Christmas Brunch & Dinner: CA Restaurant & Takeout Specials 2024

CALIFORNIA — Not everyone wants to fire up the stove and cook a Christmas ham.

For those who can't — or just don't want to — cook a large meal on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, there are plenty of restaurants up and down California that are open for brunch and dinner.

Several national chains are also open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or both. Participation and hours may vary by location.

Below find a list of local restaurants in Northern California and Southern California offering meals on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day, as well as national chains and fast food joints open on the holiday.

Northern California

Terrene, 1 Hotel — San Francisco
The restaurant is offering farm-to-fable far on Christmas Eve and Day.

Bridges — Danville
The restaurant is serving a three-course prix-fixe menu on Christmas Eve and Day.

Sula — Sausalito
Cavallo Point's Sula is offering four-course prix-fixe menus on Christmas Eve and Day, with selections that include grilled lamb chops, roasted duck breast and grilled New York strip steak.

The Sea Ranch Lodge — Sea Ranch
The resort is serving a Christmas Eve prix-fixe dinner.

R&G Lounge — San Francisco
The Chinese restaurant is a popular Christmas Eve and Day choice with its menu that includes salt-and-pepper crab.

Quattro Restaurant & Bar — East Palo Alto
Located in the Four Seasons Hotel, the Italian restaurant is serving a special menu on Christmas Eve and Day.

Fiore Restaurant — Concord
The restaurant's Italian, French and Moroccan flavors will be on display in a three-course meal on Christmas Day.

The Brass Door — San Ramon
The classic steakhouse is open on Christmas Eve.

John Ash & Co. — Santa Rosa
The Vintners Resort restaurant is hosting a Christmas Eve dinner featuring a special menu with seasonal favorites.

Fairmont Hotel — San Francisco
The historic hotel is offering an opportunity to dine inside a 22-foot-high, 23-foot-wide two-story Victorian gingerbread house on Christmas Eve and Day.

Wit & Wisdom — Sonoma
The restaurant is serving a three-course Christmas Day menu featuring options like wood-fired filet mignon and honey-ham porchetta.

Skates on the Bay — Berkeley
Boasting spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay, Skates is offering a three-course dinner on Christmas Eve and Day, with choices that include prime rib, cider brandy salmon and applejack mahi mahi.

Sabio on Main — Pleasanton
The Spanish eatery will be open on Christmas Eve with a prix-fixe menu.

Southern California

Fuego at Hotel Maya — Long Beach
Four-course prix-fixe dinner on Christmas Day, 5 to 9 p.m.

The Meat Cellar — Claremont
Raw and pre-cooked dinner orders are available for pre-order, with pickup available on Christmas Eve.

SHOR Bazaar — Hawaiian Gardens
The Michelin Bib Gourmand pick is offering a Desi spin on Chinese dishes for its Christmas menu.

Cork Fire Kitchen — Temecula
Accepting reservations for Christmas Eve.

Shutters on the Beach — Santa Monica
The luxury hotel is offering special menus for brunch on Christmas Eve and brunch and dinner on Christmas Day.

MIX Restaurant, Hilton — Anaheim
The hotel is serving a special dinner menu on Christmas Day and Eve featuring pan-seared Chilean seabass and roasted prime rib.

Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen — Fullerton
The Michel Bib Gourmand pick is offering a special Chinese-Indian fusion menu on Christmas Eve and Day.

Warehouse 72, Hyatt Regency — Irvine
The hotel is offering a special four-course holiday prix-fixe menu on Christmas Eve and Day.

Gourmet Italia — Temecula
Accepting reservations for Christmas Eve.

La Bohéme — West Hollywood
The restaurant will serve a special tomahawk steak dinner on Christmas Eve, alongside its full dinner menu.

THE Blvd — Beverly Hills
The restaurant's three-course Christmas Day dinner includes a choice of glazed Cornish hen, beef Wellington, beet and goat cheese tart or miso-glazed sea bass, while its Christmas Eve offerings include spiced glazed duck breast with burnt orange, wagyu NY striploin, lion’s mane mushroom, or ora king salmon.

CUT By Wolfgang Puck — Beverly Hills
The Michelin pick in the Four Seasons Hotel is offering a three-course menu on Christmas Eve that includes a choice of 35-day dry aged ribeye, filet mignon, wagyu filet mignon, pan roasted Dover sole, Japanese kobe red wine wagyu filet or wild mushroom carnaroli risotto.

