Check out opentable.com and Resy.com for a more comprehensive list of Atlanta-area restaurants open for lunch and dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve-Eve 

The General Muir Christmas Eve Eve (and Eve) Dinners 
Emory/Druid Hills 

The General Muir kicks off the holidays with a “traditional” Chinese Christmas dinner, available Dec. 22 and 23 for dine-in service. The restaurant also offers a special holiday takeout menu.

Christmas Eve 

Aria
Buckhead

Aria will open from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 24 serving the regular dinner menu. Reservations encouraged.

Carmel’s Feast of Seven Fishes Dinner
Buckhead 

Celebrate Christmas Eve by partaking in the traditional Italian-American dinner of Feast of the Seven Fishes at Carmel. The multi-course dinner will feature dishes like an Osetra caviar tart, striped bass, and crab-stuffed lobster. $95 per person, with optional drink pairings. Reservations encouraged.

Omakase Table 
Buckhead 

Indulge in Michelin-starred Omakase Table’s 20-course tasting menu for $295 per person on Christmas Eve.

The Southern Gentleman 
Buckhead

From 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., The Southern Gentleman will serve both brunch and dinner on Christmas Eve.

Le Colonial 
Buckhead 

Celebrate Christmas Eve at Le Colonial with festive food specials and the regular dinner menu.

MARTA Dining Guide: Doraville/Buford Highway
(Many restaurants on Buford Highway are open on Christmas Eve/Day.)

Your 3rd Spot
Underwood Hills, The Works

From 2-8 p.m. on Christmas Eve, families are welcome at Your 3rd Spot, an arcade-style restaurant, for a day that features a Christmas slide, photos with Santa, holiday craft station, and unlimited game passes for a $25 entry fee. Kids 3 and under, or 70 and older, receive complimentary admission.

Buena Vida Tapas Bar
Old Fourth Ward 

Celebrate Christmas Eve with a Spanish twist. Buena Vida will serve its regular menu, along with a few festive dishes.

Il Premio
Old Fourth Ward 

The Forth Hotel steakhouse will open on Christmas Eve serving its full dinner menu. Reservations encouraged.

Moonlight
Old Fourth Ward 

Head upstairs at the Forth Hotel to Moonlight cocktail bar with its skyline views for a holiday party on Christmas Eve. Reservations encouraged.

Little Bear
Summerhill

Little Bear returns with its annual Jewish Chinese Christmas dinner, taking place on both Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day. Reservations highly encouraged.

The Ashford on Dresden 
Brookhaven 

The Brookhaven restaurant will open for regular service on Christmas Eve.

Joey D’s Oak Room
Dunwoody

Joey D’s will open on Christmas Eve for lunch and early dinner from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Select
Sandy Springs

Decked out in its holiday finest, The Select will offer a three-course Christmas Eve dinner for $85 per person. There’s also a two-course kids’ menu for $42 per person. Vegan options available by request. Reservations encouraged.

Truth Be Told 
Roswell 

Truth Be Told on Canton Street will serve a festive pre-fixe dinner on Christmas Eve for $115 per person. Reservations required.

CRÚ Wine Bar & Bistro
Alpharetta, The Battery 

The Alpharetta and Battery locations of Cru Wine Bar will offer a Christmas Eve dinner from 4-9 p.m. The holiday menu, features three courses with dishes like lobster bisque, truffle-fondue tortellini, Barolo-braised short rib, and herb-roasted sea bass. Look for desserts, too, including molten chocolate cake and a Christmas crème brûlée. Reservations encouraged.

Cattle Shed Wine & Steak Bar
Alpharetta/Forsyth County

Cattle Shed Wine & Steak Bar at Halcyon will open for Christmas Eve serving a holiday menu, including bacon-wrapped scallops and Beef Wellington. Expect festive cocktails like a gingerbread martini and mistletoe margarita. Reservations encouraged.

Ocean & Acre 
Alpharetta/Forsyth County

The coastal cuisine-inspired restaurant at Halcyon will open on Christmas Even from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. serving its regular lunch and dinner menus.

Marlow’s Tavern
Multiple Locations 

All locations of Marlow’s Tavern will remain open until 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Stop by Santa’s Speakeasy at the East Cobb and Woodstock locations for extra festive fun.

