NOTE: This list is out of date!
CLICK HERE to find the 2017 list of restaurants open for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day!
There usually comes a point in the holiday season where home cooking loses its luster and becomes a wholly soulless task. You can only bake so many pies before wanting to frisbee your pan out the window, right? If that describes your holiday cooking M.O., fear not: we’ve collected a master list of restaurants, bakeries, and bars that are open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, for every price range possible:
94th Aero Squadron Restaurant
This military-themed restaurant’s annual Christmas Day Brunch Buffet runs 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., $26.99 for adults, $12.99 for children between the ages of five and 12. Reservations are required. Christmas Eve is regular hours, 4 p.m. – 9 p.m.
The Angry Baker
This Olde Towne East bakery is open 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve, with delicious vegan entrees, coffee, and dozens of baked goods. Everything is baked from scratch, with as many local Ohio products as possible.
The Barn
Cameron Mitchell restaurant The Barn at Rocky Fork Creek will be open 4 p.m. – 9p.m. for dinner on Christmas Eve. Dishes like slow-cooked smokehouse pork ribs, crab-stuffed shrimp, and half-shell oysters will be available paired with a dizzyingly large selection of whiskeys and wines.
Barcelona Restaurant and Bar
Barcelona will be open for Christmas Eve dinner at 5 p.m., with last seatings at 8 p.m. The menu ranges from $31 – $50, with traditional Spanish dishes like paella, chorizo and queso’s, and a huge array of tapas.
Benihana
Sushi and sashimi sit-down Japanese restaurant Benihana will have their dinner menu available on Christmas Eve. Head over to Polaris and watch the chef cook your steak, chicken, or seafood tableside in the teppanyaki tradition, or custom-order a sushi roll from the bar for $15 – $40.
Block’s Bagels, Bakery and Deli
Blocks will be open 6 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve, and 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. Christmas day. Bagels, cookies, sandwiches, salads, and soups will all be available for dine-in or take-out at both their East Broad and McNaughten Center locations.
BRAVO! Cucina Italiano
Italian restaurant BRAVO! will be open normal hours on Christmas Eve, from 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m., at Lennox Town Center, Crossroads, and Bethel. Their lunch and dinner menus (gluten free included) will both be availabl.e
Brio Tuscan Grill
Brio will be open 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Make your reservations here.
Buca di Beppo
Partake in a family-sized Italian Christmas buffet with offerings from Buca di Beppo. The chain is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. for dine-in, with their regular dinner menu along with Christmas additions. Reservations are required. You can also order a massive Christmas feast that includes pans of ham, gravy, mashed potatoes, sausage stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, and apple pie to-go. A three-person platter is $54, while a 20-person serving will run you $300.
Buckeye Donuts
Campus favorite Buckeye Donuts will be serving coffee and donuts (and gyros, salads, and breakfast sandwiches) all day and nigh,t both Christmas Eve and Christmas day. It’s around $7 for a dozen, so ditch the cookies and leave Santa a chocolate bismark or three.
Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant
Cooper’s will be open normal hours on Christmas Eve, 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Do yourself a favor and have some food with your wine.
Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace
Dirty Frank’s will be open regular hours on Christmas Eve, from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. at both West Broad and Downtown. Grab a seasonal brew and a few of their gourmet hot dogs before they shut down for Christmas day.
Hounddogs Pizza
Hounddogs will be doling out pies, wings, and sandwiches 24/7 on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Get a pizza to-go, or grab a few beers at the bar while you chow down.
J. Liu Restaurant and Bar
Both of J. Liu’s Worthington and Dublin locations are open 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Their full lunch and dinner menus will be available, as well as their house drinks. Choose from their dinner entrees like tilapia, veggie burgers, mongolian beef and firecracker chicken, among others.
Katzinger’s Delicatessen
Home of the biggest sandwiches in German Village, Katzinger’s will be open Christmas Eve 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Get their legendary Reuben and let the pounds of corned beef contribute to your holiday poundage.
