Christmas Eve falls on Sunday December 24th, and there are some great options for special holiday meals out there! The Italian half of my family has always celebrated La Vigilia, the Feast of the Seven Fishes, and I’m happy to see some restaurants offer their own spin on the meal.
A couple of restaurants that are keeping things a bit traditional are ~A16~ and ~A16 ROCKRIDGE~, each offering a set five-course, family-style menu for $105, complete with some baccalà and Dungeness crab! Email for reservations at either location.
Over at ~LOCANDA~ (which created that awesome image with the octopus!), the annual Feast of the Seven Fishes meal is a four-course family-style menu with way more than seven types of fish! Two seatings: 5pm and 7:30pm. Tickets and menu here. $156, all-inclusive.
~COTOGNA~ will be open and serving a special Sunday Supper menu in addition to the restaurant’s regular menu, with dishes like Dungeness crab and fennel soup, spaghetti with sea urchin and caviar, and charcoal-grilled spot prawns with Meyer lemon and Prosecco. Meow.
Not so into fish? DUNA is serving a Slovak Christmas Eve Supper, a three-course menu with halouski dumplings, chopped salad, and Slovak Christmas kapusnica. $48 plus tax and gratuity. Seatings here.
How about noodles? ~NAMU GAJI~ is hosting their annual Christmas Eve noodle night. Bring on the rich and hearty stocks. There will be four noodle options: an oxtail ramen, a wonton mein, mushroom udon, and another special noodle dish. Reservations on OpenTable are highly recommended but walk-ins are welcome. They will also have their dinner menu available.
~COCKSCOMB~ has a good lookin’ holiday menu: it’s a four-course family-style menu for $85 per guest. There’s a Feast of the Seven Fishes Salad with scallops, shrimp, mussels, clams, squid, tombo, salt cod, and salmon roe; and Dungeness Crab Puttanesca with rigatoni, tomato, anchovy, black olive, and capers. Seatings are available for 4pm-5:30pm and 7pm-8pm. Please call 415-974-0700.
Planning to sleep in that day? FINN TOWN in the Castro will have extended brunch hours, running from 10am-5pm. On the menu: fried chicken and pumpkin waffles (cornflake-crusted chicken, bourbon maple syrup) and more.
Another place running extended brunch and a dinner menu, with some holiday additions, is ~BLUESTEM BRASSERIE~, open from 11am-11pm. They are also offering an extensive Dickens Christmas-inspired cocktail menu, including The Ghost of Christmas Past (whiskey, rosemary-cranberry syrup, mint, rosemary, and cranberry) and Aunt Chrystl’s Hot Punsch (Stroch Austrian rum, red wine, fresh OJ, cinnamon, and cloves).
If you’re looking for a cozy location, ~POGGIO~ in Sausalito is warm and inviting. There’s a three-course dinner featuring prime rib for $85. À la carte specials will include wood fire-roasted Dungeness crab; chitarra lobster roe pasta with Dungeness crab, preserved Meyer lemon, fines herbes, and scallions; and cotechino, a traditional dish of lentils and sausage.
Over in Oakland, DESCO has a three-course prix-fixe menu for $54 (plus tax and gratuity), including Dungeness crab and mascarpone-filled pasta with blood orange and olio nuovo, whole cuttlefish stuffed with seafood risotto and a spicy tomato caper sauce; and warm doughnuts with quince jam and pastry cream. Seatings from 4pm-9pm. Their regular à la carte dinner menu is also available. 499 9th St. at Washington, Oakland.
Here are more options on OpenTable, including Alfred’s Steakhouse, Maybeck’s, and Perle Wine Bar in Montclair.
Christmas Day
Wondering where to go take Santa for dinner? The new and stylish VILLON at the SF Proper is open for Christmas Day dinner, serving a family-style menu, which includes their fantastic Hawaiian bread with chicken liver mousse; roast beef, creamed leeks with horseradish, roasted kuri squash, and more; with a buche de noel to finish. $90 per person. 5:30pm-10:30pm.
MKT RESTAURANT at the Four Seasons is open from 12pm-8pm, serving a four-course prix-fixe menu ($120 for adults, $60 children ages 5-12). Menu and more here. They are also open on Christmas Eve (6pm-10pm).
There are plenty of options for dim sum that day, but just FYI, DUMPLING TIME will be open for lunch and dinner. Bring on the tom yum goong xiao long bao! (They will also be open on New Year’s Day.)
Another option is ROOH, serving progressive Indian. Choose a three- ($65) or four-course menu ($75), which include three small bites to start.
Also in SoMa, RED DOG is serving Christmas dinner at 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm. The five-course menu is $75 per person ($25 for kids 13 years and younger). Check out the menu and reserve your spot here.
Here are more options on OpenTable, and don’t forget you can always call and see if a restaurant can get you in.
