Houston Restaurants Open on Christmas and Christmas Eve for Dine-In and Takeout — Your 2020 Holiday Eating Guide

Going out for Christmas Eve is a fun way to spend the holiday (especially when no one wants to cook) and Backstreet Cafe is offering a special Christmas Eve dinner.

Grab a glass of complimentary eggnog and listen to a live jazz performance by Bob Chadwick while deciding on what you’re going to eat. The dinner is available from 3 pm until 9 pm and costs $49 per adult (plus drinks, tax and gratuity) and $15 per child.

There’s limited seating so we recommend giving them a call at 713-521-2239 to ensure your spot at the festivities.

Backstreet is closed Christmas Day.

With the entire exterior of the restaurant decked out as a massive Christmas gift, B&B Butchers is certainly full of holiday spirit. However, B&B maestro Ben Berg seems to be in the giving mood all year  all year long. His team recently cooked up more than 1,000 pounds of barbecue for the Berg Hospitality Drive-thru BBQ fundraiser, which helped raise money for restaurant workers impacted by the coronavirus. 

With not only a Christmas Eve lunch and dinner, but also weekday lunches leading up to the big day, B&B embraces this season with a force that few other Houston restaurants can match.

Holding its own Christmas countdown, B&B holds a merry lunch regularly thru Christmas Eve, December 24. The lunch happens Tuesdays through Fridays and is a great way to get into the season

Lunch menu options include a raw bar, hearty sandwiches from the butcher shop’s deli counter and tasty fillets. These cheerful lunches lead up to the big day, Christmas Eve, the last day of B&B’s exclusive Christmas lunches, and the only night that they’re doing a special Christmas dinner.

Many say there’s no better way to celebrate the holidays than with good food. Bloom & Bee in the Post Oak Hotel, which has been transformed into a true holiday wonderland, makes that ring true with its Christmas Eve dinner.

The special dinner costs $85 per person and diners get their choice of Celeriac Bisque, Crab Salad, or Texas Game “Pate en Croute” for the first course. Pan-Seared Duck Breast & Foie Gras, Carved Prime Rib Au Jus and Fennel Dusted Pan Seared Scallops are your main entree options.

A Christmas Bauble features an array of holiday-themed treats for dessert. The garden-inspired restaurant is not requiring reservations for its Christmas Eve meal, but they are highly recommended.

Take all the hassle out of preparing a Christmas Eve meal and instead head over to Bludorn and chow down on an exquisitely prepared three-course meal. After all, aren’t the holidays supposed to be a time of celebration, not stress?

For $95 per person, feast on chef specials and even a few off-menu items like Beef Wellington and a Christmastime classic, Buche de Noel. To go all out on the festivities, add caviar service and seafood towers to your table for the ultimate merry time. 

There will also be a kids meal available at $35 per child with salmon and chicken as options.

Although the dinner will defintiely be filling, make sure to save room for a treat. Bludorn’s will be handing out complimentary cookies that are meant for Santa. But we won’t tell if they never make it to the jolly fellow’s fireside cookie plate.

Reservations for the dinner are encouraged.

What’s better than Christmas? Christmas with a magical French twist.

The French cafe in the heart of Downtown Houston is offering two different menus on Christmas Eve. Brasserie du Parc will have its traditional lunch menu from 11 am until 3 pm and a special Christmas Eve dinner from 5 pm until 9 pm.

The Christmas Eve dinner will be a three-course meal and will be $58 for adults and $22 for children. Entree options include Jambon Miel-Thym Parisien (Parisian Honey-Thyme Ham), Coquilles Saint-Jacques (Great Scallops) and Faux Filet Rôti (New York Roast).

For dessert, Brasserie du Parc is tapping into some European holiday favorites and is offering Bûche de Noel (Yule Log) and Pudding Collant Au Caramel (Sticky Toffee pudding with French vanilla bean ice cream).

Reservations for Brasserie du Parc’s three-course dinner are highly recommended.

A true Houston institution, Brennan’s has been dishing up top-tier food and atmosphere for more than half a century. To celebrate the holidays, the sister location to New Orleans’ world famous Commander’s Palace will be open on Christmas Eve for a Cajun holiday dinner.

The menu is TBD, but because it’s Brennan’s, you can have confidence the Christmas meal will be Southern-inspired and memorable.

Seating is from 5 pm until 8:30 pm and Brennan’s will have heated al fresco dining options for a festive night dining under the stars. 

To make reservations make sure to call Brennan’s at 713-522-9711 as the restaurant does not take online reservations on major holidays.

Houston classic Cleburne Cafeteria will be serving up homestyle dishes this holiday season. Cleburne’s is a true throwback with some of its recipes dating back to the 1940s. This cafeteria is a great option for a nostalgic Christmas meal.

Expect all the standards you love. Ham, mashed potatoes & gravy, meringue pie and ice box pie and plenty of other home-cooked staples are all on tap.

Enjoy a homecooked meal in the restaurant or take it to-go. Cleburne’s holiday hours run from 11 am to 2:30 pm on Christmas Eve and from 11 am until 8 pm on Christmas Day.

If you have the main entree covered but don’t want to deal with cooking up a ton of sides, Goode Co. Barbeque is offering a la carte sides and extras to-go.

Pickup or delivery will take place on December 23 or 24.

