where to eat on new year's eve

Where to eat on New Year's Eve: 24 best Houston restaurants and bars for festive feasts

From big parties to intimate dining, restaurants all over Houston offer an array of ways to send 2023 out on a high note and ring in all the best for 2024.

As always, reservations are highly recommended for a stress-free New Year’s Eve feast.

13 Celsius
The wine bar celebrates the changing of the calendar with a special, ticketed, five-course dinner with a 1920s Midnight in Paris theme. Guest chef Daniel Leal collaborates with 13’s chef Joe Apa on a menu featuring items like a morel tart with poached egg paired with 2018 Virna Borgogno nebbiolo Cannubi and brown sugar seared beef steak with a chimichurri butter paired with 2020 Chateau Dame de Montrose St. Estephe. Midnight brings a Champagne toast happens and an anniversary cake to celebrate 13 Celsius’ 17th year in business. The cost is $250 per person. Dinner starts at 8:30 pm. Reserve online.

a'Bouzy
Houston's destination for Champagne-infused dining offers a 'Beau' in the Snow New Year's Eve brunch, featuring a la carte dishes and $49 bottles of Beau Joie Special Cuvée Brut NV. Faux snowfall adds to the festive atmosphere. Reservations recommended. 10 am to 3 pm.

Aiko
The Washington Avenue sushi restaurant has a 17-course New Year’s Eve omakase experience for New Year's Eve. The thoughtfully curated menu features cold and hot dishes, assorted sushi/sashimi courses, and dessert selections from co-chefs Daniel Lee and Patrick Pham. The cost is $200 per person. Reservations are available between available from 5 to 10 pm. Reserve a spot online.

Axelrad
Head to Midtown for the bar's New Year's Eve backyard bash, featuring a DJ and a midnight Champagne toast. It's a chill way to ring in 2024. Noon to Midnight.

Backstreet Cafe
Tucked away in a corner of River Oaks, this cozy classic has a four-course, $79 dinner menu on New Year's Eve, including a sparkling cocktail toast at midnight and live music by Bob Chadwick. The menu includes selections such as lobster chowder, Gulf Coast beignets, chanterelle mushroom risotto, duck confit, red snapper, and hazelnut mousse. Reservations available from 5 to 10 pm.

Bari Ristorante
Dress to impress for this A Night at the Masquerade-themed New Year’s Eve party. Seatings are available at 7 pm and 9:30 pm, and specials will supplement the regular menu. Expect entertainment and a champagne toast at midnight. Black-tie and masks highly encouraged. Reservations strongly recommended.

The Blind Goat
Start your New Year's Eve festivities with brunch at this Spring Branch restaurant. Chef-owner Christine Ha has invited a group of her friends to contribute to a decadent brunch buffet. Participants include James Beard Award winner Tom Cunanan (Soy Pinoy) as well as CultureMap Tastemaker Award winner Gabe Medina (formerly of Click Virtual Food Hall), Daniel Lee and Patrick Pham (Aiko, Handies Douzo, Kokoro), and pastry chef Christina Au (Blacksmith). Priced at $109 per person, brunch is served from 11 am - 3 pm.

Brennan's
The elegant Midtown favorite ushers in the new year with a Texas-Creole bang. Diners can expect a special prix fixe menu, Champagne giveaways, and live music. Seatings are available from 5 to 9:45 pm. For reservations, call 713-522-9711.

Chez Nous
The cozy Humble favorite for French fare hosts a New Year's Eve gala with a four-course, pre-fixe menu. Options include lobster bisque, an Anjou pear and arugula salad, escargots, Dover sole, roasted veal, and a mocha-chocolate-almond opera cake. Seatings are available between 5 and 5:30 pm., 7 and 7:30 pm, and 9:15 and 10:00 pm. The price for the first two seatings is $125 per person; the cost is $150 per person for the final seating. Complimentary Champagne is available throughout the evening, as is complimentary valet parking. Call 281-446-6717 to reserve.

Cocody
The Montrose newcomer offers a five-course menu to ring in the new year. Begin with an amuse bouche, followed by open-faced Dover sole ravioli in sturgeon caviar beurre monté sauce, center-cut beef tenderloin with a cognac morel sauce, a cheese course, and Mandarin crepe log flambéed tableside. $160 per person plus beverages, tax & gratuity. 6 pm to midnight. Reservations required.

