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.

Keep scrolling for a look at what restaurants will be open for business over the Christmas and New Years holidays.

Christmas and Christmas Eve Dining

Petite Violette: This French restaurant will be closed for dine-in options during Christmas, but is offering the chance for to-go meals. The to-go menu features four courses, including either a turkey plate entrée, salmon over tagliatelle pasta, or boeuf bourguignon. Orders must be made before close of business on Dec. 21 and picked up Dec. 23 from 3-6 p.m. The price is $59.95 per person for soup, salad, entrée and dessert. Orders can be placed at 404-634-6268.

Brassica: The Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead’s signature restaurant will be open for Christmas Eve and Day dinner. The culinary team will offer a three-course prix-fixe menu featuring items like lobster bisque, duck confit cocotte, seared halibut, and more. There are two seatings on Christmas Eve, one at 5 p.m. and one at 7:30 p.m. Four seatings are available on Christmas, at noon, 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Reservations can be made online.

The Select: The Select is offering a special three-course prix-fixe menu for Christmas Eve. The menu is $85 per person, and reservations can be made online. The Select also has a Christmas Eve beef wellington dinner for two available to go.

Daily Chew: Daily Chew is offering takeout for Christmas, featuring items such as rotisserie chicken, potato mash, mac and cheese, roasted brussel sprouts, and more. Order online through Dec. 18.

By George: Located in The Candler Hotel in Downtown Atlanta, the restaurant is taking Christmas Eve & Day reservations with a special holiday meal ($85 per person) or select from the regular menu such as shrimp and grits, pan-seared salmon, Rigatoni Bolognese and more. Make a reservation here.

Cooks & Soldiers: Reserve a table now for a specialty Christmas Eve a la carte menu including pato, a grilled duck breast, confit duck leg and crispy duck wing served parsnip puree, spiced carrots and a sherry glaze; torrijas, a Basque French toast served with olive oil ice cream and orange marmalade; and more. 

C&S Restaurant Group: C&S Restaurant Group is celebrating Christmas Eve with the Feast of the Seven Fishes. All four metro Atlanta restaurants – C&S Seafood and Oyster Bar Sandy Springs, Vinings and Brookhaven, and Hugo’s Oyster Bar in Roswell – will be participating. Menu items include clams casino, seafood linguine, Brazino Livornese, Lobster Fra Diavolo and Tiramisu, but offerings may vary by location.

Chido & Padre’s: Enjoy a Christmas Eve brunch from from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. including breakfast tacos, French toast, chilaquiles, huevos rancheros and avocado toast. 

The Southern Gentleman: This eatery is celebrating Christmas eve with brunch starting at 11 a.m., and then dinner from 3-7 p.m. Menu items include deviled crab fritters with caper remoulade and prime rib with Yukon gold potato puree, grilled asparagus and carrots, and red wine jus.

Ecco: At both its Midtown and Buckhead locations, Ecco is celebrating Christmas Eve with a four-course prix-fixe menu at $115 a person. There is an optional $30 add-on of fresh black perigord truffles. Reservations can be made online.

The Iberian Pig: The Iberian Pig locations in Decatur and Buckhead are celebrating Christmas Eve with specialty cocktails and tapas. 

Atlas:  Atlas is open for Christmas Eve reservations. You can make a reservation online.

STK: Join STK for their Christmas Eve & Day Dinner this year. The menu will feature STK’s signature prime rib and turkey. The full menu will also be available. 

Ray’s Restaurants: Ray’s at Killer Creek will be open for Christmas Eve dining, serving brunch from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. and dinner from 4-9 p.m. Ray’s on the River will serve Christmas Eve brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 3-9 p.m. Ray’s in the City will have regular hours on Dec. 24.

New Year’s Eve Dining

Petite Violette: On New Year’s Eve, Petite Violette will be celebrating with a six-course New Year’s Eve menu, party favors and a champagne toast. The complete dinner costs $99.95 per person (plus tax and gratuity) and seatings are available from 5-9 p.m. Make reservations online.

Brassica: Brassica will host a black tie experience to celebrate this New Year’s Eve. Starting at 8:30 p.m., guests can enjoy a five-course, prix-fixe meal featuring items such as herbal cannelloni with butter poached lobster and seared venison medallion. This dining experience begins at $495 per person with 18% gratuity included. Beverages are available at an additional cost and taxes and fees are not included in the dinner price. Tickets can be purchased online.

North Italia: Both North Italia’s Buckhead and Perimeter locations are offering a three-course prix-fixe dinner on New Year’s Eve. Each guest will be given a choice of a starter, main entrée and dessert. The full menu can be viewed here.