Related: Get festive at these holiday pop-up bars around Atlanta

Christmas Day 

The Americano
Buckhead 

The Americano at The InterContinental Buckhead will open from noon to 7 p.m. for a prix-fixe Italian feast on Christmas Day. $100 per person. $50 for children 12 and under. Reservations encouraged.

Gypsy Kitchen 
Buckhead

The Buckhead Village restaurant will open from 4 to 7 p.m. on Christmas Day serving specials like Moroccan-spiced lamb chops with sumac tzatziki, seared scallops with saffron cauliflower purée, and duck breast with Manchego polenta and a port-cherry reduction.

The Waldorf Astoria: Brassica
Buckhead 

The Waldorf Astoria’s restaurant, Brassica, will open on Christmas Day offering a three-course prix-fixe menu from noon to 8 p.m. $180 per person. $95 per child. Reservations required.

The Sparrow
Midtown

The West Peachtree Asian tavern plans to open for lunch and dinner on both Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day.

Marcus Bar & Grille 
Old Fourth Ward 

From 1 to 6:30 p.m. on Christmas Day, Marcus Bar & Grill on Edgewood Avenue will host a Southern-inspired holiday buffet. Reservations encouraged.

Elektra 
Old Fourth Ward 

The Forth Hotel’s Mediterranean restaurant overlooking the rooftop pool will open on Christmas Day featuring holiday food and drink specials. Each reservation includes a s’mores and hot cocoa kit. Reservations encouraged.

Nakato
Cheshire Bridge

Nakato will open for dinner on Christmas Eve (3 to 9 p.m.) AND Christmas Day (1 to 9 p.m.). Reservations for sushi and hibachi highly encouraged on both days.

Holiday Takeout Service

Mary Mac’s Tea Room 
Midtown 

Mary Mac’s on Ponce will offer a family feast for takeout on both Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day, feeding up to 10 people. Dinner features dishes like turkey breast, smoked ham, Southern-style green beans, whipped potatoes, collard greens, sweet potato pie, and banana pudding. Order online.   

Ela
Virginia-Highland

The Fifth Group-backed Mediterranean restaurant offers a take-and-bake holiday feast feeding up to four people. The three-course dinner features dishes like feta-brined chicken, za’atar salmon, butternut squash and halloumi salad, and a mezze board for $120. The meal comes with Greek doughnuts for dessert. Order online.

Staplehouse
Old Fourth Ward

The Michelin-recognized restaurant and market will once again offer holiday meal kits that include Beef Wellington and optional sides like Robuchon potatoes, a kale Caesar, dinner rolls, and pecan pie. Order just the Beef Wellington ($120), or build a feast around the main. Order online to pick up by Dec. 23.

Wood’s Chapel BBQ
Summerhill 

Wood’s Chapel BBQ will offer Christmas catering, featuring rosemary and garlic roast beef, spiral ham, and apricot and maple-glazed duck, along with sides like cornbread dressing and butternut squash casserole, with gingerbread cheesecake for dessert. Check out the menu and order by Dec. 16 here.

Joey D’s Oak Room
Dunwoody

Grab Christmas Day dinner from the Dunwoody classic, including prime rib ($47), sides, the restaurant’s popular croissants with honey butter, and salad. A prime rib with sides costs $239 and feeds up to six people. Order online to pick up on Dec. 24.

The Select
Sandy Springs

The Sandy Springs restaurant will offer a Christmas feast for takeout this year to include Beef Wellington, herbed fingerling potatoes, and green beans, starting at $95 for two people. Order online.

Delbar
Alpharetta, Inman Park, Buckhead 

All locations of Delbar Middle Eastern Restaurant will offer harissa-spiced leg of lamb to reheat at home. The lamb feeds up to seven people. Order here to pick up at location of your choice.

The post Atlanta restaurants offering dine-in and takeout service on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

DeKalb Commissioner Ted Terry held a town hall meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 9, to discuss a recently approved $45 million hangar expansion at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK), giving residents a chance to air their thoughts about the decision.  

Held at Brookhaven City Centre, Terry reviewed the process that led the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners to approve Sky Harbour’s plan to build out eight hangars on the east side of PDK to hold 16 corporate jets under a 50-year ground lease. Sky Harbour was the only applicant to a request for proposal (RFP) issued by the county in 2023. 

