holiday

The Countdown Is On! Where to Sip, Savor and Celebrate on Christmas Eve

The Countdown Is On! Where to Sip, Savor and Celebrate on Christmas Eve

The Annie (photo by Jenn Duncan)

AFTER LAST-MINUTE shopping, wrapping gifts, mailing cards, and playing Santa, are you feeling too exhausted to cook this holiday? When it comes to Christmas Eve, we’ve got delicious dining-out ideas, ranging from French cuisine to Thai, Indian, top-notch Mediterranean, and fare as American as apple (or pecan) pie. Anything goes in H-Town!

The Annie

Score reservations for Christmas Eve brunch or dinner service with the regular brunch and dinner menus available, along with a few chef specials. Christmas carolers will be spreading cheer at the restaurant from 6:30-8:30pm.

B&B Butchers & Restaurant

B&B dining room

Join the steakhouse for Christmas Eve brunch or dinner, featuring Christmas carolers making merry as well as a festive reindeer for photos with the kiddos.

Backstreet Cafe

Serving a three-course menu ($55 per adult, $15 per child), dinner highlights include lobster risotto, lamb shank with cauliflower puree, and chocolate cake with macerated cherries. Complimentary eggnog!

Benny Chows

This still-new Cantonese concept from Berg Hospitality is festively decorated for the holidays. On Christmas Eve, lunch and dinner from the regular menu will be served. Or guests can enjoy the four-course prix-fixe menu for $95 per person.

Bludorn

The Montrose staple will be open during regular hours on Christmas Eve, as well as for brunch. Don’t miss seasonal favorite Beef Wellington elevated with rich umami infusion of wild mushrooms encased in a robust pastry crust and lit up by Perigourdine sauce. Optionally, guests can take this holiday classic to bake at home. Order the limited-edition Beef Wellington a la carte or as a full feast online for pick-up on Christmas Eve from 11am-3pm.

Etoile

Etoile

This chic French haunt in Uptown Park will offer Christmas Eve lunch from the regular menu and dinner from 5 to 9PM serving a special three-course menu ($84 per person, $34 per child 10 and under). Expect options like duck foie gras au torchon, venison medallions with braised Savoy cabbage, red wine pears, and au poivre rosé sauce, and bûche de Noël for the finale.

Hugo's

Hugo's

Guests can feast on the Cena de Noche Buena, a special Christmas Eve buffet ($52 per person, $15 per child) from 5-8pm. Optionally, there is a full holiday take-out menu available for pre-order.

Le Jardinier

Spend Christmas Eve in a beautiful setting in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The modern, French dining institution by The Bastion Collection is celebrating with a five-course dinner ($175 per person). Anticipate Scallop Crudo with heirloom beets, lime cream and Royal Kaluga caviar; AOP Gruyere Cheese Souffle with shaved black truffle and winter mushrooms; Saffron Carolina Gold Rice Risotto with halibut and clams; Red Wine Braised Chuck Beef, and a Black Forest Log cake with kirsch macerated cherry and chocolate cremeux. Make reservations via Resy or call the restaurant.

MaKiin

This luxurious Thai newcomer in the Hanover River Oaks will be open from 11am-10pm both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Rest assured that the chefs are serving a special upscale menu full of creative surprises for both occasions.

Numero28

Numero 28

On Christmas Eve, keep it casual and order a pizza for the whole family, salads, and the signature Cacio e Pepe tossed and served table-side in a pecorino cheese wheel. Open for lunch and dinner. Walk-ins are welcome; parties of 5-plus, call 713.485.5248 to reserve. Click here for menus.

Rosalie

Rosalie

Celebrate Christmas Eve with the Italian-American holiday tradition the Feast of Seven Fishes. The special menu features Insalata Di Mare with marinated scallops, mussels, squid and tuna; Spaghetti alla Chianti with crawfish and rapini; Monkfish with potato, clams, olives; and kumquat-Gianduja Torte for dessert. Dinner runs from 5-10pm ($75 per person). Reservations via Open Table.

Sorriso

Sorriso's Feast of Seven Fishes

Catch the Feast of Seven Fishes, available only on Christmas Eve in The Woodlands: a three-course, family-style dinner ($65 per adult, $22 per child ages 13 and under). Menu highlights include roasted oysters on the half shell with Meyer lemon and ciabatta breadcrumbs; fritto misto brimming with scallops, shrimp, calamari, and spicy marinara; Gulf shrimp risotto, and more. Tiramisu and strawberry panna cotta for dessert.

Wild Oats

Underbelly Hospitality’s Texas-inspired, family-friendly restaurant has arrived in Spring Branch and is welcoming guests to Christmas Eve Brunch ($40 per person) and two screenings of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Screenings run at 11am and 2pm. The family-style feast includes Who Pudding (bread pudding French toast sticks), Who Hash and Roast Beast with eggs (potato hash and prime rib), plus Grinch Popcorn (Caramel popcorn with a green twist).

From Your Site Articles
Food
promoted

Meet Brian Boyter, New High-End Residential Broker with an Unique Background

Meet Brian Boyter, New High-End Residential Broker with an Unique Background

BRIAN BOYTER IS a Houston native with an interesting background in real estate. After an impressive 16-year tenure managing commercial transactions in a Fortune 500 Real Estate Investment Trust, he recently made the shift to high-end residential brokerage. The experience left him uniquely suited to thrive in the sometimes-emotional world of buying or selling a home.

Keep Reading Show less
music

With New Concept Album, Jacob Hilton Processes Mental-Health Struggles

Dakota Garrett

Jacob Hilton, a.k.a. Travid Halton, at home in his kitchen, where he enjoys cooking as a form of therapy.

PINK FLOYD'S THE Wall. Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours. Beyonce’s Lemonade. Three divergent examples of the album as a cathartic, psychological, conceptual work, meant to be experienced in a single sitting. Houston singer-songwriter Jacob Hilton, 37, who records as Travid Halton, a portmanteau of his mother and father’s names, might balk at being mentioned in such company. (This is a thoroughly unpretentious man, who describes himself as an “archaeologist turned singer-songwriter.”)

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment
promoted

Leadership in Action: ‘Family, Community and Spiritual Connection’ Drives Success for Henry Richardson

Al Torres

How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

Keep Reading Show less