Christmas Eve
Back Forty190 Ave. B, nr. 12th St.; 212-388-1990If you can’t wait until supper to enjoy Back Forty’s local offerings, move the feast up a few hours, for a Christmas Eve brunch. Guests can order mouthwatering items like buttermilk biscuits, pork jowl nuggets with jalapeño jam, and heritage bacon off their a la carte brunch menu. For dinner, guests can dig into the a la carte menu or Back Forty’s Christmas Eve specials: Seven Fishes Stew; chicken and dumplings; linguine with anchovies and dried figs; and roast suckling pig.The East Village restaurant will close early at 10 p.m.
Eataly
200 Fifth Ave., at 23rd St.; 212-229-2560
Spend Christmas Eve at Eataly this year, where their Holiday Dine Around will take you on a tasting tour through every Italian region ($180 per person, $120 for guests under 21). The head chefs at the six restaurants inside Eataly will each serve one dish, and restaurants will be open only to guests of the event. The first seating will begin at 5:30 p.m., and last at 8:30 p.m.
Kefi
505 Columbus Ave., nr. 84th St.; 212-873-0200
On Christmas Eve, Kefi will serve a revised à la cart menu featuring the restaurant’s signature dishes. Share a few meze with the table to start, and choose from favorites like grilled branzino or sheep’s milk dumplings for your entrée. But the real draw is the four-course Christmas menu for $35.95 per person (wine pairing for an additional $15), which includes avgolemono soup, a meze of stuffed cabbage and shredded pork, braised lamb shank with orzo, and baklava for dessert.
SD26
19 E. 26th St., nr. Madison Ave.; 212-265-5959
SD26 will embrace its Italian roots this Christmas Eve, offering up a special five-course menu highlighting different fish and seafood plates. Traditional Italian dishes—prepared with a modern twist, as always—on the menu include tagliolini with Sicilian red-shrimp bisque, perbellini panettone, and petits fours for dessert, all surrounding the main event: la grigliata di pesce (a spread of grilled scampi, octopus, swordfish, branzino, sepia, and calamari, or la grigliata di pesce). The dinner is $90 per person, and can also be enjoyed in the days leading up to the 24th, beginning December 19. À la carte menu items will also be available.
Takashi
456 Hudson St., at Barrow St.; 212-414-2929
At exotic-meats specialist Takashi, fill up on grilled mini meat pies stuffed with curried oxtail or stewed tripe, kobe beef filet mignon Fonduta, or sausage stuffed with ham, turkey, kobe beef, and foie gras, served with Périgueux sauce. Dessert will be Madagascar vanilla soft-serve with eggnog-cream topping.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Jimmy’s No. 43
43 E. 7th St., nr. Second Ave.; 212-982-3006
Celebrate with friends at Jimmy’s No. 43, where the owners of Green Flash Brewery are hosting this year’s Christmas dinner. Dig into a family-style buffet featuring traditional holiday fare like roasted meats, vegetarian sides, and of course, pie for dessert. Beer and wine will be served to accompany the meal, and Green Flash beers will be available for purchase during the event. The Christmas day dinner will take place from 1 to 4 p.m.; tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased here.
The John Dory Oyster Bar
1196 Broadway, at 29th St.; 212-792-9000
The John Dory Oyster Bar will serve a six-course prix fixe menu on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, from noon to midnight. For $65 per person, diners will enjoy dishes such as Hog Island Sweetwater oyster with sea urchin crema; vongoles with oregano, calabrian chili and strozzapreti, and daurade with blood orange and pistachio. Though the menus vary slightly each day, both the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day lin-up at the Oyster Bar finish with buttermilk panna cotta with candied kumquats for dessert. Make your plans early though, as the prix fixe menu is reservation-only; a limited a la carte menu will also be available for walk-ins.
Macao Trading Co.