The county is following the PDK 2040 master plan, which calls for expansion. Residents have expressed their concerns about an increase in noise and environmental pollution.

The county estimates the contract over a 50-year period could bring in $576,607,163 in revenue: $211 million of which would go to DeKalb County, $230 million to DeKalb school system, and $67 million to the City of Chamblee.

As of now, the Sky Harbour contract is still being hammered out by DeKalb’s Chief Procurement Officer Michelle Butler. Terry said the contract has not been made available to the commissioners, and he will make the details public as soon as he receives them. 

“It’s very important to know what we’ve negotiated,” Terry said. 

Larry Foster, a 48-year resident of unincorporated DeKalb County, said PDK is already the least safe airport in the country in terms of runway incursions. At 103 runway incursions, PDK is about seven times higher than other airports, Foster claimed.  

“Approving the Sky Harbour contract will constitute the second-most damaging decision in the history of PDK Airport that impacts the health and wellbeing of the estimated one-tenth of DeKalb County’s residents who live within the approximately three to four mile radius of the airport,” Foster said. 

Sky Harbour claims the number of repositioning flights will drop by 50 percent, therefore reducing noise and pollution. The company will report its findings quarterly to DeKalb.

“I want to know what happens when they fail the 50 percent reduction compliance test,” unincorporated DeKalb County resident Beth Schissel said. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) defines PDK as a general aviation airport, allowing a high volume of corporate/general aviation jet traffic, 10 flight schools, a robust helicopter community, and helicopter flight instruction.  

Brookhaven resident Anna Martin said she’s spoken to all of her neighbors, and “no one wants more planes coming through.”

“So here we have a new hangar being built for rich, pompous CEO jerks to fly in because they don’t like to fly commercial. That’s the truth of it,” Martin said. “I’m wondering if my husband and I might have to move.”

Terry is proposing to the DeKalb commissioners a moratorium on all new hangar development until the PDK master plan is updated, and an FAA ban on night flights except for emergencies. 

The PDK voluntary curfew encourages pilots to refrain from taking off or landing between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., yet Terry said one of his constituents emails him daily because she has been awakened by an airplane. 

“How do we reduce night flights? Can we ban them? Can we take that voluntary curfew and turn it into a permission structure where they have to get permission to fly at night?” Terry asked. 

Terry encouraged participants to attend the Airport Advisory Board meetings and report noise violations. A general grumbling came from the audience. 

Foster said the reason people aren’t calling in noise complaints is because “they know that it’s useless.” A woman in the audience shouted: “It’s a farce.”

Between the airport and the county, there are no ongoing annual general fund contributions to an environmental health and noise impact fund, Terry said. However, once Sky Harbour is up and running, the county will set aside $1 million dollars each year for residents who are experiencing high decibel levels of noise, he said.

Jamie Dutro served on the Citizens Advisory Committee for the PDK master plan. 

“We got sold down the river. We’re the ones who are going to suffer for it. What good is it that you get cancer, but the county’s going to pay for it?” Dutro said. 

The post Residents say they were ‘sold down the river’ over PDK airport expansion appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Despite being hard hit this year by higher ingredient prices, tariffs, labor challenges, and rent hikes, more Atlanta bars and restaurants than ever before are getting into the holiday makeover spirit in December. For many bars and restaurants, operating a holiday pop-up is simply a continuation, and an unstoppable acceleration of, what’s become an annual tradition. 

In Inman Park, the owners of Amore e Amore (formerly Il Localino) found themselves carried away by the Italian restaurant’s campy decor during the holidays. 

“It started with the hats. It was Sinatra’s birthday [Dec. 12], and I thought we should play Sinatra all week,” Amore e Amore co-owner “Mama” Gale Parker said. “I went to the party store looking for inexpensive fedoras for the staff, and within two songs, customers [at the restaurant] had taken the hats and started wearing them.” 

During a trip to Las Vegas, a ceiling installation of roses in a hot air balloon caught Parker’s eye. Struck by people’s positive reactions to the design, Parker contemplated how to bring a similar experience to Amore e Amore. 