Bayside Restaurant — Newport Beach
The restaurant's three-course Christmas Eve menu includes crab bisque, prime ribeye, pan-seared seabass, chocolate cake and more.

Bistango Restaurant — Irvine
The restaurant's prix-fixe and a la carte menu's will be offered on Christmas Eve for a dinner that includes live music.

Water Grill — Los Angeles
Christmas Eve dinner at the DTLA spot includes a selection of fish, shellfish, crab, oysters, lobsters and more.

King’s Fish House — Orange
The restaurant will serve a variety of oysters, lobsters, crab, fish and more on Christmas Eve.

555 East — Long Beach
The steakhouse will offer its regular menu of hand-cut, dry-aged prime steaks and classic seafood dishes on Christmas Eve.

Chain Restaurants

Applebee’s — locations statewide
The casual restaurant is usually open but closes early on Christmas Eve, although that varies by location. Restaurants are closed on Christmas Day.

Benihana — San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Anaheim and more
The Japanese and sushi restaurant will be open both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but hours of operation will vary by location.

Black Bear Diner — Redding, Bakersfield, Sacramento, San Jose, Fresno and more
The diner will offer a three-course meal on Christmas Day, with a choice of turkey, ham, or prime rib.

Buca di Beppo — San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, Claremont and more
The Italian restaurant is open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, though participation may vary by location.

Buffalo Wild Wings — locations statewide
Restaurants are open on Christmas Eve but may close an hour or so earlier than usual. Hours on Christmas Day vary by location and local regulations, but most will be closed.

Chart House — Dana Point, Monterey, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Redondo Beach and more
The upscale restaurant chain’s restaurants are all open on Christmas Day.

Denny’s — locations statewide
The diner-style restaurant is open 24 hours a day.

El Torito — Marina del Rey, Long Beach, San Diego, Anaheim, Woodland Hills and more
The casual Mexican restaurant offers a fixed-price menu on Christmas Day.

Fleming’s Fine Steakhouse — Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Diego, Walnut Creek, Newport Beach and more
The upscale steakhouse and restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

Fogo de Chão — Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and more
The Brazilian restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Christmas Day.

Hard Rock Cafe — Hollywood, San Francisco, Sacramento and more
Most locations will be open both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

IHOP — locations statewide
The casual breakfast chain will be open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but for limited hours at certain locations.

Joe’s Crab Shack — Sacramento, San Francisco, Anaheim and more
The fast-casual seafood restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve and 3 to 9 p.m. on Christmas Day.

Morton’s The Steakhouse — Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Anaheim and more
The fine-dining steakhouse offers a special menu on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Hours may vary by location.

Olive Garden — locations statewide
Some locations of the fast-casual Italian restaurant will be open on Christmas Eve, but all locations will be closed on Christmas Day.

P.F. Chang’s — Los Angeles, Irvine, Sacramento, San Diego and more
The Asian bistro is open both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Red Lobster — Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Jose, San Diego and more
The seafood chain’s restaurants will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Christmas Day.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House — Irvine, Beverly Hills, San Diego, Sacramento and more
The upscale steakhouse is open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, though hours may vary by location.

TGI Fridays — locations statewide
The casual restaurant will be open for regular hours on Christmas Eve but will be closed on Christmas Day.

Fast Food Restaurants

Arby’s — locations statewide
The fast-food chain is open on Christmas Eve but will be closed on Christmas Day.

Carl’s Jr. — locations statewide
The fast-food restaurant will be open on Christmas Eve but will be closed on Christmas Day.

KFC — locations statewide
The fast-food restaurants will be open for regular hours on Christmas Eve but closed on Christmas Day.

McDonald’s — locations statewide
Many but not all locations of the fast-food restaurant will be open on Christmas Day.

Panda Express — locations statewide
The fast-casual Chinese restaurant is typically open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, although participation and hours may vary by location.

Sonic Drive-In — locations statewide
The fast-food restaurants close at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and are closed on Christmas Day.

Wendy’s — locations statewide
The fast-food restaurant will be open for regular hours on Christmas Eve and some may be open on Christmas Day.

This list of national chains was curated from emails to Patch, restaurant websites, USA Today, Good Housekeeping and Cozymeal.