Christmas Eve (Saturday, December 24) is a prime time to dine out around DC—whether you’re looking for a festive brunch, blowout dinner, or a casual place to gather with family and friends. If you’re looking for a seafood indulgence for Christmas Eve, see our guide to Feasts of the Seven Fishes around town.
Dinner
Albi
1346 4th St., SE
Chef Michael Rafidi offers “sofra” feasts for Christmas Eve in his Michelin-starred, wood-fired Levantine dining room. The feast ($125 per person) is “subject to spontaneity” with a mix of individual and family-style dishes from the hearth. Ticketed reservations are available here.
Ambar
523 Eighth St., SE; 1547 Seventh St., NW; 2901 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
Hours: 4 to 11 PM
Celebrate Christmas Eve with an all-you-can-eat Balkan feast with unlimited small plates ($79 per person). Specials include beef schnitzel, black sea sea bass with lentil stew, and Istrian pasta with wild mushrooms, truffle, and parmesan. A take home option is also available.
Anju
1805 18th St., NW
Hours: 11 AM to 7:30 PM
Instead of brunch, the contemporary Korean restaurant near Dupont Circle is serving their normal dining menu all day on Christmas Eve. Enjoy Mama Lee’s classics like chili-braised chicken thighs, or chef Angel Barreto’s standout dishes like a galbi ssam board or whole crispy branzino.
Blue Duck Tavern
1201 24th St., NW, Park Hyatt
Hours: 5:30 to 10 PM
A la carte dinner offerings at the upscale West End restaurant include jumbo lump crab cakes, roasted chestnut soup, and pan-seared scallops. Choose between Mont Blanc-candied chestnut cream or dark chocolate Black Forest cake for dessert.
The Bombay Club
815 Connecticut Ave., NW
Hours: 5 to 10 PM
Christmas Eve diners looking for upscale Indian cuisine can choose from an a la carte menu with holiday specials like lamb osso buco with cinnamon and clove and steamed Christmas pudding with maple-pecan gelato—all set in a stately dining room near the White House.
Bourbon Steak
2800 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Hours: 5 to 10 PM
The Four Seasons hotel in Georgetown went all out on holiday decorations, from the lobby lights to cozy outdoor “chalets” themed after the luxe hotel’s ski resorts. Guests can reserve the chalets and pick from different “resort” menus like the Whistler suite’s hot miso buttered shellfish. A full Bourbon Steak menu is also available.
ChiKo
2029 P St., NW; 423 Eighth St., SE; 7280 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda
Hours: 11 AM to 9 PM
The Chinese-Korean sister restaurant to Anju and Mandu is offering a to-go feast for Christmas eve that stars a half-Peking duck and all the accompaniments, a snack pack, wagyu beef egg rolls, coconut sugar cookies, and more ($95 serves two).
Cut by Wolfgang Puck
1050 31st St., NW
If prime rib is your holiday favorite, Puck’s restaurant in Georgetown’s Rosewood Hotel is a good Christmas option. The kitchen offers luxe to-go packages with the meaty centerpiece for two ($325) for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (available for order here). Dine-in reservations for Christmas Eve and Day ($185 per person) are available on OpenTable.
Gravitas
1401 Okie St., NE
Hours: 5 to 10 PM
Chef Matt Baker’s Michelin-starred restaurant is serving a $165 menu with luxe courses of lobster, seared scallops, Wagyu beef, and more. Dine-in reservations can be made here. Baker is also offering holiday packages to-go through his catering division with prime rib and Yorkshire pudding, spiced date cake, and other holiday classics (options and orders can be found here).
Kinship
1015 7th St., NW
Hours: 6 to 8:30 PM, pick-up for takeout at 5-5:30 PM
For $150 per person, feast on a five-course menu of bluefin toro sashimi, blue crab and winter spice emulsion, and a choice of grilled Maine lobster or beef tenderloin. Reservations can be made on Tock. Chef Eric Ziebold is also offering celebratory dining packages for two ($200) with dishes like truffle-stuffed roast chicken. Reservations and takeout packages can be booked here.
Le Diplomate
1601 14th St., NW
Hours: 9:30 AM through last seating at 9 PM
Logan Circle’s buzzy French brasserie is decked out for the holidays with sparkling lights, Christmas trees, and bountiful garlands. On both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the restaurant will serve its regular all day a-la-carte menu with additional holiday specials like turkey roulade or filet de boeuf Rossini with wild mushrooms, brioche, foie gras, and truffle jus. For dessert: bûche de Nöel.
Moon Rabbit
801 Wharf Street SW, Intercontinental Washington D.C. at The Wharf
Hours: 11:30 AM to 12 AM Sunday morning
Celebrate the holiday with contemporary Vietnamese, available for dine-in or takeout. Chef Kevin Tien offers char siu smoked brisket, spinach & artichoke dip, miso parmesan potatoes, and five-spiced chocolate cake with Vietnamese coffee ganache. Reservations are here. The spread is also available to-go ($250; serves four) and can be ordered here.
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Old Ebbitt Grill
675 15th St., NW
Hours: 9 to 2 AM, kitchen closes at 1 AM
Christmas Eve is a typically a busy night throughout the Clyde’s Restaurant Group locations, and its stalwart spot by the White House is no different. Go fo fun decorations and an a la carte menu of American dishes—plus a full raw bar.
Stable DC
1324 H St., NE
Hours: 5 to 10 PM
Stable’s holiday menu features a fondue prix-fixe menu for $56 per person, and includes a glass of sparkling wine, a choice of appetizer, a signature fondue, and a choice of dessert. The Swiss mountain cabin-inspired restaurant also has their regular menu available, featuring braised lamb shank, venison, and chicken vol-au-vent dumplings.
Brunch
Immigrant Food+
925 13th St. NW, The Planet Word Museum
Hours: 11 AM to 3 PM
Diners can enjoy a pop-up Christmas Eve brunch that channels global flavors with Turkish eggs, churros, and a Milanesa holiday sandwich.
Martin’s Tavern
1264 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Hours: Brunch from 9 AM to 4 PM; Dinner from 4:30 to 11:30 PM
Martin’s Tavern is a Georgetown holiday staple between the festive decorations and comforting cuisine. In addition to the full menu, Christmas Eve specials include oysters on the half shell, prime rib, and braised lamb shank along with espresso martinis, hot buttered rum, spiced apple cider, and George Washington’s Eggnog.
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Mari Vanna
1141 Connecticut Ave., NW
Hours: Bruch from 12 to 4 PM; Dinner from 4 to 10 PM
Warm up with Eastern European cuisine on Christmas Eve. For brunch, dishes include Georgian-inspired cheese pies and potato pancakes with cured salmon. Start dinner with a choice of caviar, and choose between a Ukranian borscht with beef, cured herring, chicken Kyiv, or Russian beef stroganoff.
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Vermilion
1120 King St., Alexandria
Hours: Brunch from 10:30 AM to1:45 PM; Dinner from 4 to 8:45 PM
Head to the newly revamped Old Town restaurant for ricotta pancakes, coriander French toast, or a B.L.T. for Christmas Eve brunch. Reservations are available on OpenTable. For dinner, the seasonal American restaurant offers a four-course tasting menu for $105.
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