Where to eat on Christmas

11 best Houston restaurants open and serving on Christmas Day

For most people, Christmas Day means staying home, spending time with the family, and enjoying a home-cooked meal.

However, not everybody wants to cook on Christmas. For those people, we offer this list of restaurants (and one bar) that will be open on the holiday. Since these hardworking Houstonians are taking time away from their families to feed strangers, we recommend tipping generously. After all, it’s Christmas!

Our annual suggestions of Chinese restaurants for those celebrating “Jewish Christmas” will appear next week.

The Annie Cafe & Bar
Ben Berg’s refreshed take on Cafe Annie will be open for lunch and dinner from 10 am to 7 pm. Expect its regular menu (try the lumache pasta and Gulf crab meat tostadas) plus a few specials created by executive chef Robert Del Grande. 1800 Post Oak Blvd.; 713-804-1800

Bori
Located in Spring Branch, this restaurant elevates the typical Korean barbecue experience in a couple of ways. First, the well-trained staff oversees the traditional tabletop cooking. Second, they offer a number of high quality meats, including dry-aged ribeye and Japanese wagyu. On Christmas, the restaurant will be open from 5pm to 11 pm. 1453 Witte Rd.; 832-740-4350

The Burger Joint
If late-night hunger strikes, this Montrose restaurant can help. The Burger Joint will be serving its full menu from 11 am to 12 am on Christmas Day. Try this month’s special Jalapeño Ranch Bacon Burger (befe patty, bacon, Muenster, red onion, garlic pickles, and homemade jalapeño ranch). 2703 Montrose Blvd.; 281-974-2889

Cleburne Cafeteria
Recently named the best cafeteria in America, this Houston institution will be open from 11 am to 8 pm on Christmas Day. Choose from the restaurant's full range of offerings, which always include turkey and dressing, as well as fried chicken, fish, and more. Take-out will also be available on a first-come-first-serve basis. 3606 Bissonnet St.; 713-667-2386

Himalaya
Skip the usual ham or turkey and let chef Kaiser Lashkari feed the family masala-spiced fried chicken, Hunter’s Beef, and garlic naan. Recently named to GQ’s list of 22 new classic restaurants, Himalaya will be open from 11:30 am to 9:30 pm. 6652 Southwest Fwy; 713-532-2837

Kiran's
The Upper Kirby favorite serves a decadent buffet on Christmas Day. Priced at $75 for adults and $35 for children 4-10, the offerings include rosemary and garlic roasted leg of lamb, tandoor-roasted turkey with apricot and cranberry stuffing, chicken korma, mixed breads, and plenty of desserts. Choose from one of three seatings: 10:30 am, 1 pm, and 3:30 pm. 2925 Richmond Ave.; 713-960-8472

Peli Peli
All four locations of the South African restaurant will be open on Christmas from 2pm to 8 pm. In addition to its regular menu, chef Ryan Stewart is offering two specials: a 14-ounce double bone-in pork chop with carrot bredie and an 8-ounce beef Wellington served with Drakensburg legumes. See website for address and phone numbers.

Phat Eatery
Check out the Malaysian restaurant’s newly expanded dining room from 11:30 am to 8 pm on Christmas Day. Not only is chef-owner Alex Au-Yeung serving some of the finest Roti Canai and Curry Laksa in town, but the lack of traffic on the holiday means the drive to Katy will never be easier. 23119 Colonial Pkwy (Katy); 832-913-6382

Present Company
Houston’s most-Instagrammable bar will be open from 7 pm to 2 am. If hunger strikes, the kitchen will be serving a limited menu until midnight. 1318 Westheimer; 281-974-4752

Shun Japanese Kitchen
The innovation Japanese restaurant will be open for normal dinner hours on Christmas (5-10 pm). In addition to its regular menu of nigiri, hand rolls, and shareable plates, the restaurant will offer a four-piece fried chicken special with mashed potatoes, truffle mac and cheese, biscuits, and two glasses of champagne for $25. 2802 S Shepherd Dr.; 832-409-5888

Verandah Progressive Indian Restaurant
Chef Sunil Srivastava will serve a three-course, $65 prix-fixe menu at his stylish Upper Kirby establishment. The restaurant promises lots of tempting choices for appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Open 6-9 pm (last seating 8:30). 3300 Kirby Dr.; 281-501-0258

The Annie Cafe is decorated for the holidays.

