Where To Dine Out On Christmas Eve In Houston – Updated

Dining out on Christmas Eve in Houston lends opportunities as diverse as the Bayou City itself. Choose from special dinners that celebrate multiple nationalities or more traditional fare with offerings for every taste and budget. There are options for feeding extended families, romantic holiday dinners for two or simply enjoying an exquisite meal for one.

Looking for places to dine out on Christmas Day instead? Here is our list for that.

Downtown

Quattro, 1300 Lamar: The signature restaurant in the Four Seasons Houston hotel is serving Christmas Eve dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. The special menu offers the exquisite flavors for which the restaurant is known, including Christmas Beef Carpaccio served with preserved lemon and pine nut vinaigrette, arugula and “hazelnut snow”; Maine lobster salad with grapefruit segments; red snapper served with calamari in cioppino sauce (a tomato sauce traditionally made with shellfish); osso bucco and a dessert bar. The full menu is available online. Call (713) 276-4700 to make reservations.

Chef Robert Graham in TableOne kitchen at ARA restaurant in the Royal Sonesta hotel in Houston. Photo courtesy of Royal Sonesta.

Galleria

ARA, 2222 West Loop South: Located in the Royal Sonesta Houston, ARA Restaurant and Axis bar each have Christmas Eve specials. These are available from 5:30 to 10 p.m. at ARA and 5:30 p.m. to midnight at Axis. Dinner options include roasted prime rib with mashed potatoes, jus naturel and glazed vegetables for $29. Upgrade to a three-course option, with choices of appetizers and desserts, for an additional $10.

The Heights

Get into the Christmas spirit with this Rompepe cocktail at Eight Row Flint. Photo by Carla Gomez.

Eight Row Flint, 1039 Yale: For those looking for a relaxed Christmas Eve, the popular watering hole known for craft cocktails and kicked-up comfort food is open from 2 to 10 p.m. with its regular menu of tacos and light bites like wings and nachos plus $5 Rompope — an eggnog cocktail made with rum, Mathilde XO, whole egg, heavy cream, allspice dram and pumpkin syrup.

Revival Market, 550 Heights: Last-minute shoppers can stop into this casual local spot for sustenance before hitting the stores. The Heights favorite is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve with fueling options like breakfast tacos, a Sicilian Breakfast Sandwich withhouse made n’duja (spicy pork sausage), scrambled cage-free egg, tomato, arugula and honey butter on ciabatta; or yogurt and granola.

Katy

Picture of pork soup.
Phat Eatery’s Malaysian street food brings an Asian twist to Christmas Eve dining. Photo courtesy of Phat Eatery.

Phat Eatery, 23119 Colonial Pkwy: Open from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., the Malaysian street food spot in Katy’s Asian Town brings a combination of spice and locally sourced ingredients to the holiday table. Enjoy items from the regular menu, including Bak Kut Teh (a Chinese pork rib soup) Australian lamb in coconut curry, Chili Prawn (jumbo prawns with torch ginger and red and green bell peppers in a sweet and savory tomato and chilli-based sauce) and Nasi Lemek (fragrant coconut rice, curry chicken and beef, Malaysian sardines, fried egg and sambal belacan). Updated 12/18/18 at 6:45 p.m.

Montrose

Georgia James gets into the Christmas spirit with a menu inspired by the movie Elf. Art by Matt Tabor.

Georgia James, 1100 Westheimer: Gather for a special three-course dinner featuring food inspired by the classic holiday movie Elf. Course one is spaghetti and meatballs served with chopped salad and garlic bread, course two is prime rib with horseradish cream, scalloped potatoes and cheesy broccoli, and course three — called Candy, Candy Canes, Candy Corn and Syrup — includes coffee cake and hot chocolate pie. The cost is $75 for adults and $35 for kids. Alcoholic beverages are available at an additional cost.  Costumes are encouraged and reservations are a must. Make them online or call (832) 241-5088 for more details. As of press time, the 5 p.m. seating for Christmas Eve dinner at Georgia James is sold out, but slots are still available for the 1 p.m. seating. 

