Christmas Eve is on Thursday, December 24, and a number of restaurants are planning festive feasts for the holiday.
1100 New York Ave., NW
Chef Jake Addeo has shown his talent with seafood, so the Christmas Eve “Feast of the Seven Fishes” tasting menu sounds like a tasty bet—think caviar and crudo, lobster ravioli and clam pasta.
Details: Five-course menu for $65 per person.
1625 I St., NW
Celebrate at one of Michelle Obama’s favorite haunts near the White House. New chef Marc Hennessy prepares an a la carte menu with options such as butter-poached lobster and a ribeye steak with Waygu butter.
Details: A la carte menu.
1600 King St., Alexandria
Chef Harper McClure creates a festive three-course menu in the warmly-lit dining room, with dishes such as a Christmas goose duo and passionfruit creme brûlée. Guests receive an individual fruit cake to take home for Christmas Day.
Details: Three-course menu for $75 per person.
1122 Ninth St., NW
Chef Tom Powers’s Shaw classic is a great spot for those who like minimal din and white tablecloths, though it’s far from stodgy—and the level of cuisine doesn’t feels tired. The kitchen serves a three-course menu for the holiday, with a number of choices in each category.
Details: Set menu for $65 per person.
Gruppo FT Restaurants (Fiola, Fiola Mare, Casa Luca)
All three of chef Fabio Trabocchi’s Italian restaurants serve Christmas Eve dinner, ranging from uber-luxurious five-course tasting menus at Fiola Mare to a only-slightly-less-indulgent feasts at Casa Luca. Head to Fiola for a fine dining take on Feast of the Seven Fishes.
Details: Menus vary by location.
800 Connecticut Ave., NW
Go visit the White House tree and then sit down for a festive meal at this elegant New American, where chef John Melfi prepares a three-course prix fixe menu with dishes such as chestnut veloute with foie gras, Christmas goose, and a house “fruit cake.”
Details: Three-course set menu for $60 per person.
11960 Democracy Dr., Reston; 7187 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda
Both the Reston and new Bethesda locations of chef Jeff Tunks’s seafood restaurant serve fish-filled menus for the holiday. Guests can splurge with Petrossian caviar service and lobster, or go more casual with fried oysters and simply-grilled catch of the day.
Details: Three-course menus; prices vary by entree selection.
1226 36th St., NW
Georgetown’s atmospheric restaurant goes all-out for Christmas with elaborate holiday displays and a wood-burning hearth at the center of the dining room. Chef Samuel Kim prepares a special a la carte menu with dishes like foie gras torchon and roasted prime rib.
Details: Holiday a la carte menu.
2941 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church
Chef Bertrand Chemel draws from his French training for an elegant Christmas Eve menu, filled with dishes such as chestnut veloute, filet with rossini sauce, and bûche de Noël. Vegetarians will find options for each course.
Details: Three-course menu for $85 per person.
575 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Wolfgang Puck’s DC restaurant recently underwent a remodel for the look and menu, and we loved the new roast duck dish. You’ll find a version as the star of the Christmas Eve menu, which features a whole roast bird with bao buns and accompaniments, duck broth with dumplings, duck fat-fried rice, and more. For dessert: the signature 15-layer carrot cake.
Details: Set menu for $65 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
