christmas day dining guide

Houston's best restaurants open for Christmas Day — dine-in or to-go

Bloom & Bee makes an appropriately festive location for Christmas Day dining.

Courtesy of Landry's

Even in a year as strange as this one has been, not everyone wants to stay home on Christmas. Some people don’t celebrate the holiday; others are bad cooks.

Regardless of the reason, Houston restaurants are ready to serve with options that range from prime rib to goat chops. The list below also includes a couple of our favorite Chinese-American spots for those people looking to celebrate what we typically describe as Jewish Christmas — even if the traditional trip to a movie theater is swapped out with watching Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max.

Many of the Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, and other East Asian restaurants located along Bellaire Boulevard will also be open. We recommend calling your favorites to verify exact hours.

Aga’s Restaurant and Catering
Feast on goat chops, biryani, and other Indo-Pak fare at this Southwest Houston institution, 11 am-close.

Black Bear Diner
The family-friendly restaurant with seven Houston-area locations will be open for both dine-in and to-go with special three-course menus featuring turkey, ham, or prime rib.

Blacksmith
The popular coffee shop will be serving its finest lattes, scratch-made biscuits, and other fare from 8 am-2 pm.

Bloom & Bee
The restaurant located inside The Post Oak Hotel will feature a three-course, $85 menu that includes choices such as celeriac bisque, crab salad, pan-seared duck breast with foie gras, and prime rib with vegetables.

Bowl & Barrel
CityCentre’s fancy bowling alley will offer a limited menu of sliders and pretzels plus cold beer from 3 - 9 pm.

China Garden
The downtown institution opens at 11 am on Christmas to serve dumplings, egg rolls, and other Chinese-American favorites.

Chow Wok
General Tso’s chicken is the west Houston restaurant’s most-popular dish, but real fans know the shrimp egg rolls are also can’t-miss, 11 am - 9:30 pm.

Cleburne Cafeteria
The Houston institution will be open for dine-in and to-go from 11 am-8 pm with its familiar menu of classic comfort food and scratch- made desserts.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
All of the Landry’s upscale steakhouses — including The Palm, Morton’s, Mastro’s, and Vic & Anthony’s — are open on Christmas. Rather than list them all as individual entries, we’ll highlight this option in the Galleria that’s feature prime rib in 16 and 20-ounce portions ($48 or $58) along with the rest of its classic steakhouse fare.

Doris Metropolitan
The Israeli-inspired steakhouse will be open for dinner on December 25, because nothing says Christmas quite like dry-aged beef, grilled octopus, and the best bread service in Houston.

Fielding’s Local Kitchen & Bar
This globally inspired restaurant in The Woodlands will serve brunch (until 3 pm) and dinner on Christmas. Featured specials include lobster bisque, garlic chili crab claws, and prime rib.

Grupo Herrera Restaurants
All of the company’s Houston-area restaurants — including five locations of Alicia’s Mexican Grille, Galiana’s Tex Mex & Agave Bar, Dario’s Steakhouse & Seafood, and Marvino’s Italian Steakhouse in Cypress — will be open from 11am to 9pm for both dine-in and to-go.

Himalaya
The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Restaurant of the Year will open with its menu of acclaimed Indo-Pak fare as well as specials like smoked brisket tikka masala mac and cheese.

Le Colonial
The elegant Vietnamese restaurant in River Oaks District will be open on Christmas from 11 am-10 pm with a three-course prix fixe menu ($65, lunch; $85, dinner). Choices include over a dozen different starters and entrees, including lobster bisque, spicy beef carpaccio salad, bo luc lac, lamb chops, and five spice duck cassoulet. Wine pairings are available for an additional $65.

Mala Sichuan Bistro
All four locations — including the newly opened Sugar Land outpost — will be open for dine-in and to-go on Christmas.

Phat Eatery
Spice up Christmas with roti canai, beef rendang, and other Malaysian fare at this Katy restaurant. Open on Christmas from 11 am - 8:30 pm.

The Rustic
The Uptown Park location of the combination bar, restaurant, and live music venue will be serving tamales and beer from 4 - 9 pm.

Safina and The Naturalist Café and Lounge Bar
Located inside the InterContinental Houston in the Medical Center, the two restaurants will serve a limited menu that includes dishes such as braised short ribs and cioppino, 11 am - 10 pm.

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Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

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