Doris Metropolitan
Feel like a super star at this red carpet-style event with DJ Just V, a balloon drop, festive favors, and more. The beats begin at 9 pm, followed by a champagne saber at 11:30, a New Years countdown and complimentary toast, and entertainment until 1 am. Black tie attire is encouraged.

Georgia James
Count down to 2024 with an indulgent four-course prix fixe menu ($150 per person). Selections include an A5 pierogi with crème fraiche and pearl onions, charred chicories with boquerones and preserved lemon, RC Ranch wagyu strip steak paired with bone marrow bordelaise and whipped potatoes or Alaskan halibut with Meyer lemon beurre blanc and king crab salad, and chocolate hazelnut cake. Wine pairings are available for an additional $75. Reservations required.

Heights & Co.
The restaurant's fireside festivities have been wildly popular, so it's no wonder they make an appearance on its New Year's Eve menu. Diners can get a three-course meal with a choice of appetizer and entree, with a s'mores board for dessert ($60 per person). There's a complimentary Champagne toast at midnight, and holiday movies will play all night long. Reserve online.

J-Bar-M Barbecue
The EaDo restaurant hosts a New Year's Eve Whole Hog Party in collaboration with barbecue virtuosos David Dan BBQ and Rosemeyer BBQ. The menu features a whole hog barbecue sandwich, nestled in a pretzel bun and accompanied by black-eyed peas, collard greens, and a Maui Wowie (Hot Hawaiian) sausage link. Tickets are $40 each and the event is limited to 100 guests. 11 am to 4 pm. Reserve online.

La Colombe D'Or
The historic Montrose hotel hosts its first-ever New Year’s Eve Bash, coinciding with the mansion’s Centennial. Enjoy cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, cigars and scotch, a DJ, and dancing into 2024. General admission tickets are $195 per person. Add to the festivities by starting the evening at the hotel's restaurant Tonight and Tomorrow, where guests will find a special dinner menu including tableside showpieces like chateaubriand and Crepes Suzette. The cost for dinner and general admission to the evening’s festivities is $289 per person. The cost of dinner only for $125 per person.

Lei Low
The Heights-area tiki bar continues its tradition of transforming itself into another iconic tiki spot for New Year's Eve by paying homage to El Floridita, the rum-soaked Havana hideaway where Hemingway bellied up to the bar. El Floridita favorites will be on the menu, augmenting Lei Low's usual creations. 4 pm to 2 am.

Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette
Ring in the New Year with a three-course wine dinner featuring Duckhorn wines. Choose from a first course of lobster bisque or roasted pear salad paired with Decoy Sauvignon; a second course of lobster tail medallions or Wagyu strip paired with Duckhorn Merlot, and dark chocolate mousse paired with Postmark Cabernet for dessert. The wine dinner is $99 per person.

March
The intimate, 28-seat restaurant pulls out all the stops on New Year's Eve with a six-course dinner augmented with premium wine selections. Expect a menu with dishes including Peperunata, featuring a delicately roasted pepper stuffed with king crab, served with Sicilian pistachio cream, salmoriglio and trout roe, and La Norma, an elegant arrangement of pasta with eggplant, tomato, basil, and ricotta salata stuffed gettoni under a tableside pourover of parmesan brodo. Reservations can be made online.

Mimo
The East End Italian restaurant will serve a four-course, $85 menu ($135 with wine pairings). Dishes include ricotta crostini, lentils with rapini, lasagna (choice of meat or vegetarian), and dessert. Reservations available online.

Nobu Houston
The multi-course omakase menu features a sashimi tasting with king salmon, tuna Yubuki, and Kan Buri pastrami, chef-selected sushi, and entrées like grilled A5 Japanese wagyu, umami snapper tempura, Maine lobster truffle miso, and cherry Baked Alaska. The cost is $200 per person. Find the full menu and reservation details online.

State of Grace
Texas persimmons, pappardelle, and iberico osso bucco are all on the pre-fixe New Year's Eve menu at this River Oaks restaurant. The cost is $145 per person, and an optional $45 or $95 wine pairing will enhance the evening's flavors. The full menu and reservations are available online.

Tony's
One of Houston's most iconic restaurants offers a four-course dinner for New Year's Eve, with a selection of starters, mains, and desserts. A live band adds to the elegance all night long. Reservations are available between 5:30 and 8:45 pm for $115 per person, and from 9:15 pm till the partying stops for $195 per person. A Champagne toast will take place at midnight. Reserve online.

