Holiday Dining

Best Dallas restaurants for dining out on Christmas Day in 2023

Christmas Day holiday dining.

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When the holidays arrive in Dallas, there's one thing you can count on at CultureMap: lists. What's open, where should you eat?

This list hones in specifically on restaurants that are open on Christmas Day. We also have lists for restaurants that are open on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. If you want a list, CultureMap is where it's at. Since 2012!

Here's what's open in Dallas on Christmas Day:

Carbone. A la carte menu features classics like spicy rigatoni vodka, veal Parmesan, tiramisu, and cannoli. 4-10 pm. Reservations on Resy. 469-290-6009.

Carbone Vino. A la carte menu features classics like carpaccio Piemontese, gnocchi, pizzas, chicken parmigiano, tiramisu, and panna cotta. 4-10 pm. Reservations on Resy. 469-290-6009.

Chet's. Irish-American pub fare with Old Fashioned menu, open 11 am-10 pm. 214-613-6500.

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse. Holiday special includes Wagyu chateaubriand, a 12 oz. Wagyu tenderloin A5 Kobe Tallow, and caviar butter, plus a featured cocktail Santa's Sleigh Ride with Jack Daniels and OJ, and a featured Napa Valley wine, Faust Cabernet Sauvignon. Special hours 12-9 pm. Dallas 490-9000, Plano 972-312-9115, Fort Worth 817-877-3999.

Del Frisco's Grille. Holiday specials include lobster and a 16-ounce ribeye, plus steaks, salads, sandwiches, and famed cheesesteak egg rolls. 1-8 pm. Plano 469-661-8012, Fort Worth 817-887-9900, Southlake 817-410-3777.

Dolce Riviera. Brunch buffet with array of stations including omelet bar, bruschetta bar, carving station, and dessert station. 10 am-3 pm. $85, or $40 for 12 and under. Dinner with a la carte menu from 6-10 pm. All reservations require a $50 deposit. 469-458-6623.

Elm & Good. Restaurant at the Kimpton Pittman features Christmas Day brunch from 7 am–3 pm with holiday themed specials. 7 am-3 pm. 469-498-2500.

Fearing’s. Buffet featuring seafood raw bar with crab and oysters, Prime rib, salads, soups, desserts, fresh baked breads. $175, $90 for vegetarian, $50 for 12 and under. 11-3 pm. 214-922-4848.

Hall Arts Hotel. Christmas Day brunch features a 3-course menu with baked acorn squash fondue, sturgeon or peppercorn filet mignon, and red velvet cake with currants and white chocolate sauce. $85. A la carte menu also available. 11 am-3 pm. 214-953-1717.

Kona Grill. Special Christmas menu includes smoked salmon nova lox with red onion & capers, turkey with stuffing, asparagus, cranberry corn bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy; glazed ham with sweet chili green beans & roasted fingerling potatoes; Prime rib surf & turf, kids meal (turkey, mac & cheese, and green beans), and pumpkin pie with whipped cream, pepitas, & caramel sauce. Holiday menu and regular all-day menu will also be available. 11 am-12 am. Dallas 214-369-7600, Plano 214-945-2500.

Las Colinas Resort, Dallas. Extensive brunch with holiday favorites. $175, or $50 for 12 and under. Two seatings, at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm. Reservations are required: for 10:30 am or for 1:30 pm. 972-717-2420.

Mansion on Turtle Creek. 3-course menu features seasonally inspired offerings including hamachi crudo, prime rib with garlic mashed potatoes, Amish chicken with chestnut stuffing, and gingerbread créme brulée. $150, or $65 for 12 and under. 11 am-7 pm. 214-559-2100.

Monarch. Special Christmas menu features Osso Buco Milanese, chestnut polenta, red currant glaze, and sage, $65. Special dessert is a Chocolate Christmas Tree made with entremet - azelia chocolate mousse, vanilla sponge cake, orange creme brulee & hazelnut crunch with chocolate sable, $35. 4-9 pm. Reserve online. 214-945-2222.

Nobu. 3-course brunch on Christmas Day features edamame, yellowtail sashimi jalapeno, lobster tacos, crispy rice with spicy tuna, spinach dry miso with grilled shrimp, tuna avocado poke with spicy miso, shrimp spicy garlic with crispy chuka noodles, salmon teriyaki, eggs benedict with crab, chicken karaage & matcha mochi waffles, beef tenderloin with egg, chef’s sushi selection, spicy garlic vegetables, miso cappuccino, and sorbet. Special $32 kid’s bento includes shrimp tempura roll, chicken skewers with teriyaki, inaniwa udon with yuzu butter, mochi ice cream, or sorbet. $75. 11 am-3 pm. 214-252-7000.