A curious hanging chair in the corner of the dining room meant to hide a bump on the ceiling sparked an aha! moment for Parker, who soon began hanging other things around the dining room. It didn’t take long for it to erupt into a full-scale explosion of decorations.

Walking into Amore e Amore during the holiday season, you enter a dining room bursting at the seams with festive decor. (Think an eclectic collection of lights and ornaments hanging from the rafters, tinsel festooning a tree at the entrance, and endless tchotchkes nestled into nooks.) 

Related: Get festive at these holiday pop-ups around ATL

For S.O.S. Tiki Bar in Decatur, one of the first local bars to go overboard with a holiday makeover back in 2017, the choice to do a pop-up was intentional. It coaxed people in the door for drinks on cold nights in December. 

The Decatur bar’s “Mele Kalikimaka Tiki Holiday” theme was a natural fit. Here, tropical kitsch, vintage decorations, and novelties like the “shot train” that chugs around the bar provide the necessary atmosphere. A soundtrack ranging from punk surf rock holiday tunes to Bing Crosby classics sets the mood at the basement bar.   

Marietta Melt Yard’s holiday makeover journey began in 2023 with the bar van in the dining room. Having recently watched “Home Alone,” co-owner Justin Wilfon was struck by how much the restaurant’s van looked like the one in the movie. The holiday pop-up’s initial design started with cut-outs of the burglars. Today, the pop-up features paint cans in the ceiling, Buzz McCallister’s bookshelf, Duncan’s Toy Chest, and elements of other beloved holiday movies.

Going hard for the holidays isn’t cheap. Wilfon said he spent roughly $2,500 for materials in 2023. He spends a little more each year to make the Home Alone pop-up “bigger and better.”

Parker admitted she spends “more than a normal person would” on holiday decorations for Amore e Amore. At one point, she had seven storage units stuffed with decorations for themed months at the Inman Park restaurant. 

Ian Jones of Victory Brands, the restaurant group behind S.O.S. Tiki Bar, said decorations, glassware, and custom-made items used to do up the Decatur bar for the holidays occupy most of a 20-foot shipping container. He’s lost count of how much he’s spent over the years on decor for the pop-up.

Jones, Wilfon, and Parker said that part of the fun of operating a holiday pop-up is procuring unique pieces to put on display. Amazon is a treasure trove, but thrift stores, antique and consignment shops, and estate sales are on regular rotation when scouting for decorations during the year.

“The coolest stuff are the handmade props we have from artists we found on Etsy, along with a local set-builder,” Wilfon said.

Even professional designers hired by restaurants, many of whom source from “trusted wholesalers and large-scale commercial decor vendors,” seek out custom-made items, or craft and paint decorations themselves, said Lauren Reeves of The Spirit Exchange. 

Reeves is the designer behind the Santa’s Speakeasy pop-ups this year at the East Cobb and Woodstock locations of Marlow’s Tavern.

“The first year is always an investment [in decorations]; after that, it becomes more of a spend on the actual labor,” Reeves said of the costs. Part of that investment includes manpower. 

“There’s no shame in recognizing that there are others out there who have the skills and resources to succeed in a way we wouldn’t if we did it on our own,” said Rye Restaurants partner Jennifer Johnson. 

For 2025, Rye Restaurants debuted an “Elf” movie-themed pop-up at Wood’s Chapel BBQ in Summerhill. The group tapped Brans House Design Studio to come up with a theme and decorate the restaurant. This allowed Johnson and her Wood’s Chapel staff to concentrate on food and drinks for the holiday pop-up, including novelty foods like candy corn-bread with maple syrup. 

The festive decorations decking out Amore e Amore takes Parker’s staff two weeks to install. Employees first tackle taking down the previous theme in the dining room, putting in the hours for extra pay, and for the fun of it. 

S.O.S. Tiki Bar’s staff start decorating for Tiki Holiday a week before Thanksgiving.

“Between [the labor involved] and coming up with the food and beverage menu, and designing and ordering all of the merch, it’s wild how much time we put in, compared to less than 25 actual nights of business,” Jones said. “It’s an army of people contributing, but we love it, and always do!”

Marietta Melt Yard took a one-fell-swoop approach to decorating for December this year, closing after Halloween for a week to transform the restaurant’s viral “Ghostbusters” theme into Home Alone.