311 Church St., nr. Walker St.; 212-431-8750
Mix up your holiday routine by introducing some East Asian flavor into your Christmas meal this year at Macao Trading Co., where the fare includes spiced chestnut soup and roasted venison with linguiça stuffing and port wine–chili butter. If you’re enjoying a more intimate holiday, split the two-pound Maine lobster with your date, paired with a watercress salad and chilled sesame noodles. Other highlights off the Christmas menu include soupa dourade, honey-dipped sponge cake, and eggnog custard.
More Restaurants Open on Christmas Eve
Alfama
214 E. 52nd St., nr. Third Ave.; 212-759-5552
Aquavit
65 E. 55th St., nr. Madison Ave.; 212-307-7311
Bar Americain
152 W. 52nd St., nr. Seventh Ave.; 212-265-9700
Bark Hot Dogs
474 Bergen St., nr. Flatbush Ave.; 718-789-1939
Blaue Gans
139 Duane St., nr. West Broadway; 212-571-8880
Dickson’s Farmstand Meats
Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave., at 16th St.; 212-242-2630
Donatella
184 Eighth Ave., nr. 19th St.; 212-493-5150
Eolo
190 Seventh Ave., nr. W. 21st St.; 646-225-6606
Gilt
New York Palace, 455 Madison Ave., at 50th St.; 212-891-8100
Lincoln
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, 142 W. 65th St., nr. Broadway; 212-359-6500
Marea
240 Central Park S., nr. Broadway; 212-582-5100
Mesa Grill
102 Fifth Ave., nr. 16th St.; 212-807-7400
Osteria Morini
218 Lafayette St., nr. Kenmare St.; 212-965-8777
Recette
328 W. 12th St., nr. Greenwich St.; 212-414-3000
Spasso
551 Hudson St., nr. Perry St.; 212-858-3838
Ventanas
100 Tenth Ave., nr. 16th St.; 212-366-1640
Wallsé
344 W. 11th St., at Washington St.; 212-352-2300
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Ai Fiori
400 Fifth Ave., second fl., at 36th St.; 212-695-4005
Asellina
420 Park Ave S., nr. 29th St.; 212-317-2908
Beauty & Essex
146 Essex St., nr. Stanton St.; 212-614-0146
Brasserie
100 E. 53rd St., nr. Park Ave.; 212-751-4840
Brasserie 8 1/2
9 W. 57th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-829-0812
Delicatessen
54 Prince St., New York, nr. Lafayette St.; 212-226-0211
Del Frisco’s Grille
Rockefeller Center, 51st St., Rockefeller Center Plaza; 212-767-0371
Fish Tag
222 W. 79th St., nr. Broadway; 212-362-7470
La Bottega
The Maritime Hotel, 88 Ninth Ave., at 17th St.; 212-243-8400
Landmarc
Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Cir., third fl., at 60th St.; 212-823-6123
Lyon Bouchon Moderne
118 Greenwich Ave., nr. Jane St., 212-242-5966
MexiQ
37–11 30th Ave., nr. 38th St.; 718-626-0333
Park Avenue Tavern
99 Park Ave., at 39th St.; 212-867-4484
P.J. Clarke’s
915 Third Ave., at 55th St.; 212-317-1616
Rock Center Café
Rockefeller Center, 20 W. 50th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-332-7620
Spina
175 Avenue B, nr. E. 11th St.; 212-253-2250
STK
26 Little W. 12th St., nr. Ninth Ave.; 646-624-2444
SushiSamba
245 Park Ave. South, at 20th St.; 212-475-9377
SushiSamba 7
87 Seventh Ave. South, at Barrow St.; 212-691-7885
The Sea Grill
Rockefeller Center, 19 W. 49th St., nr. Rockefeller Plz.; 212-332-7610
The Shop at Andaz 5th Avenue
485 Fifth Ave., at 41st St.; 212-601-1234
The Stanton Social
99 Stanton St., nr. Ludlow St.; 212-995-0099
Vic’s Bagel Bar
544 Third Ave., nr. 36th St., 212-213-3900
Wall & Water
75 Wall St., nr. Water St.; 212-590-1234