Photo by Jacob Power

The Annie Cafe is decorated for the holidays.

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welcoming willow's

Houston barbecue power couple sets opening date for new East End tavern

Willow's Smokehouse and Tavern Jasmine Barela Willow Villarreal

Photo by Eric Sandler

Jasmine Barela and Willow Villarreal will open Willow's Smokehouse & Tavern on Thursday, August 13.

One of this year’s most eagerly anticipated new barbecue joints will make its debut this week. Willow’s Smokehouse & Tavern will open this Thursday, August 13.

Located next to Eastwood Station at 4109 McKinney, Willow’s Smokehouse is the latest project from pitmaster Willow Villarreal and his partner Jasmine Barela. It’s the culmination of more than a decade in the barbecue business.

Villareall began his barbecue career with pop-ups at bars such as Grand Prize and Big Star Bar. He worked with Roegels BBQ owner Russell Roegals to operate the barbecue concession at the Typhoon Texas water park before launching a food truck that earned an enthusiastic three-star review from former Houston Chronicle food critic Alison Cook.

J-Bar-M Barbecue in EaDo recruited the couple to lead its opening team in November 2021 — earning a nomination in the CultureMap Tastemaker Awards for Rising Star Chef of the Year and a glowing review from Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn — but the couple departed in April 2022 after conflict with the restaurant’s owner.

Since then, they’ve been working on opening their own restaurant. For the past couple of years, they’ve been transforming a 100-plus year old building into a neighborhood bar and restaurant that will serve Villarreal’s take on modern Central Texas-style barbecue alongside tavern fare such as burgers, smoked-and-fried chicken wings, a fried chicken sandwich, and smoked crab dip.

“We wanted a bar with really good food and some barbecue on the menu. It has a wood ceiling with that sense of cozyness and warmth,” Barela says about why the couple decided to include “tavern” in the restaurant’s name.

“We would like to be a place for the neighborhood,” Villarreal adds. “That’s why we have wings and burgers. Barbecue has gotten so expensive. You can get a drink and a bite to eat at an affordable price.”

Of course, Willow’s wouldn’t fulfill the requirements of being a “smokehouse” with Villarreal’s barbecue. Diners can expect brisket, pork ribs, two kinds of house made sausage, turkey, pulled pork, and smoked chicken. Once things are dialed in, plans call for adding additional sandwiches to the menu.

“It’s Central Texas barbecue. I don’t feel like I need to change anything,” Villarreal says about the menu. “It’s what we’ve been cooking. It’s what our fans know.”

Barela is bringing a range of sides, including her signature marinated tomatoes, as well as cole slaw, mac and cheese, cornbread, and potato salad — fear not, her popular cauliflower au gratin will be added in time. Desserts include banana pudding and pies made with an all-butter crust.

Bartender Zack Palmer (Bad News Bar) created the restaurant’s cocktail menu, including two frozens that are sure to be signatures — the Summer of George, a nod to Barela’s Seinfeld fandom that’s made with Big Red, and the Cabana Boy, an homage to Mountain Dew Baja Blast made with tequila, orange, passion fruit, and bergamot.

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To preserve the building’s historic feel, the couple sourced most of its furniture second-hand. Barela says she found items on websites such as OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace, while others came from thrift stores, estate sales, and the Round Top Antiques Fair.

“I wanted to stay true to the character of the building. I didn’t want it to feel too polished,” she says.

Once seated, diners will find vintage signs on the walls, an Iron Maiden pinball machine for entertainment, and a jukebox that the couple stocked with a range of music, not just Villarreal's heavy metal favorites. While the building has a relatively small footprint, an upstairs dining room and a patio that’s shared with Eastwood Station provide plenty of seating.

“It feels really good,” Villarreal says about finally opening the restaurant. “It’s also scary. This has to be for the long haul. We really want to be a place for the neighborhood.”

Photo by Eric Sandler

Jasmine Barela and Willow Villarreal will open Willow's Smokehouse & Tavern on Thursday, August 13.

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