Christmas is in two days. Christmas Eve is tomorrow. If you’ll be in the city, and still haven’t made plans for where or what you’ll be eating, don’t worry — Grub’s done the legwork and assembled this list of top restaurants that are both open and still have room for diners tomorrow and on Christmas Day. Some will serve the usual à la carte, others will have set menus for the special days, but no matter what, these are places you’ll want to check out for the holidays.
Christmas Eve
Bar Primi
Availability: For both parties of two and four, there are tons of reservations still available from the start of lunch through the last seating at 9:30 p.m.
Price: À la carte.
On the Menu: The restaurant will serve its regular menu, with dishes like stuffed meatballs, antipasti salad, and pastas including carbonara, fusilli with veal genovese, and garganelli with bolognese.
Boulud Sud
Availability: For parties of two, there are a good number of reservations available from around noon until 5:30 p.m., as well as after 9 p.m. There are also plenty of afternoon tables for parties of four available until 5 p.m., and then again at 9 p.m.
Price: $90 per person.
On the Menu: A three-course prix fixe with Italian chicory salad, ruby red shrimp with Spanish chili, venison and foie gras pâté en croûte for appetizers; pancetta-wrapped cavendish quail with chestnut gnocchi and Tuscan dry-aged strip steak for entrees; and desserts including grapefruit givré and chocolate bûche de noël for dessert.
DBGB
Availability: For parties of two, there are some reservations available right after the restaurant opens at 5 p.m. and later at night at 8:45 and 9 p.m. The situation is similar for parties of four, but no 9 p.m. reservation.
Price: À la carte.
On the Menu: Along with the normal fancy burgers and sausages, Daniel Boulud’s beer hall will serving holiday specials including seared foie gras with toasted brioche and bourbon maple syrup jus, ricotta gnocchi with roasted chanterelle mushrooms, herb crusted rack of veal, and jumbo sea scallops.
Oiji
Availability: There are a few tables for two left to score after 9 p.m. Night owls in parties of four are in luck as there are still tables available around 10.
Price: $80 per person, with an optional $45 wine pairing.
On the Menu: A four-course prix fixe that will be familiar to fans of the modern Korean restaurant. Guests will have their choice of octopus salad or fried chicken with spicy soy vinaigrette, buckwheat noodles or stir-fried sweet-potato noodles, jang jo rim (soy braised beef) with buttered rice or homemade dumpling soup, and oxtail or galbi. There will also be their famous honey-butter chips for dessert, of course.
Upland
Availability: For parties of two and four, there are consistent reservations available, from opening at 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. but none after.
Price: À la carte.
On the Menu: You’ll be able to order the usual menu here, and chef Justin Smillie and his team will cook their typical California-ish cuisine. That means the famous yuzu kosho duck wings along with plenty of pastas, a trio of pizzas, and some bigger meat dishes for a proper celebration.
Ralph Lauren Polo Bar
Availability: All that’s left is a table for two at 4 or 4:30 p.m. Go get it.
Price: No set menu.
On the Menu: The clubby uptown restaurant will offer its regular à la carte menu, which includes familiar American dishes like pigs in a blanket, grilled lobster salad, and roasted chicken with potato pancakes. There’s also a vegetarian menu.
Rebelle
Availability: There are still tons of tables available for parties of two, four, and six, with reservations up for grabs every 15 minutes all night long.
Price: $85 per person.
On the Menu: The neo-bistro will serve a five-course menu featuring a foie gras terrine, seared tilefish and fennel, butter-poached lobster with tomato preserve, Peking duck with bok choy, and a dessert of maple spiced cake and chocolate crémeaux.
Reynard
Availability: There are some tables to be had for parties of two, four, and six if you don’t mind going after 9 p.m.
Price: À la carte
On the Menu: The popular Williamsburg restaurant’s Christmas Day dinner is all booked, but you can drop by the night before for an à la carte meal of dishes like duck-liver mousse, beef tartare, and braised short rib.
Roman’s
Availability: There is availability for parties of two, four, and six available at 10 p.m.
Price: $95 per person
On the Menu: Andrew Tarlow’s Fort Greene trattoria is serving a Feast of the Seven Fishes menu with dishes including salt-cod croquettes, spot prawns with oranges and olives, lobster ravioli, baked snapper with lentils and littleneck clams, and lemon granita with permissions and pistachios.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
15 East
Availability on Christmas Eve: There are a few scattered reservations for parties of two, four, and six before 1 p.m. or after 9 p.m.
Availability on Christmas: A few reservations are still available for parties of two, four, and six from 9 to 9:30 p.m.
Price: $145 per person for the Christmas Day menu. À la carte for Christmas Eve.
On the Menu: Those who go on Christmas Eve can order their favorite rolls and sashimi à la carte. On Christmas, they will serve a seven-course tasting menu with chestnut soup, duo mishima beef, a chef’s selection of sashimi, of course, and mineoka tofu pudding.
The Clocktower
Availability on Christmas Eve: Lots of reservations of parties of two and four starting early in the morning until just before 3 p.m., with more reservations available after 10 p.m. There are tables available for parties of six until 12:30 p.m.