Oceanaire Seafood Room. Full menu with seafood, oysters, raw bar, sushi, chowder. 1-8 pm. 972-759-2277.

RJ Mexican Cuisine. West End restaurant will be open with regular menu on Christmas Day for walk-ins, no reservations required. 11 am-10 pm. 214-744-1420.

The Rustic. Uptown hangout will serve tamales, queso, and beer from 5–9 p.m. 214-730-0596.

Sadelle's. A la carte menu includes eggs, salads, sandwiches, caviar, rotisserie chicken, charcuterie, challah French toast. 7 am-9 pm. Reservations on Resy. 469-290-6009.

Starship Bagel. Artisan bagel shop will be open at both locations in Lewisville and downtown Dallas on Christmas Day with bagels, coffee, and bagel sandwiches including cucumber, lox, and avocado with tomato, cucumber, red onion, and sprouts. 7 am-1 pm.

Sum Dang Good Chinese. Trinity Groves restaurant will be open with hand-pulled noodles, steamed dumplings, Mongolian beef, spicy Sichuan wontons, pork pan fried buns, kung pao chicke, upbeat 80's music, and cocktails. 11 am-9 pm. 469-638-8930.

Table 13. 4-course meal includes choices from deviled eggs, bacon-wrapped dates, house salad, lobster bisque, tenderloin lobster Oscar, sea bass, Prime ribeye, lemon caper chicken, pecan-crusted salmon, candy cane cheesecake or chocolate cake. $99. 5-10 pm. 972-789-9558.

3Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails. Full menu with cocktails open 11 am-10 pm. 214-744-1423.

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Henderson Ave News

Cozy Western-chic bar Stay Darlin' rides onto Dallas' Henderson Ave

Stay Darlin'

Stay Darlin' is coming to Henderson Avenue.

There's a distinctive new bar with a twang that just debuted on Dallas' Henderson Avenue: Called Stay Darlin', it's a Western-chic cocktail and wine bar, now open at 2929 N. Henderson Ave., in the space most famously occupied by Sissy's Southern Kitchen.

The new spot will feature a from-scratch cocktail program and shareable kitchen. It'll be open for dinner every night, starting as a cocktail bar but building into a lounge as the night goes on. Daytime weekend brunch will be added in July.

"Darlin’ is the unplanned night," says co-founder Brandon Luke in a statement. "The catch-up you’ve been meaning to have, the happy hour nobody planned, the late one you didn’t see coming — where the phone stays down and the conversation runs long. You come for a drink and stay for the way the night turns."

According to a release, Stay Darlin’ — or Darlin’ for short — is from a partnership between HattenLuke Hospitality Group, the Dallas-based company founded by Luke and his partner, chef Ron "RV" Van Hatten, whose other concepts include The Woolworth and Uno Mas Tex-Mex in downtown Dallas; and The A&B Effect, a Houston company led by managing partner Adonis Graham and bar chef Bronson Gutierrez, who've relocated here for Darlin', their first project in Dallas.

Luke previously installed a location of Uno Mas at this address; he also owned Smithy, a bar in the space next door. They've closed Smithy to focus on Stay Darlin'.

Cozy Western vignette at Stay Darlin'Photo courtesy of Stay Darlin'

Food & drink
The menu by Von Hatten, a former Corporate Chef at Landry’s, Inc. is centered on small plates built for sharing. Standouts include:

duck fries finished in duck fat with truffle and pecorino
steak bruschetta with Prime hanger steak
Caesar, with everything from dressing to croutons made in-house

The bar program by Bronson Gutiérrez features sous-vide spirit infusions, house-made syrups, and fresh-pressed citrus. Nine signature cocktails include a dirty martini with house olive or pickle brine and choice of vodka or gin; espresso martini; and a chili margarita with spicy tamarindo.

They'll offer frozen and draft pours, Perrier-Jouët Brut pours by the glass, Coors Banquet, Shiner Bock, and Texas beers.

The space
The venue has seating for 112, plus a 13-seat bar, main room, and two patios which have been rebuilt as a candlelit space for adult nightlife with dark wood floors, exposed beams, leather, brass, and fringe.

VIPs
Darlin’ is offering a limited VIP club option with 50 numbered memberships at $188 a month which confers reserved entry, a signature cocktail built with the bar chef and saved under their name, partner experiences with Texas makers such as McKinney Hat Co., Tecovas, and Pinto Ranch, and first access to Darlin’s artist series.

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