Although most places are closed on Christmas Day, a surprising number stay open for a very special Christmas dinner in New York. Our favorite New York Christmas restaurants offer plenty of additional specials, prix fixe options, and of course, holiday decorations.
If you’re in town on Christmas day and wondering where you can go out to eat at night, this is the right article for you. After living in New York for almost 6 years, there isn’t much I haven’t tried yet. As for the best restaurants for Christmas day, there are a few that I can highly recommend.
7 New York restaurants open on Christmas Day
Are you looking for options for Christmas dinner in New York? New York City boasts world-class restaurants offering impressive menus on Christmas Day. Christmas in New York is the most wonderful time of the year in the city. Here is a list of my favorite Christmas restaurants in New York.
Red Rooster Harlem & Ginny’s Supper Club
If you are looking for authentic harlem soul food, Red Rooster is the perfect place for you. It is open on Christmas day in NYC and it will create a very casual atmosphere on Christmas day for you. Red Rooster offers fine American cuisine inspired by the culinary journey of Marcus Samuelsson and influenced by the vibrant neighborhoods of his travels.
If you’re more into a speakeasy vibe, escape the hustle and bustle of the city and find yourself at Red Rooster’s best kept secret, Ginny’s Supper Club. Stay to enjoy the live music and dance until the Christmas dinner is over
Address: 310 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10027.
Rolf’s Bar & Restaurant
Christmas in New York wouldn’t be the same without Rolf’s NYC. They take great care in their Christmas display and have hundreds of decorations hanging everywhere inside the restaurant.
Literally every inch of the walls and ceiling at Rolf’s is covered in hundreds of garlands, decorations, baubles and beautiful Christmas lights. Your Christmas decorations stay until May (!), which sounds strange, but is what really makes New York’s Rolf’s restaurant so famous. People come here just to see the decorations. If your purpose is to go to the authentic german cuisine which you would also find on a Christmas table in Germany, Rolf’s will do the trick. You can expect pork, goose fat, duck, sauerkraut with sauerkraut, sausage, chicken and trout which gives a distinctive flavor
Address: 281 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10010.
Christmas Restaurants NYC: La Boqueria
One of my favorite restaurants is La Boqueria which is a lively Barcelona-style tapas bar. They serve a menu of Spanish classics and seasonal market specials in a warm, modern space. Do you like authentic Spanish cuisine? Then you’ll never want to leave New York’s Boqueria. Its Christmas menu offers classic tapas including a seasonal favorite of fried egg, delicious potato cream, Périgord truffles and Iberian ham. They also have a luxurious Seafood Suquet to share at the table and conclude with an extra special gift. Merry Christmas!
Address: 260 WEST 40th Street, New York, NY, 10018
Tavern on the Green
Can you imagine anything more romantic for Christmas than spending Christmas dinner in Central Park? Tavern on the Green is an American cuisine restaurant located just inside the park that offers a pre-Christmas dinner for $125.
The emblematic restaurant has been offering an excellent kitchen Since 1934, when Central Park was renovated. Tavern on the Green at Christmas is also very popular for its Christmas decorations, where you can cozy up under 10,000 sparkling lights and lots of green fir trees. Make sure you reserve your table months in advance.
Address: Central Park, W 67th St, New York, NY 10023.
Dirty french
NYC’s Best Christmas Restaurants Dirty French is a French bistro created by Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick located inside the Hotel Ludlow on the Lower East Side. It’s a great place for your Christmas dinner in the city.
Their special Christmas Day offer is a prix fixe menu for $125/pp plus tax and 20% gratuity. Includes dirty French classics that you have to try
Address: 180 Ludlow St, New York, NY 10002
The View Restaurant and Bar
Known as one of NYC’s most popular Christmas restaurants for Christmas dinner, The View, inside the Marriott Marquis Hotel in times square, usually book months in advance. Save your seat in the fall if you want to spend your Christmas dinner here.
It is the only revolving restaurant in New Yorkwhere they combine the culinary excellence of their Christmas dinner at a fixed price with unparalleled views.
Address: 1535 Broadway, New York, NY 10036
Sugarcane Raw Bar and Grill
Inside of Brooklyn Bridge Park, Sugarcane Raw Bar and Grill is one of our favorite places to eat on Christmas Day in New York and probably the closest Asian restaurant without going to Chinatown on Christmas Day. But not everything on their Christmas menu is Asian-inspired.
The Christmas menu is a three course menu with grilled oysters, filet mignon and carrot cake, which is the perfect Christmas dinner in New York. After dinner, take a stroll through Dumbo and enjoy views of Lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.
You may be lucky and have the area almost to yourself. Address: Empire Stores, 55 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201.
My insider tip: Chinatown at Christmas
Did you know that Christmas and Christmas Eve are the busiest day of the year for most American Chinese restaurants? While many New Yorkers struggle to find delicious restaurant options that are open on Christmas, Chinatown is wide open on Christmas Day.
Christmas Day in Chinatown has been a tradition in New York City for many years.
So if you’re not that into a fancy Christmas dinner in New York, you should go to Chinatown and experience the culture, great Chinese cuisine like dim sum and a different kind of Christmas dinner that has been a tradition for many New Yorkers since the early 1900s.
My Favorite New York Christmas Restaurant: Tiny’s & The Bar Upstairs
Entering this early 19th century Tribeca townhouse, with its tin roof, copper bar and fireplace, everything looks like Christmas here. It’s one of the best Christmas restaurants in New York, not only because Tiny’s & the Bar Upstairs is so cozy, but also because the food is unbelievably delicious. Tiny’s & The Bar Upstairs is a unique place with a lot of history and character.
Address: 135 W Broadway, New York, NY 10013
If you still haven’t been able to find your perfect Christmas Day restaurant in New York, check out our article on the best restaurants and bars in New York and you just might find a place you like.