The barbecue folks have also have made dessert as easy as possible by offering a pie drive-thru at three of its locations (Kirby, Memorial, and The Woodlands) starting on December 23. The drive-thru pie booths will be open from 8 am until 5 pm and are the easiest way to get a Brazos Bottom Pecan Pie or Goode Company Chocolate Pie.

This River Oaks District staple is serving up a Christmas menu full of its take on Vietnamese cuisine. Le Colonial is offering two prix fixe menus for two different dining experiences this holiday season. There is a lunch menu for $65 and a dinner menu for $85.

The Christmas menu comes with dishes like Sui Cao Chien (pan-seared chicken dumplings), Vit Confit (five pice duck cassoulet) and Suon Cuu Nuong (lamb chops). For dessert, choose from warm tapioca pudding and vanilla créme brûlée among others. To take your dining experience up another level, opt to add wine pairings to your meal.

Le Colonial will be open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day from 11 am until 10 pm, so there is plenty of opportunity to stop by. The menus are also available for takeout, but make sure to place your order by 12 pm this Monday, December 21.

There’s no better time to brunch than the holidays and local favorite Lucille’s is offering a Christmas Eve brunch menu that combines holidays and brunch magic into one fun experience.

The Southern restaurant’s brunch menu features dishes such as Oxtail Omelettes, Chicken & Waffles, Lobster Benedict and Croissant French Toast. 

Dine on Lucille’s patio and enjoy live music. Brunch runs from 10 am until 3 pm on Christmas Eve. The event is reservations only and they’re only taking groups of up to 6, so make sure to make a reservation.

For a decadent three-course Christmas Eve meal, Musaafer’s holiday special perfectly fits the bill. Inspired by the 100-day journey two Spice Route Co. chefs traversed around India, Musaafer’s menu is a culmination of culinary tips and tricks learned from visiting different regions of India. 

For a unique way to spend the holiday, stop by Musaafer and get a taste of India in one of Houston’s most beautifully decorated dining rooms. Musaafer’s Christmas Eve feast will include dishes such as spiced turkey mosaic and Christmas cake. 

Musaafer will be open from 5 pm until 10 pm on Christmas Eve.

In a year of changes, why not switch out the usual Chritmas turkey meal and create a new culinary tradition? Just a short drive outside of Houston in Katy, Malaysian food restaurant Phat Eatery is open on Christmas Day. 

Known for its diverse menu with dishes that include Beef Rendang, Charcoal-Grilled Satay, Hainanese Chicken and Roti Canai, Phat Eatery’s is open for dine-in (its industrial chic dining room makes for a different Christmas scene) or to-go with special party trays.

Phat Eatery’s current hours are from 11 am until 9 pm Sundays through Thursdays and 11 am until 10 pm Fridays and Saturdays.

The Annie Cafe & Bar has gone all out with its Christmas decor. Restaurant tycoon Ben Berg would not have it any other way. It’s decked out in Christmas trees, wreaths and Christmas carolers are even often strolling about.

The festive Post Oak Boulevard restaurant is hosting a Christmas Eve lunch and dinner where The Annie’s regular menu will be available as well as some special dishes from executive chef Robert Del Grande.

If you’d rather celebrate at home, The Annie is also offering a three-course Christmas Eve prix fixe to-go menu. Entre options include classic Christmas Heritage Turkey, Filet of Beef and Chilean Sea Bass. All three courses have suggested wine pairings to help perfectly round out the feast.

At $95 per person, the meal is only available for pickup on Christmas Eve from 11 am until 7 pm, so make sure to select 12/24/2020 as your pickup date when placing the order online.

Reservations are required for Christmas Eve meals so make sure to call 713-804-1800 or secure a spot on OpenTable.

The aptly named steakhouse’s exterior is clad in palm trees welcoming diners on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This Galleria area steakhouse believes in being open on these festive occasions.

For a Texas-style Christmas, The Palm’s holiday menu includes a hearty 26 ounce prime rib with au jus and your choice of two sides and a dessert. This limited menu is available both dine-in or takeout on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for $75 per person.

Can you even call it Christmas in Texas without tamales? Tamales are a Lone Star State must for the holiday season and The Pit Room is offering both tamales and smoked meats for pickup.

The Pit Room’s Holiday Menu includes whole turkeys, whole hams and smoked briskets. Tamales come in packs of 12 and you can choose from brisket, birria de res (smoked beef shank and short rib with consommé) and rajas (roasted poblano and jalapeño with queso fresco).

Make sure to place your order by this Monday, December 21 at 281-888-1929. The tamale pickup — don’t go to Christmas dinner without tamales in Texas — takes place on Christmas Eve from 11 am to 5 pm.

Houston’s fine dining pioneer changed eating in the Bayou City forever under legendary restauranteur, Tony Vallone. Now, it is being expertly managed by his widow Donna Vallone, who always played a big role in its success. The Tony’s name is living on and the fine dining restaurant is celebrating the holiday season with both dine-in and takeout options. 

From its familiar Greenway Plaza area spot, Tony’s will be dishing out some of the best Italian food in town on Christmas Eve in its distinctive dining room.

However, if you’d rather take it home, A Very Tony’s Christmas Eve to-go menu full of family-style entrees will be available as well. Some menu options include braised Colorado lamb shank, Italian sausage & peppers, as well as a whole praline topped cheesecake.

To ensure that you get your order in, make sure to place it this Saturday, December 19. Pickup for the festive Italian feast will be on Christmas Eve from 11 am until 3 pm.