Enjoy holiday feasting without the cooking at these D.C. restaurants open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Hello December! It's time to dive into the most wonderful time of the year. Trees and lights are going up, shops and markets are dialing up the holiday cheer and restaurants are gearing up for celebratory feasts. And speaking of feasts, if you haven't started planning your own, now is the time.
For many, cooking for a crowd on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day can be fun, a highlight of the season. But it does mean hours spent hovering over the stove, tracking timers and checking doneness all while entertaining guests. It can be exhausting, even if you're just prepping a dish or two to bring to the festivities. So why not leave the cooking to someone else? Washington, D.C., has plenty of restaurants that are open for the holidays, ready to turn an excellent meal into a celebration.
From grand hotel ballrooms to warm French brasseries, restaurants are prepping their special Christmas menus. You'll find tasting menus, elaborate buffets, traditional spreads, Feast of the Seven Fishes celebrations and even take-home options so you can enjoy a restaurant-quality meal at home without all the work. You can be sure these holiday offerings come with seasonal ingredients and lots of holiday flair.
Whether you want something polished, cozy or over-the-top, here are the restaurants in Washington, D.C. that will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
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What is it? Fabio Trabocchi’s Michelin-starred flagship restaurant in Penn Quarter is offering two options for Christmas Eve: a Feast of the Seven Fishes tasting or a nine-course Brumidi tasting menu. Wine pairings are optional, but both experiences are sure to be indulgent, with unforgettable seafood and pasta options.
Address: 601 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004
Christmas hours: Dec 24 4:30pm-close
Expect to pay: $395 per person, $270 optional wine pairing
What is it? The Fairmont Washington D.C. is decked out for the holidays each year, and the Colonnade restaurant gets festive with an annual Brunch with Santa. A Christmas Day tradition for decades, the brunch features festive music and a visit from Santa himself. The buffet brunch features a waffle station, omelette station, carving station and seafood station. The dessert buffet includes plenty of delightful holiday treats.
Address: 2401 M St NW, Washington, DC 20037
Christmas hours: Dec 25 seatings at 11am and 1:30pm
Expect to pay: $169 per person
What is it? This sophisticated Hay Adams Hotel is an elegant spot to celebrate the holidays with two special holiday buffets. The three-course Christmas Eve menu at The Lafayette restaurant includes specialties like crispy duck fat artichokes, Nantucket sea scallops, herb-crusted lamb chops and holiday desserts like a Snowfall Pavlova. The Christmas Day buffet on the rooftop features a soup bar, chilled salads and seafood, hot savory items, a carving station, cheeses and desserts galore.
Address: 800 16th St NW Washington, DC 20006
Christmas hours: Dec 24 5:30pm-10pm, Dec 25 seatings between 11:30am and 3pm
Expect to pay: $125 per person Christmas Eve, $180 per person Christmas Day
What is it? Located inside the Lyle Hotel in Dupont Circle, Lyle’s is a festive spot to stop in for a holiday cocktail throughout the season. But the restaurant and bar offer a special holiday menu both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for something extra special. The three-course menu includes options like wild mushroom bisque, truffle gnocchi, smoked duck breast, branzino and a chocolate budino.
Address: 1731 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009
Christmas hours: Dec 24 and 25, 5-10pm
Expect to pay: $55 per person
What is it? Holiday brunch at this distinguished hotel has been a favorite among DC residents and visitors for generations. The magnificent spread is matched only by the gorgeous backdrop of the Willard and Crystal ballrooms. Offerings include seafood and cheese stations, a carving station featuring prime rib, ham and lamb, plus all the holiday fixings plus bottomless mimosas, bellinis and bloody marys. A Sweets & Treats Buffet in Peacock Alley highlights the best of The Willard’s pastry team.
Address: 1401 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004
Christmas hours: Dec 25 seatings between 11am and 2:30pm
Expect to pay: $195 per person
What is it? This exceptional spot for regional ingredients and wine pairings is offering a special Christmas Eve Prime Rib Dinner for the holidays. The three-course, family-style meal will be a thoroughly indulgent spread, featuring the likes of mac and cheese fritters, crispy Chesapeake oysters, shaved country ham with cornbread, slow-roasted Roseda Farms prime rib with abundant fixings, and luxurious dessert. The Tavern will also be open for more casual, à la carte dining.
Address: 1734 N St NW, Washington, DC 20036
Christmas hours: Dec 24 4:30–11pm
Expect to pay: $110 per person, optional wine pairings $75 and $95
What is it? For a stylish, French-inspired Christmas celebration, Brasserie Liberté in Georgetown is the place. The celebratory Christmas Day menu starts with a DIY mimosa setup that includes sparkling wine and seasonal juices (or upgrade to Veuve Clicquot). Festive dining options range from chestnut soup and Parisian gnocchi to escargot, eggs Benedict, beef Bourguignon, brioche French toast and moules frites.
Address: 3251 Prospect St NW, Washington, DC 20007
Christmas hours: Dec 25 11am-10pm
Expect to pay: Entrees range from $18-35
What is it? All locations of this rustic, farm-to-table restaurant concept will be open on Christmas Day, serving an à la carte breakfast menu in the morning, then a special prix fixe Christmas menu from 10:30am until close. Enjoy farm breads and spreads, a choice of starter and entree and a festive dessert. Options include favorites like Chesapeake blue crab corn bisque, Southern fried chicken and waffles, salt and pepper fishers catch and herb-crusted prime rib. You can also enjoy a Founding Farmers Christmas at home with their menu of complete meals to go.
