Beef Wellington at Phat Eatery
Bloom & Bee
Bloom & Bee
The pretty Post Oak Hotel restaurant is open for reservations on Christmas Day, offering a special three-course menu featuring butter-poached king crab, Akaushi New York strip, Kurobuta pork tenderloin, Dover sole and more ($95 per adult, $45 for kids under 12).
Kiran's
Christmas brunch is on with 12pm and 2pm seatings for a buffet with a wide assortment of Indian delicacies including starters, mains like carved leg of lamb, tandoori salmon, and chicken tikka masala — with sides, of course, and a dessert extravaganza!
Cleburne Cafeteria
With traditional recipes that date back almost 80 years, the restaurant will welcome guests for dine-in or takeout from 11 to 8pm on Christmas Day.
Hamsa
The modern Israeli hotspot will be lighting the menorah every night at sundown and offering guests sufganiyot (fried donuts) with the meal. The restaurant will be open with its regular menu Dec. 24 and Dec. 25.
Kin Dee
Kin Dee's butterfly tea margarita
The authentic Thai eatery will offer a special menu on Sunday, Dec. 25, with highlights such as roasted duck breast Panang, Shrimp Tom Yum, Northern Curry, and Tiger Cry salad with sliced steak, as well as festive cocktails.
Phat Eatery
Phat Eatery will be open on Christmas Day until 8pm. In addition to signature family-style Malaysian night market hits, James Beard Award semifinalist chef Alex Au-Yeung will be offering two holiday specials: Wagyu Rendang Wellington and rich Lobster Mee. Available for to-go and dine-in, Dec. 16-Jan. 1. Call 832.412.2927 for reservations or book online.
Musaafer
Leg of lamb (photo by Raydon Creative)
This Indian jewel inside the Galleria mall will be open on Christmas Day for lunch and dinner. Chef Mayank Istwal is proudly offering a slow-braised leg of lamb with sides of roasted carrots, charred shallots, red onions, radish, sweet peppers, Lachha paratha and lamb gravy — it's served family-style, and will feed six adults ($300). Other indulgences include pastry chef Ruchit Harneja's "Santa Plause" dessert, a hat-shaped, multi-layered plum cake with creamy, all-spice rabdi icing, gingerbread snap and coconut marshmallow.
The Warwick
The Warwick (photo by Brandon Holmes)
Located in the former Houston's space on Westheimer, The Warwick is open for brunch on Christmas Day with a ginormous platter that'll serve the whole fam. The Board Room Brunch boasts butter-pecan waffles, candied bacon, sausage, eggs, green-chile hash, fruit, muffins and croissants for $100. And don't forget to order a festive "Martini Tree" with six or 12 drinks that arrive at the table in quite an artful celebration.
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Cookies at Pondicheri Bake Lab
Common Bond
Common Bond eggnog-white-chocolate mousse with Katz coffee and liqueur
Common Bond Bakery, Café & Bistro has partnered with William Price Distilling Co. and Katz Coffee to create a truly local dessert. Its Eggnog and White Chocolate Mousse is a Santa hat milk chocolate truffle with whipped chocolate ganache… on a gingerbread cookie… topped with a chocolate holly leaf. But wait, there’s more: Its secret ingredient is William Price cold brew coffee liqueur, containing grain neutral spirits infused with Katz’ locally roasted coffee. The dessert is available through Christmas Eve at all Common Bond Bistro locations (Montrose, The Heights, Med Center, Downtown and Spring). The bakeries offer myriad holiday cakes, pies, cheddar-scallion biscuits, challah, panettone, toffee gift boxes, apple-cinnamon coffee cake and other desserts for pick up or pre-order. Check it all out on the website.
Milk Mustache
Milk Mastache's marshmallow-stuffed Campfire Bliss cookie
This cute new shop from Mom-turned-baker-entrepreneur Tracy Jones touts giant, soft, gooey goodness right on time for the indulgent season. The cookies are a couple inches thick, and some are stuffed with goodies like whole marshmallows or a Reese’s cup. Dreamy flavors like Campfire Bliss with melted marshmallow center, Nutella Dream, sea-salt-caramel-pecan, and red velvet filled with cream cheese, mean that there’s no need for cute holiday frosting. “I am thrilled to debut Milk Mustache’s first storefront location,” Jones said. “After opening the cookie factory in 2020, I knew I wanted the next step to be a beautiful, inviting cookie shop people would look forward to visiting, and Tanglewood was a perfect fit.” The treats are available for pick-up, local delivery or shipment nationwide. Make sure to leave a few out for Santa, and don’t forget a cold glass of milk!
Dessert Gallery
Dessert Gallery's Pumpkin DreamCake (photo by Steve Henderson)
Founder Sara Brook has rolled out her annual parade of specialties including Eggnog Tres Leches cake in a Christmas tree pan and Hannukah/Christmas/New Year’s cookie extravaganza trays of 24 or 34 treats, which pairs beautifully with bubbly. Other delightful seasonal treats only available through December include Pumpkin DreamCake, Lone Star sweets collection, and S’mores pie; 10 percent of proceeds from each purchase will be donated to Camp For All, a barrier-free camp for children and adults with challenging illnesses or special needs.
Musaafer
Plum Christmas Cake by chef Ruchit Harneja at Musaafer (photo by Raydon Creative)
Surprise your guests by bringing home a beautifully decorated and unique time-honored tradition: Musaafer’s Christmas Plum Cake. Executive pastry chef Ruchit Harneja has put his own northern Indian twist on this classic dessert made with a spice blend of nuts and dried fruits macerated in brandy, sherry and whisky for 18 months — no American fruit cake here! He elevates it with an all-spice rabdi frosting resulting a rich, creamy, perfectly sweet dessert. The cake ($75) feeds 6-8 people and is available through Dec. 24. Order 24 hours ahead by calling Musaafer (713.242.8087).
Pondicheri Bake Lab
The upstairs sister to hotspot Pondicheri is enticing guests with exotic sweet and savory treats for the celebratory season. Along with the usual slew of cranberry scones, chocolate bourbon balls, cardamom shortbread, and ginger cloud cookies, expect full course dinners to-go (pick up Dec. 23), and whole specialty cakes. Consider the chai custard pie with whipped cream; gluten-free bourbon chocolate cake; pumpkin-persimmon-spice cream cake; and pumpkin cheesecake.
Three Brothers Bakery
Three Brothers Bakery's Pumpecapple Piecake
Beyond the multitudes of breads, Christmas and Hanukkah cookies, cupcakes and petit fours, there are cakes and pies galore at this iconic bakery located in pockets all over town. For those folks who have to outdo everyone, order the towering Pumpecapple Piecake. This 23-pound turducken of cakes boasts a layer of pumpkin pie, a layer of pecan pie and finally, apple pie, and is entirely paved in cream cheese frosting.