Hugo’s, 1600 Westheimer: This Montrose Mexican mainstay hosts its traditional Buffet de Noche Buena, or Christmas Eve Buffet, from 5 to 8 p.m. Among the Mexican delicacies are Bacalao ( a fish stew), Chiles En Nogada (chilies stuffed with meats and spices and topped in a creamy walnut sauce) and Pollito Rostizado (marinated roasted chicken).The cost is $45 for adults and $15 for children, excluding beverages, tax and gratuity. Live music by house-band Viento is adding to the party atmosphere.

Rice Village

Sud Italia, 2347 University: Celebrate Christmas Eve with a traditional Italian “Feast of the Seven Fishes.” The meal is served from 5 to 9 p.m. and includes salmon tartare, gnocci in a pink squill fish sauce, pasta with clams and mushrooms and grilled swordfish seasoned with fresh herbs and served with fingerling potatoes. The cost is $59.50 per person, excluding beverages, tax and tip. Call (713) 664-7571 for more information and to make reservations.

River Oaks

Backstreet Cafe, 1103 South Shepherd: Head to this River Oaks staple for a three-course Christmas Eve supper available for $52 per person, excluding beverages, tax and tip. Appetizers include choice of pear salad with red lettuce, bleu cheese and sun-dried cherries; creamy mushroom soup, baked oysters, stuffed quail, and charred cauliflower. Entree selections include choice of grilled beef tenderloin with truffled hasselback potatoes, braised lamb shank, eggplant pappardelle, seared scallops or bleu-cheese-stuffed chicken. For dessert, choose from coconut milk chocolate cake mousse, Christmas Sundae or apple tart. Complimentary eggnog is included. The full menu is here. Reservations are highly recommend. Call (713) 521-2239.

Ouisie’s Table, 3939 San Felipe: Order a Christmas Eve feast featuring selections from both the regular menu and special holiday offerings, with options such as pistachio-crusted lamb chops with mint sauce, quail with veal prosciutto and horseradish-crusted Alaskan halibut with a brandy reduction. Christmas Eve hours are from 5 to 10 p.m. Reservations are strongly encouraged by calling (713) 528-2264.

Upper Kirby

Roka Akor, 2929 Weslayan: In addition to the regular a la carte menu, the swanky steak and sushi spot is offering a special five-course dinner for Christmas Eve. The menu begins with Wagyu beef and kimchi dumplings and escolar tataki, then moves on with sashimi, marinated black cod with grilled corn, prime ribeye with wafu, fingerling potatoes and Roka Akor’s signature Truffle Hot Pot. Dessert is coffee pot de crème with caramelized hazelnuts. The cost is $95 per person. Make reservations online.

Uptown

This chocolate hazelnut Bouche de Noel is one of two flavors available for the traditional dessert at La Table on Christmas Eve. Photo by Dailey Hubbard.

La Table, 1800 Post Oak: The regular menu is available on Christmas Eve along with specials such as yellowfin tuna and foie gras with warm apple cider vinaigrette, pumpkin velouté with jumbo lump crab, Chilean sea bass with littleneck clams and potato confit, and roasted venison tenderloin with sweet potato and huckleberry juniper jus. Dessert includes the traditional French favorite, Bouche de Noelavailable in chocolate or raspberry. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Picture of huge piece of prime rib on a plate.
The long-bone Wagyu prime rib is exclusive to Mastro’s Steakhouse’s Houston location. Photo courtesy of Mastro’s Steakhouse.

Mastro’s, 1650 West Loop South: Diners can enjoy the $140 roasted long-bone prime rib, which is exclusive to the Houston location and available until January 1. The restaurant is open from 3 to 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

Washington Avenue/Rice Military

B & B Butchers has decked its halls for the holiday. Look for special additions to the menu for Christmas Eve. Photo by Bonner Rhoden.

B & B Butchers, 1814 Washington: Open for both lunch and dinner on Christmas Eve, this carnivore’s paradise offers a la carte selections from its regular menu augmented with holiday specials. Christmas carolers will perform at the restaurant from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. for added festive cheer.

Comments (0)

Share Your Thoughts on This Article