HOUGuide
14 Great Houston Restaurants Open On Christmas Day
photo credit: Kin Dee
Just as the residual stress of Thanksgiving dinner vanishes, the question of what to do for Christmas dinner appears. The good news is there are some restaurants open on December 25th that will happily do it all for you: serve excellent food, curate a holiday aesthetic, and pour enough wine to keep your Scrooge of a great uncle happy.
Also see our guide to great restaurants for New Year's Eve dinner.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
Spend Christmas Day at Hongdae 33 and eat as much grilled meat as your body can handle. The AYCE Korean BBQ joint in Chinatown will be open during normal business hours on December 25th, and for $33 a head, you can order and cook la galbi, bulgogi, jumbo garlic shrimp, and much more.
Price: $33 per person
The Movie theater-themed steakhouse Juliet will be open on December 25th. During Christmas, the regular menu items will be available to order, which means you can celebrate the holiday with crab cakes, seared pork belly, or, maybe a tomahawk steak completely covered in gold.
Price: Varies
The Italian spot Bari Ristorante in River Oaks will be open on Christmas Day with a few options for diners. Choose from the regular menu a la carte from this Italian spot, or indulge in the specialty menu being served on the 25th.
Price: varies
The upscale Indian restaurant Kiran’s will have a Christmas Day buffet to celebrate the holiday. From 11am-3pm, guests can have their fill of shrimp biryani, chicken tikka masala, mango chutney, and more.
Price: $95 for adults, $35 for children under 10
photo credit: Gianni Greene
If you’re in the mood for Christmas Day dim sum, you’re in luck. The AYCE buffet Kim Son will be open on December 25th. Everything at the Chinatown buffet, including sushi, fluffy bao buns, turnip cakes, and fresh pressed sugarcane juice, will be available to have as long as you can hang. But be sure to hit up the buffet before 3pm (when dim sum is no longer offered) if you plan on digging into some steaming tins of har gow.
Price: Varies
Part-time flower shop and full-time Italian restaurant Fiori will be open from 11am-8pm on Christmas Day. The Montrose restaurant’s normal menu is available all day, which means you can celebrate December 25th buried in ‘nduja fettuccine.
Price: Varies
The Chinatown institution Ocean Palace will be open in all of its dim sum glory on Christmas Day. Come from 10am-5pm for boatloads of har gow shrimp, pork shu mai, ma po tofu, and more.
Price: Varies
Spend your holiday a bit more casually at the British pub Red Lion Pub in Montrose. Open from 11am-12am, there will be dinner plates decked out with turkey, stuffing, candied yams, brussel sprouts, and more.
Price: $38 per person
photo credit: Quit Nguyen
Have a Christmas Day breakfast at New York Deli & Coffee Shop. The Westbury Jewish deli and diner will be open on the 25th of December so you can get your fill of whitefish, challah french toast, and, of course, hot bagels.
Price: Varies
The healthy-ish restaurant Bloom & Bee will be open for business on December 25th. The three-course menu will feature seasonal specialties from 12-8pm.
Price: $105 for adults, $55 for children
photo credit: Richard Casteel
The Southern-style restaurant Cleburne Cafeteria will be open from 11am-8pm on Christmas Day. Which means you can swing by this West University spot and have the classics, like chicken fried chicken and golden fried catfish with hushpuppies. Or, take your holiday cheer to-go with takeout orders with turkey, ham, and all the fixins’.
Price: varies
Celebrate Christmas Day at the American restaurant Davis Street in the Museum District, which will be serving a four course pre-fixe menu with items like blackened red fish or Thai style snapper.
Price: $70 per person
Head to Kin Dee in The Heights and have your pick of the full menu on Christmas Day. The fancy Thai restaurant will be serving everything from Thai flower dumplings to Panang Curry, so book your reservations soon.
Price: Varies
French restaurant Tonight & Tomorrow will be open on Christmas, serving both their regular and specialty Christmas Day menu. Head to the Montrose spot and have a roasted Chilean sea bass and heritage turkey, or an octopus and lobster-stuffed bouillabaisse. And if you’re feeling sweet, have some of their apple-cranberry pudding.
Price: varies