The temporary closures and the costs and labor involved in holiday pop-up makeovers seem worth the hassle, however, even as restaurants and bars prepare for the busiest dining season of the year.

“It’s not easy to get the word out about your restaurant,” Johnson said of choosing to launch the Elf pop-up at Wood’s Chapel. “The city is saturated with restaurants, and we want to stand out and invite people to check out Summerhill.”

Jones said Tiki Holiday increases business exponentially during December, with people lingering longer at the Decatur bar and ordering multiple rounds to see the different garnishes and interactive presentations from the bartenders. Despite the fun he and his staff have putting on Tiki Holiday, the added expenses involved don’t translate into an instant windfall.

Now in its eighth year, and with most of its decor set, Jones has learned to keep a sharp eye on the extra costs associated with Tiki Holiday’s themed cocktails, including buying smokers, glassware, more garnishes, and special spirits and ingredients not normally stocked behind the bar. 

“It’s been an incredibly challenging time for the hospitality industry, and my heart goes out to everyone,” Parker said of why she keeps Amore e Amore’s holiday pop-up going. “We’ve all been struggling, and the answer has always been to work smarter, to find a way, and to build something that people will remember.”

The post A behind-the-scenes look at how Atlanta restaurants make holiday pop-up magic happen appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

The incident happened at a polling location at Dobbs Elementary School, according to a news release from Raffensperger’s office.

“Georgia is the best state for elections because we work around the clock to keep our elections secure and fair. That’s why investigators have been deployed to Fulton County to gather evidence and conduct a full investigation into the December 2 incident,” said Raffensperger, according to the release. “Georgia’s system is designed to catch this exact behavior, and we look forward to seeking prosecution of this poll worker to the fullest extent of the law.”

Raffensperger commended work of the Secretary of State’s law enforcement staff and the Fulton County Police Department. He said he looked forward to seeking prosecution of the poll worker.

It was announced on Dec. 8 that a Fulton County poll worker who was caught allegedly scanning multiple ballots for family members in Dec. 2’s runoff elections would prompt a recount in those races.

Fulton County Board of Registration Chair Sherri Allen said that during the runoff election, a poll manager saw a poll worker scanning two ballots and reported it to the director of elections. A police officer at the polling place escorted the poll worker out of the location, Allen said during a media briefing on Dec. 8.

“Upon further investigation, we learned that the poll worker had scanned her own ballot, had voted herself, and scanned her own ballot, but also for other family members that we later learned on Saturday were not present at the precinct location,” Allen said.

The poll worker and her family members lived at the same residence, Allen said.

Additional information, including the poll worker’s name, was not given because it is an active investigation, Fulton County Deputy Police Chief Ken Schierle said.

The Board of Registration reported it to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office.

Allen said the recount was held because of discrepancies and irregularities in a few races. Runoff elections were held in the cities of Sandy Springs, Atlanta, Roswell, East Point, and South Fulton.

The poll worker no longer works for the county, Allen said. The poll worker had worked during previous elections, and the investigation is looking into those election activities.

Fulton County Elections Director Nadine Williams said the recount was to be completed Dec. 8. No additional costs were expected.

The post Update: Raffensperger announces full-scale investigation of worker accused of scanning multiple ballots appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

A new auxiliary lane will open on I-285 westbound between Roswell Road and Riverside Drive on Monday if the weather cooperates.

Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) contractors will open it to traffic on Dec. 8. Once open, six travel lanes will be in operation between the Roswell Road on-ramp and Riverside Drive off-ramp. According to a news release, the auxiliary lane will help motorists merge more safely and reducing conflict points. It is expected to enhance traffic flow and improve operations on the I-285 general-purpose lanes.

The new lane is part of the larger I-285 Westbound Auxiliary Lane Extension project. Reconstruction of the Mount Vernon Highway bridge over I-285 was another part of the project.

Some minor punch list and noise barrier work will continue, mostly overnight during off-peak hours. The release said that the overall project is scheduled to be substantially completed by the end of December.

According to the release, the exact time may change due to weather conditions. Intermittent traffic pacing and lane and ramp closures may occur within the work zone.

The post New lane to open on I-285 westbound to ease traffic flow appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.