SEAGuide
6 Great Restaurants Open On Christmas Day
photo credit: Nate Watters
Holidays are hard enough. It’s the airport's busy season, the weather is unpredictable, and multiple family members are ready to share unsolicited opinions about your new bangs. Celebrate the fact that you made it to December 25th by having someone else do the cooking on Christmas Day. Then, all that’s left to do is sit back, eat a great holiday dinner, and rock those bangs.
photo credit: Nate Watters
Dough Zone never fails, and Christmas Day is no exception. Eat stuffed beef rolls, numbing dan dan noodles, and meaty pork buns at this International District dumpling spot as you decide which hideous gifted sweater you’ll need to return first.
photo credit: Nate Watters
Nothing says “holiday spirit” like unwrapping lotus leaf sticky rice and kissing under a bundle of garlic pea vines at Jade Garden. This dim sum restaurant in the International District is open all day on December 25th, so you can come here for an early holiday lunch and be back home before the chaos that is dinnertime in the ID on Christmas Day.
photo credit: Chona Kasinger
Jade Garden is not the only excellent International District dim sum spot open on Christmas Day—there’s Harbor City, too. And since each place will likely be packed, just put your name down at both and see where you can get a table first.
photo credit: Chona Kasinger
Tai Tung is the oldest Chinese restaurant in the city. And if you thought you were the only one with the idea to head here for oyster sauce beef and wonton soup, think again. Just know that the dining room will be full of people and the non-stop sound of phones ringing with takeout orders. Reservations can fill up a month in advance, so act now if you'd like to spend December 25th with a plate of crunchy almond chicken.
If you’re going the classic hotel holiday dinner route, it's important to make sure there's tasty food involved. At The George (located inside the Fairmont Olympic) you’ll find exactly that. They’re offering a Christmas dinner for $140 per person where you can choose from courses like ahi crudo with caramel and calabrian chili, citrusy beet salad, braised pork belly with spiced quince, and beef tenderloin topped with rosemary crème fraiche. Finish it all with a slice of pumpkin cake and the satisfaction of knowing there’s a clean kitchen back home.
photo credit: Ray's Cafe
While we’d usually recommend Ray’s Cafe during the summertime for their phenomenal view, it turns out that this waterfront staple is one of the few places open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You can make a reservation to sit upstairs in the cafe and choose from their usual menu of seafood-related dishes along with a few a la carte Christmas specials. Or, if you’re looking for something a bit more special, Ray's Boathouse downstairs will be serving a three-course menu for $75 per person.