Lindey’s
Lindey’s will be serving Christmas Eve lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The lunch menu goes until 3 p.m. and includes a grilled cheese and lobster panini and various brunch selections. Dinner options include Ohio Amish chicken, orecchiette, shrimp and lobster risotto, and tartare for $10 – $40.
McCormick & Schmick’s
Seafood and steak sit-down McCormick & Schmick’s will be open 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. both Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Dungeness crab, oysters, and Nantucket Bay scallops are all in their prime season; order them alongside sides like sweet potato couscous, corn bisque, and butternut squash orzo.
Mikey’s Late Night Slice
Craving a pre-holiday slice of Spicy-Ass Pepperoni with a side of Slut Sauce? Late Night Slice will be open in their Clintonville and Woodlands Tavern locations until 11 p.m. Christmas Eve. Grab a slice of the seasonal Festivus, topped with glazed ham, spinach, and roasted red peppers.
Mitchell’s Steakhouse
Mitchell’s, owned by Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, will be open Christmas Eve, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. for lunch, and 4 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. for dinner. They’ll additionally be open Christmas day from 2 p.m. – 8 p.m. Their prix-fixe meals cost $40 – $50, and include a steak, salad, sides, and dessert.
Nicola
Italian restaurant Nicola will be open on Christmas Eve, reservation only. The current festa regionale (a celebration of Italian regional cuisine) is The Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian-American holiday seafood feast. Reservations are limited – make them here.
Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar
Wraps, salads, soups, and smoothies are all available on Christmas Eve from Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar. Find one of their dozens of locations here.
Refectory
Refectory will be open from 4:15 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve, serving a TBA specialty menu (the Bistro menu will be unavailable). If you’re on the hunt for a fancy French Christmas meal, this is the place to be .
Royal Ginger Restaurant and Sushi Bar
Royal Ginger Asian Fusion Bistro will be open 11 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and noon – 9 p.m. on Christmas day. Stop in for a large selection of mid-priced Asian food and a full bar, available for dine-in or carryout.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
Ruth’s Chris will be serving from their meat-centric regular menu 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Christmas Day, and regular hours Christmas Eve. Make reservations here.
Shaw’s Restaurant & Inn
Shaw’s will be hosting a Christmas Eve dinner from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. Food options include twice-baked potato flatbread, roasted lobster tail, and wild mushroom ravioli from $20 – $40.
Smith & Wollensky
This steakhouse offers a savory $50+ Christmas specialty menu filled with dishes like roasted duck breast and chateaubriand for two, from noon – 6 p.m. both Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Their regular dinner menu will also be available. Make reservations here.
Spagio
Spagio will be open Christmas Eve from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. The Grandview-based European restaurant strongly recommends reservations prior to stopping by: make them here. Chef Hubert’s Christmas Eve menu entrees include fig and gorgonzola-stuffed sachetti pasta, Ohio farm-raised beef medallions, and a roasted Maple Leaf farms half duck, along with an extensive wine selection.
Surly Girl Saloon
Short North dive favorite Surly Girl Saloon will be open Christmas Eve 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., and 6 p.m. – midnight Christmas Day. The Surly Girl pizza pie, covered with gorgonzola, cranberries, red onions, pecans and balsamic, pairs great with their red velvet cupcakes and your choice of their 24 draught beers.
Tandoori Grill
This Pakistani grill has some of the best Indian food in town. Order their fresh naan bread, filled samosas, raas malai, or a whole tandoori chicken for the family to share. Hours for Christmas day and Christmas Eve are both 9 a.m. – 11 p.m. If their line ends up out the door, head next door to nearby Apna Bazaar (their sister halal market) and order take-out.
Waffle House
Open 24/7, grab breakfast literally whenever you feel like at the South High, Westbelt, and North Cassady locations.
Anything missing from our list? Let us know in the comments below!
