Enjoying great food with friends and family is an essential part of Christmas. Here are seven places with interesting veggie options and they can all be booked via 5pm.

You can browse and book all of 5pm's Christmas dining offers here.

Swadish

Opening in the Merchant City earlier this year, Swadish delivers innovative Indian cooking. As well as offering many fish and meat dishes, Swadish has a separate vegan Christmas menu. From the starters, we're talking okra fries, kale salad and tandoori cauliflower. Main course choices from the Christmas vegan menu include a butternut squash dopiaza and lasuni daal - pigeon peas, split chickpeas, red lentil, burnt garlic, cumin and tomatoes.

The vegan Christmas menu at Swadish is £24 per person and is available for a minimum of four people. Of course, there is also a full à la carte as well as a festive set menu and Christmas banquet menu. Browse the menus and book Swadish online.

Harajuku Kitchen

Having recently celebrated its sixth birthday, Harajuku in Tollcross is one of Edinburgh's most successful Japanese restaurants. Recognised by several awards and mentioned in the latest Good Food Guide, it also has an AA Rosette. Naturally, there are lots of sushi and sashimi options on the menu but there are also plenty of veggie choices.

We would start with a little appetiser of salted edamame beans followed by warm aubergine with a aromatic koumi sauce and then the teriyaki tofu. Dessert, for us, would have to be the dorayaki - a honey pancake with a green tea custard filling. Harajuku Kitchen can be booked via 5pm.

Osteria Italiana

Osteria Italiana is an Italian restaurant in the Italian Centre on Glasgow’s John Street. ‘There is no rush’ is the motto around here and the emphasis is on enjoying the warm, Italian hospitality and traditional decor.

From the Christmas menu, vegetarian options include minestrone soup and the bruschetta classica - marinated diced tomatoes, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil. We also like the sound of the mozzarella fritta - sticks of mozzarella cheese coated in golden breadcrumbs and served with a spicy tomato dip. The pick of the veggie main courses is the parmigiana di melanzane - oven-baked aubergine with tomato sauce, Parmesan and fresh basil - although we could also make a case for the penne arrabiata: penne pasta in a spicy tomato sauce. Panna cotta, Christmas pudding, cheesecake or tiramisu to finish? There's a dilemma. Book Osteria Italiana via 5pm and you can enjoy two courses and a drink from the Christmas menu from £14.95.

Vesta

Offering comfort cuisine with a social conscience in Edinburgh's West End, Vesta is in partnership with SocialBite. This means that guests have the option of paying forward a meal or coffee for a homeless person. This means that you can enjoy the twin warm glow of a slap-up meal and knowing that you’ve helped someone. Merry Christmas one and all!

Book Vesta with 5pm and you can enjoy three courses from the Festive menu along with a glass of Prosecco for £24. Veggie options on the festive menu include cauliflower ‘buffalo wings’ with a Bloody Mary salsa and cooling vegan sour cream plus main courses such as the aubergine and garlic steak or the miso-glazed seitan and cashew stir fry which is tossed with bok choy, basmati rice, oyster mushrooms and ginger-infused soy sauce.

Barca

Barca Tapas and Cava Bar is an authentic Spanish tapas restaurant located within Princes Square in Glasgow city centre. As well as a terrace dining space, it has a bar area and dining room – all with a modern Spanish design.

You can book in with 5pm and have three courses from la galleta premium tapas menu for £23.95. Alternatively, you could investigate the veggie tapas selection from the à la carte menu. We like the spiced Moroccan chickpea stew; the cumin roasted butternut squash with pine nuts and the cabrales tostada - Spanish blue cheese with honey and walnuts on toast. Spanish wines, cava and a creative cocktail list help complete the picture at Barca Tapas and Cava Bar.

You can see the menus and book into Barca Tapas and Cava Bar from here.

Rab Ha's

Named after a legendary 19th century Glasgow glutton, Rab Ha’s is a welcoming bar and restaurant with rooms on Hutcheson Street. In the summer of 2017, new owners gave the much-loved Merchant City institution a thoughtful refurbishment. The very opposite of a bland chain, Rab Ha’s is an independent, family-run with business with oodles of character. Visitors can look forward to a cosy and tranquil space with stripped stone walls, an open fire and wood panelling in the bar and restaurant.

The menu at Rab Ha's is always very veggie friendly. Hummus, veggie-haggis, mushroom linguine and a Thai red curry are among the options. The menu is tongue-in-cheek. The veggie burger is described as made from vegetarians.

Book Rab Ha's via 5pm.

Rotunda Bar & Diner

La Rotunda is an Italian restaurant on the ground floor of the iconic Rotunda complex and is perfectly positioned next to Scotland’s entertainment hub with the SECC, Clyde Auditorium and the Scottish Hydro arena. Book in with 5pm and guests can enjoy two courses from the Christmas menu plus  a glass of fizz for £22.95. You can watch the chefs in the open kitchen as they serve up dishes such as toasted walnut bread with goat's cheese, aged balsamic and tomato relish; penne pasta with courgette pesto and primavera pizza topped with goat's cheese, artichokes, spinach and roasted peppers. La Rotunda's Christmas menus can be browsed here.

The Drake

The Drake is situated in Glasgow’s West End on the border of the Park and Woodlands areas and serves excellent food, made with local, fresh produce. The venue has a bar downstairs and a more formal restaurant upstairs. The restaurant has a sophisticated townhouse feel and is beautifully decorated. The bar has cosy coal fires. Veggie options on the festive menu include butternut and sage fritters with cranberry sauce plus the fennel and chestnut bake with mushroom ketchup.

Book The Drake with 5pm and enjoy three courses from the festive menu plus a glass of Prosecco for £25.