Address: Multiple locations
Christmas hours: Dec 25 10:30am-8pm
Expect to pay: Starting at $55 per person, depending on entrée choice
What is it? This chic Dupont Circle restaurant will host an elaborate Feast of the Seven Fishes celebration featuring locally-sourced seafood and Italian holiday classics. The four-course, family-style feast begins with stone oysters and caviar, smoked trout croquettes, seared scallops and other small plates before moving on to lobster pasta, hearth-roasted whole black bass, and an indulgent tiramisu to finish.
Address: 1734 N St NW, Washington, DC 20036
Christmas hours: Dec 24 5-10pm
Expect to pay: $125 per person, optional wine pairings $90 and $120
What is it? The newly-refurbished Salamander is decked out for the holidays, with elegant decor, holiday-inspired cocktails and treats and even s’mores kits to enjoy by their fire pits. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, celebrate with something a little more refined: the Holiday Afternoon Tea experience in the Lounge includes house-made scones, tea sandwiches and pastries paired with a selection of premium teas and a glass of sparkling wine.
Address: 1330 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC 20024
Christmas hours: Dec 24 and 25, seatings from 2-4:15pm
Expect to pay: $115 per person
What is it? Indulge in a mid-Atlantic take on Feast of the Seven Fishes. The four-course menu celebrates the local bounty and flavors of the season. Highlights include baked Tall Timbers oysters with ‘nduja butter, fried New Jersey squid, baked Maryland lobster with crispy fries and linguine tossed with Maryland clams, chili and garlic. A festive panettone with mascarpone mousse is the sweet finish.
Address: 610 Water Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
Christmas hours: Dec 24 11:30am-3pm
Expect to pay: $115 per person, $58 optional wine pairing
What is it? Both locations of Chef Edward Lee’s Asian-infused Southern eatery—Succotash and Succotash Prime—will be open for business with their regular menus, plus special holiday menus available after 4pm on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The limited holiday menu will be slightly different at each location, with options like a baked brie hand pie, hot honey-glazed ham biscuit, miso butter grilled lobster, gochugaru spiced halibut and more, plus a special Campfire Cider bourbon cocktail.
Address: 915 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004
Christmas hours: Dec 24 11:30am-10pm; Dec 25 12-8pm
Expect to pay: Entrees range from $39-$49
What is it? Celebrate this traditional Italian feast—a meatless meal with at least seven seafood dishes—in CityCenter with James Beard nominee Chef Amy Brandwein. The four-course, family-style service does the tradition right with delightful seafood dishes like baccala, oysters on the half shell, monkfish piccata, charred octopus and plenty of handmade pastas. Each course can be paired with a perfectly matched Italian wine selection.
Address: 974 Palmer Alley NW, Washington, DC 20001
Christmas hours: Dec 24 5pm-9pm
Expect to pay: $160 per person, $80 optional wine pairing
What is it? For an elegant taste of the Mid-Atlantic, The Simon at Reston Station will be open with two festive menus. A four-course prix fixe dinner is available on Christmas Eve and Day. Refined holiday options include duck liver mousse, sunchoke velouté, braised short rib, homemade tortelloni and more. A Grazing Brunch is available on Christmas Day for a more leisurely option, featuring a curated selection of The Simon’s most-loved appetizers and house-made pastries.
Address: 11340 Reston Station Blvd, Reston, VA 20190
Christmas hours: Dec 24 5-8:30pm; Dec 25 11am-2pm & 5:30pm-8pm
Expect to pay: $145 per person for dinner, $85 per person for brunch
What is it? Mid-Atlantic cuisine cooked on an open-hearth fire gets the holiday treatment this year at Old Town’s Hotel Heron. Kiln’s three-course prix fixe menu includes options like butternut squash with Maryland crab, duck confit ravioli with pine nut crema, bison tenderloin with smoked mushroom puree, roasted eggplant with sorghum glaze, and, of course, festive desserts.
Address: 699 Prince St, Alexandria, VA 22314
Christmas hours: Dec 24 5-10pm
Expect to pay: $75 per person
What is it? Celebrate the French custom of Réveillon, a Christmas Eve tradition dating back to the 18th century. Chef David Guas’ prix fixe Coastal Réveillon menu will be available in addition to the restaurant's regular dinner menu on Christmas Eve. Standout dishes include Oysters Rockefeller and Blue Crab-Stuffed Virginia Flounder.
Address: 6641 Old Dominion Dr, McLean, VA 22101
Christmas hours: Dec 24 5-9pm
Expect to pay: $94 per person, $45 for optional wine pairings
What is it? Celebrate the holidays a la chef Wolfgang Puck at Cut on the rooftop at the Rosewood. This special three-course menu showcases the season’s finest flavors with offerings like Maine lobster bisque, chestnut tortelloni, roasted prime ribeye, and Ora King salmon Wellington. Elevate the experience with curated wine pairings and finish up with buche de noël, the classic Christmas pastry.
Address: 1050 31st St NW, Washington, DC 20007
Christmas hours: Dec 24 5-10pm, Dec 25 1-9pm
Expect to pay: $195 per person
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