. £50 per person.
See the menu or book your table
Joe’s Southern
Neighborhood: Covent Garden
Dine on Thanksgiving favorites like Clam Chowder with crackers, roast turkey with sage, bacon stuffing, collard greens, honey baked cornbread, pumpkin pie and lots more at this American South-style restaurant. £30 per person.
See the full menu and email to make a booking
The Narrow
Neighborhood: Limehouse
This is another Gordon Ramsay spot, so if you dine here and at Bread Street Kitchen on the same night your odds of getting yelled at by Gordon himself definitely go up. That’s considered a plus if you want to be Insta-famous. Otherwise, you can enjoy a tasty 3-course Thanksgiving menu in a lovely setting for £37 per person.
Bill Wyman’s Sticky Fingers Restaurant
Neighborhood: Kensington
This rock ‘n’ roller restaurant is hosting a 3-course menu packed with American and Canadian favorites to help you celebrate and give thanks with those you love. Starting at £30 per adult and £20 for kids under 14 years old.