Ray’s Restaurants: Ray’s Restaurants will be offering a myriad of things for New Year’s Eve. Ray’s in the City is hosting lunch from noon to 3 p.m. and dinner from 3 pm. to midnight, with a last seating at 11 p.m. For dinner, Ray’s in the City is serving a limited a la carte menu until 6 p.m. along with a prix fixe menu available all evening. 

Ray’s on the River will be hosting New Year’s Eve brunch and dinner. The a la carte brunch will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner will be from 3 p.m. to midnight with the last seating at 11 p.m. Dinner will feature a limited a la carte menu until 6 p.m. and a prix-fixe menu all evening.

Ray’s at Killer Creek will have New Year’s Eve brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 4 p.m. to midnight with the last seating at 11 p.m. The dinner will feature a limited a la carte menu until 7 p.m. along with a prix fixe menu available all evening.

Each location will have a champagne toast at midnight.

The Select: Celebrate New Year’s Eve at The Select with a prix-fixe menu. Menu items include poached lobster, seared scallops and more. Make your reservation online.

Le Bilboquet: This Buckhead village restaurant is offering a three-course, prix-fixe New Year’s Eve menu. Diners can enjoy items like Maine scallop tartare, foie gras terrine, black truffle mushroom risotto, and more. Reservation pricing starts at $85 a person.

AltaToro: This Latin restaurant in Midtown is offering a four-course prix-fixe dinner from 6-10 p.m. before celebrating the New Year with a DJ until 2 a.m.

The Betty: Ring in the New Year with a four-course dinner menu at The Betty. The prix-fixe menu includes dishes from Executive Chef Thomas Davis, dessert from Executive Pastry Chef Terrence Scott, and an optional wine pairing from Sommelier Bill Brillinger. The menu starts at $135 a person, with the option to add the wine pairing for $75 a person. Reservations can be made online.

The Optimist: The Optimist is offering a four-course tasting menu that includes favorites like tuna crudo, rock shrimp, and whole Maine lobster. The experience is $125 a person plus an optional wine pairing. Reservations can be made online.

Beetlecat: Beetlecat is offering a tasting menu filled with potato croquettes, lobster bisque, truffle risotto, and burnt miso pound cake. The cost is $105 a person plus drinks a la carte. Reservations can be made online.

No. 246: This Decatur Italian restaurant will have a four-course menu with dishes like fritto miso, agnolotti limone, chicken marsala, and chocolate truffle torta. Reservations can be made online, and the cost is $110 a person with an option $45 wine pairing.

St. Cecilia: Get your fill of seafood and pasta at St. Cecilia this year. This New Years Eve tasting menu features hamachi crudo, spaghetti alla vongole, and halibut, and costs $135 a person with an optional wine pairing. Make reservations here.

Marcus Bar & Grille: Marcus Bar & Grille is serving an all-day New Years Eve buffet from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. featuring breakfast and brunch staples alongside dinner favorites. There will also be two DJ sets to accompany your meal. Make reservations here.

Marcel: For $250 a person, Marcel is offering a five-course, grand banquet prix fixe menu from Executive Chef Tye Carpenter. Enjoy steakhouse classics such as chateaubriand, cacio e pepe, pommes dauphinoise, and baked alaska, along with an optional wine pairing. Reservations can be made online.

Sugo: Ring in the New Year in Johns Creek with a three-course prix-fixe menu featuring butternut squash ravioli, scallops piccata, and more. The menu costs $55 per person, and you can make reservations here.

The Iberian Pig: The Decatur location of The Iberian Pig is toasting with speciality New Years Eve cocktails from 4 p.m. to midnight. At the Buckhead location, you can dine on specialty dishes including suckling pig paella made with bomba rice, suckling pig, chicharrones, seasonal vegetables and aioli. 

La Tavola: Celebrate the New Year in Virginia-Highland with a four-course prix-fixe menu. The menu costs $95 per person and features hamachi crudo, cresto di gallo with black perigord truffles, saltimbocca, tiramisu and more. Make reservations here.

Foundation Social Eatery: Before you celebrate the holiday with a party at Foundation Social Eatery, why not grab some dinner? The Alpharetta spot is offering reservations from 5-9:30 p.m. 

South City Kitchen: Reserve a spot at either the Buckhead, Vinings, or Midtown locations for brunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. or for a three-course prix-fixe menu from 5-10 p.m. The dinner menu costs $75 a person for adults and $35 a person for kids, and includes a mix of South City classics such as fried green tomatoes and smoky grilled pork chops as well as some specialty items. Make reservations here.