Travelers Table
Global fare features prominently in this four-course pre-fixe menu, with selections such as Viet-Cajun fried oysters, falafel and beet hummus, crab samosas, and crispy pork belly in pasilla sauce. The cost is $95 per person. View the full menu and reserve online.

URBE
Head to Uptown Park for the restaurant's masquerade party, which includes passed bites, Mexican street food stations, a dessert table, cocktails, live DJ, festive décor, and more. Each ticket includes four specialty tequila cocktails (cash bar after) and sparkling toast at midnight. 8:30 pm to midnight. $85 per person plus tax and gratuity. Reservations required.

Woman holding a flute of Champagne at Tony's restaurant

Courtesy of Tony's

Ring in the New Year with a four-course dinner and midnight Champagne toast at Tony's

news-you-can-eat holidays

Play it again, Houston, at this new hotspot

Houston's new piano bar hits a high note with 2-story patio & martinis

A man plays the piano while a cocktail sits next to him

Photo by Rebecca Wright

The Kennedy in the Montrose/River Oaks area recently opened its doors to those who love live music, libations, and refined entrees.

The Kennedy, a new restaurant and piano bar, aims to strike a harmonious blend of classic elegance and modern sophistication as it opens at 3210 W Dallas St., near the intersection of West Dallas Street and Waugh Drive.

Former frequenters of Muse and Emmaline will recognize The Kennedy’s location that sits where Montrose and River Oaks begin to blend. The more than 7,000-square-foot space has been transformed into an intimate retreat through a rich, moody color palette, dark wood paneling, and cozy seating vignettes.

A large, indoor bar is a focal point, while tall ceilings and expansive industrial windows lend a contemporary edge to the timeless design. Nearly 40 pieces of art — including original, classical, and contemporary works sourced from local galleries — adorn the walls, creating a space that’s as visually captivating as it is welcoming. With cooler temperatures finally on the horizon, Houstonians can enjoy the weather on The Kennedy’s two-story, amply-shaded patios.

“Bringing The Kennedy to life has been a labor of love over the last year, and I’m excited to share our warm and cozy restaurant and piano bar with our guests,” owner Andres Castro said in a statement. “We’ve gathered an incredible team of industry veterans that have made The Kennedy a world-class, day-to-late night destination that feels like an energetic extension of your home.”

Music is woven into the experience, with live performances by vocalists, pianists, and DJs on the menu. A baby grand piano serves as the heart of the entertainment, and a dual-sided fireplace doubles as a DJ booth, creating a vibrant late-night lounge ambiance.

Open Tuesday through Sunday, The Kennedy serves lunch on Fridays, and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

Executive chef Adriana Maldonado, who honed her skills in New York City at spots like Javelina and Olives, brings her expertise to the kitchen. The menu, crafted in collaboration with Carniceria Prime Meat Market, features premium dishes such as a prime wagyu ribeye with romesco and chimichurri ($32) and a delicate wagyu ribeye tartare ($21). Elevated plates include truffle white wine lobster spaghetti ($30) with vodka sauce and yellow heirloom tomatoes, along with a playful twist on the mozzarella stick, coated in potato chips and topped with crème fraîche and caviar ($24).

The bar menu, with an extensive selection of handcrafted cocktails and mocktails, an impressive martini list, and international wines and champagnes, has something for every taste. Highlights include the mango ember ($16), a mezcal-based drink with mango purée, and the clarified millionaire margarita ($26) with Patron Cielo. Martini lovers can enjoy choices like the lychee martini ($16) and the soprano negroni with orange Campari foam ($18).

Casual attire is welcome during the day, but “Sunset Attire” is requested after 6 pm, encouraging visitors to dress up for the evening in keeping with the venue’s upscale vibe.

Photo by Rebecca Wright

The Kennedy in the Montrose/River Oaks area recently opened its doors to those who love live music, libations, and refined entrees.

“The Kennedy merges the sophistication and elegance of River Oaks with the energy and artistry of Montrose and delivers a one-of-a-kind experience,” Castro said.

This is the first concept of Castro’s newly-formed Ninety3 Hospitality Group. Castro has 12 years of hospitality experience, including time at nightclubs such as Spire and Clé, and six years in private aviation.