Availability on Christmas: There are tables for two and four still available from 9:45 until 11 p.m., if you don’t mind eating later.
Price: $85 per person on Christmas; dinner on Christmas Eve is à la carte.
On the Menu: On both days, guests can order dishes from the regular menu including starters like big eye tuna tataki, entrees such as Dover sole, or shared dishes like a 32-ounce dry-aged côte de boeuf (festive!). On Christmas, there is a three-course prix fixe with your choice of salmon tartare or mushroom risotto for an appetizer, roasted Guinea hen or beef Wellington for a main, and a pudding parfait for dessert.
Dirty French
Availability on Christmas Eve: Lots of reservations of parties of two, four, and six before 3 p.m. and a few after 10:30 p.m. There is a 5:30 p.m. reservation for four available.
Availability on Christmas: Parties of two, four, and six can score a table from noon until 3 p.m. There is also a table for two available at 5:30 p.m.
Price: $95 per person on Christmas; à la carte on Christmas Eve.
On the Menu: They will serve the regular menu on Christmas Eve. Available from noon until 8 p.m., the three-course menu includes options like tuna tartare for an appetizer, entrees such as brook trout and hanger steak, sides like Brussels sprouts, and chocolate-fondant-and-preserved-lemon tart for dessert.
John Dory Oyster Bar
Availability on Christmas Eve: Parties of two will have a very easy time scoring a table until 5:30, when reservations taper off, and at or after 9:30, when there are more. There are similar odds for groups of four and six, with plenty of reservations until 4:15 p.m., for both party sizes, and then more after 9 and 9:15 p.m. respectively.
Availability on Christmas: A few tables for two, four, and six are available after 9 p.m. There’s also a reservation at noon for four that’s still available.
Price: $95 per person with optional $45 wine pairing.
On the Menu: April Bloomfield’s seafood-focused hotel restaurant will serve a Feast of the Seven Fishes menu with dishes including baby octopus salad with enoki mushrooms, crispy pork belly with uni custard, and squid ink noodles with spicy chili sauce.
L’Antagoniste
Availability on Christmas Eve: Tons of tables available all day and night for parties of two, four, and six.
Availability on Christmas: Tons of tables available all day and night for parties of two, four, and six.
Price: $56 per person, or à la carte.
On the Menu: For a very French Christmas, guests can order from a limited à la carte menu featuring escargot, steak frites, and a Paris-Brest, or get a three-course prix fixe with duck a l’orange, foie gras ritz en croute, and buche de noel. Bread is complimentary with the set menu.
Maialino
Availability on Christmas Eve: There are a handful of tables for two available from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and a few for parties of four as well.
Availability on Christmas: For those who’d like to brunch, there’s a table for two available at 10 a.m.
Price: No set menu.
On the Menu: The restaurant will serve its normal menu of Italian cuisine, like its porchetta panini and spaghetti with clam sauce, and on Christmas Day it will serve weekend brunch, which offers speck-and-provolone croissants and frittatas.
Mile End
Availability on Christmas Eve in Brooklyn: They’re pretty much booked, but there’s one table for two left at 6 p.m.
Availability on Christmas Eve in Manhattan: You’ll have better luck downtown, where there are tables for four at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., and 8 p.m., and tables for six available at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Availability on Christmas in Brooklyn: Tables for four to six available at 1 p.m. and 9 p.m., a table for two at 5 p.m., and a table for four available at 6 p.m. are all available.
Availability on Christmas in Manhattan: There are a bunch of tables available for two to six people at 12 p.m., 1 p.m., and 9 p.m.; a table for two at 5 p.m.; a table for four at 4 p.m.; tables for six at 3 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8 p.m.
Price: $65 per person.
On the Menu: For the fifth year in a row, both the Noho and Boerum Hill locations of the Montreal-style deli will host a Jewish Christmas. The menu is available for dinner on Christmas Eve and both lunch and dinner on Christmas Day and includes fusion-y dishes like smoked-meat-poutine dumpling, Xi’an spiced potatoes, and corned wings with cumin aioli. Vegetarian and kids’ versions available.
The NoMad
Availability on Christmas Eve: There are some lunch tables left for parties of two and four from noon until 1:30 p.m. and 1:45 p.m, but none after that.
Availability on Christmas: Not much, but there are some stray reservations available for parties of two or four after 10 p.m.
Price: No set price.
On the Menu: Daniel Humm and Will Guidara’s hotel restaurant will remain open for the holiday, and you’ll be able to order everything from their regular menu including the whole roasted chicken with black truffle and foie gras, and butter-poached lobster with salsify, chestnuts, and citrus nage.
Sessanta
Availability on Christmas Eve: Plenty of tables all night long for parties of two and four, with a few reservations for parties of six.
Availability on Christmas: There are lots of tables all night long for parties of two and four, with a few reservations for parties of six scattered throughout the night.
Price: $75 per person.
On the Menu: There is a family-style five-course menu available, featuring amuse like black truffles arancini, an antipasto plate, duck lasagna, beef brasciole, whole roasted orata, and desserts like caramel budino.
