the best restaurants open on Christmas in New York

Eatery Row is an occasional series here at Dandelion Chandelier assessing the best restaurants for a romantic night out, an important business lunch, cocktails with friends, or a luxurious holiday meal. We only recommend establishments that we’ve personally road-tested and enjoyed. We’ll let you know if a hot place actually lives up to the hype, and whether a classic is still maintaining its high standards. Because an essential element of luxury is knowing that you’re in really good hands. In this edition, we share our top picks of the best restaurants open on Christmas in New York. 

the luxury of the holidays in new york

With the mercury dropping into the teens, picturesque snowflakes drifting lazily through the sky, and snowmen dotting parks all over the city, it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas! New York is a magical place, but it sparkles even more during the holiday season.

Stores decorate their windows and Christmas tree lots appear on busy corners. There are several special new things to see and do in the city this year.

Bars and restaurants offer holiday-inspired cocktails and festive dishes. If you love European-style Christmas markets, in New York you’ll be delighted to find Holiday Markets popping up all over the city, providing procrastinators plenty of great gift-buying options right up until Christmas Eve (we’re partial to the one in Bryant Park).

And if you have little ones to entertain, the choices are amazing.

best restaurants open on christmas in new york

We’ve already shared ideas for where to have a splendid Hanukkah meal with family and friends this holiday season. Now our Food Editor Nicole Douillet turns her attention to the best foodie destinations for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. She’s sharing nine uber-luxurious options.

Planning a trip to New York City during the holiday season? Or hosting more people for dinner than your apartment can hold? We’ve got you covered with some terrific options for excellent restaurants that will be open on Christmas.

Here are our top picks of the best restaurants open on Christmas in New York. 

1. Vic’s in NoHo

In Italian culture, Christmas Eve is traditionally celebrated with the Feast of the Seven Fishes (“Festa dei Sette Pesche”), so it’s not surprising that you’ll find many Italian restaurants in New York serving a seafood-centric menu on the 24th.

One really special version of this feast will be served by chef Hillary Sterling at Vic’s in NoHo. This year, she’s planned a Venetian-inspired menu. It starts with cicchetti (small bites) for the table consisting of pesce fritti (small fried fish), focaccia with uni, crab-stuffed peppers, and marinated eggs.

That will be followed by antipasti for the table with additional piscine delights. For the Primi course, diners can to choose between risotto with Meyer lemon and little neck clams; or buckwheat agnolotti with carmelized onions and anchovies. For the final savory course, the chef is serving poached cod with polenta. Dessert will be a light and creamy tiramisu and biscotti. Make your reservations soon because this is sure to book up quickly! $85/person.

2. The NoMad Bar

A slightly different, but equally extravagant take on the Feast of the Seven Fishes is being offered by the team at The NoMad Bar.

Every Sunday, The NoMad Bar transforms into Mamma Guidara’s, their take on a red sauce Italian-American restaurant. It’s complete with red and white checkered table cloths, small wooden salad bowls for the side salads with Italian dressing, and empty Chianti bottles deployed as candle sticks.

On December 24th, Mamma Guidara will be offering a special seafood focused menu in honor of the holiday. The meal will start with the usual garlic bread, Caesar salads, and antipasti plates. On this one night only, it will be followed by a seafood feast including baked clams, whole-roasted Branzino, and shrimp fra diavolo. This menu also ends with house-made tiramisu. $85/person.

3. Le Coq Rico

Not in the mood for seafood? Buzzy restaurant Le Coq Rico will be serving a Christmas goose as the star of its 3-course holiday tasting menu, which will be offered for both lunch and dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The menu kicks off with a frog leg chervil soup with mushroom ravioli. Next comes the stuffed goose which will be accompanied by potato gnocchi with sour cream and apple cinnamon red cabbage. And, finally finish off with festive raspberry and vanilla snowman Vacherin. $98/person.

4. Benoit

Benoit, Alain Ducasse’s Midtown bistro, will be serving a special 3-course meal for dinner on Christmas Eve, and for lunch and dinner on Christmas Day.

Feast on the signature oyster platter, or a smooth and delicious sunchoke veloute with crispy veal sweetbread and white truffle. Follow that with the beef filet mignon with Maxim’s potatoes and a Bordelaise sauce. Or the roasted cod with mashed butternut squash with chestnut and truffle shavings. Finally, in true holiday fashion, end with the chestnut and amarena cherry yule log. There are plenty of additional options on the menu, including decadent add-ons, such as seared duck foie gras or shaved black truffles. Think of this as a choose-your-own-adventure in holiday extravagance. $90/person.

5. 15 East

Feel like sushi this Christmas? The always fabulous 15 East will be serving a special 6-course tasting menu, which starts with a soul-warming wild mushroom soup, and includes a sashimi course, a choice of ribeye Wagyu beef or Chilean sea bass, and a sushi course before ending on a sweet note. Each course on this menu is sure to surprise and delight, as dishes here always do. $165/person.

6. DaDong

If in your mind Christmas Day means delicious Chinese food, our go-to this year is DaDong. It’s the first U.S. restaurant opened by Chef Dong, one of China’s best-known toques. The restaurant is massive, occupying nearly 13,000 square feet and accommodating over 400 guests. Don’t dawdle, though — if you don’t make your reservations soon, the place may very well be totally full by the time you call.

The lure of Chef Dong’s cooking will surely cause a stampede to this restaurant, especially for his Peking Duck. We’re told by a trusted source that his rendition of the iconic dish is the best in China. The menu is vast, offering all of the authentic dishes you would expect. This makes it a perfect place to celebrate the holiday with your extended family – more diners means more dishes to share! Pricing varies.

7. The Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel

At the Plaza Hotel, the Palm Court is serving a “Grand Buffet” from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Christmas Day. The menu includes cabernet-braised beef short rib, smoked pit ham in a citrus-sherry glaze, and baked pipette rigate pasta with lobster and truffles. The grand finale involves family-style desserts: Christmas bread pudding and bûche de Noël. $190 per person ($75 for children 12 and under)

8. Le Coucou

Chef Daniel Rose is serving a full menu à la carte on Christmas Day from 7 to 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5:30 to 10 p.m.

9. Porter House Bar and Grill

This luxury steakhouse high above Manhattan at Columbus Circle is serving meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Porter House has been named one of the best places for a steak in New York City. That sounds like a worthy stop on the big day. And you can linger over a cocktail at one of the many other restaurants in the Time Warner Center either before or after.

Forks in the air! We wish we could stop in for a taste of all of these menus (especially the desserts) at the best restaurants open on Christmas in New York.

Wherever you choose to spend your time, all of us here at Dandelion Chandelier are wishing you a happy and safe holiday season. Mele kalikimakam, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noël – and please be sure to save us a slice of that Yule Log.

Come and join our community! For a weekly round-up of insider ideas and information on the world of luxury, sign up for our Dandelion Chandelier Sunday Read here. And see luxury in a new light.

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