Aberdeen Steakhouse: This Milton steakhouse opened earlier this year and will be celebrating the New Year with a four-course prix-fixe menu. Menu items include lobster beignets, French onion soup, and a dry aged strip. You can make reservations online.

To see which restaurants will be open for normal hours over the holidays, check out websites like Resy and OpenTable.

Update: Since the publication of this article, Lure has announced it will be closed on Christmas Eve. This list has been updated to reflect that closure. Other updates will be added as needed.

The post Where to dine out for Christmas and New Year’s in Atlanta appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

For the third year in a row, a group of volunteers in Buckhead is making sure that every firefighter and police officer working on Christmas Eve in Atlanta can get a delicious meal.

The Holiday Ham Haul got its start in 2020, when the COVID pandemic and widespread social unrest contributed to low morale among police officers and firefighters.

Denise Starling, executive director of the nonprofit Livable Buckhead and a member of Buckhead Rotary, decided that the holiday season would be a good time to show community support for first responders, and the Holiday Ham Haul was born.

“Firefighters and police officers protect the public 365 days a year, which means many of them are working during the holidays while we are all enjoying time with family and friends,” said Starling. “Giving them a nice meal on Christmas Eve is our way to show how much they are appreciated.”

On Christmas Eve about 25 volunteers will gather and assemble a meal that includes Honeybaked ham, turkey, several sides and a Southern Baked pie. Then they will fan out across Atlanta, delivering a Christmas Eve dinner to all 36 Atlanta Fire Rescue Stations and all 7 Atlanta Police Department Zones – a total of 43 dinners.

The dinner is made possible through a partnership between Buckhead Rotary, Livable Buckhead and the Atlanta Fire Rescue Foundation and is sponsored by the Buckhead Community Improvement District, Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods, the Buckhead Coalition, Georgia Primary Bank, Southern Baked Pie and Honeybaked Ham.

The post Buckhead volunteers to provide Christmas Eve meals for every fire station and police zone appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

In the same way that children who hate homework grow up to be adults who wish that their biggest responsibility was writing their spelling words five times each, when we’re in the throes of the second civil war or third world war we’ll be comforted by memories of when the most newsworthy assassination target was a zoo gorilla and the biggest explosion we had to worry about was a Samsung Note 7.

About the best I can say about 2016 is that it’s not as bad as it’s about to be. Sure, it’s felt like sitting on a cold toilet seat for 365 days, but pretty soon the shit will start to flow.

Sweet baby Jesus in a manger, be a plunger.

It’s hard to reconcile the overall awfulness of world affairs in 2016 with the year being one of the most contented for me, personally. Specifically, my relationship with my family, from whom I’ve periodically been detached to the point of estrangement, is closer to what I’ve hoped for than ever before.

At 36, I’m settling into being undeniably adult, and have undergone visceral growth in my role as a family member.

It had been more than a decade since my mother’s side of the family got together for a simple meal or special occasion, and so it felt special to suggest and plan a celebration for my grandmother’s ninetieth birthday in July, to lobby cousins and other family members to put aside grudges and prejudices, to endure the logistical awkwardness of posing for a large family photo. Memories of Christmas Eve with the Lees have made December 24 the most emotionally difficult day of my adulthood; but I don’t feel that angst this year, knowing the spirit of those gatherings is not bygone, and that my niece and nephew now have childhood memories similar to the ones I cherish.

In February, my 20-year-old nephew and his 18-year-old girlfriend, who had relocated from Chicago into my bachelor pad to try to launch a new life, moved into their own apartment in College Park. Then and throughout the year, I’ve offered my wisest advice, which they’ve summarily ignored, and 2016 has been a brutal initiation into grown folks’ life.

Still, I’m immensely proud of the resolve and grind they’ve shown to keep their dreams from collapsing, and perilous as their day-to-day lives remain, it touches me to know that they know they are not operating without a safety net. I’ve witnessed my nephew’s audacious commitment to our family, and have aspired to match his devotion.

This led me to spending parts of 2016 at the Wright Street jail, on the streets of Midtown with a Grady mental health team and in the probate court of Fulton County, reciting an oath of guardianship for my 7-year-old nephew. Through all of that, I never doubted that everything would be alright, was already alright.

And all I want for Christmas is to feel the same way about 2017, but, as my young nephew has defiantly reminded me in recent weeks, “Santa Claus is not real.”

The post Ryan Lee: A tale of two years appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.