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Where to Eat on Christmas in San Francisco

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While restaurants clamor for patrons to drop money on special meals just six days later, Christmas Day is a dining wasteland in San Francisco for those who don't feel like hitting up their nearest Chinese joint. But for those who don't feel like cooking for their families (or putting up with their families at all), a few options are available, from prix-fixe feasts to stunning ocean views to gigantic steaks. To round out the Christmas offering, we've also added a few prime spots to savor the traditional Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, or drop some serious cash before resorting to Stouffer's on Christmas proper.


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Locanda

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Locanda's Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner ($90 adults, $45 kids) will include gulf shrimp and burrata panzarotti (filled savory pastries) and a charcoal-grilled stuffed whole trout, among other dishes. More info here.

A16's Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes will offer yellowtail crudo and octopus stew at the Marina location ($80, with $65 optional wine pairings), and Dungeness crab and squid ink tonarelli and whole roasted trout with white truffles at the Rockridge location ($75, with optional $60 wine pairings).

Incanto

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Christmas Eve at Incanto also means Feast of the Seven Fishes time, with a menu of seafood salad, linguini with clams, roasted fish with olives and kumquats, and tiramisu. Dinner is $65; wine is extra.

Frances

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Melissa Perello is offering a $90 four-course prix fixe menu (with optional $40 wine pairings) for Christmas Eve. While specifics aren't available yet, we imagine there will be lumberjack cake involved.

La Folie

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For sheer indulgence, it's hard to beat La Folie for Christmas Eve, with wild mushroom risotto, John Dory topped with lobster mousse, and a chestnut-whiskey bombe for dessert. Dinner is $160 with an optional $85 wine pairing; for extra decadence, add on an ounce of Osetra caviar, blinis, and lobster for $120.

Keiko à Nob Hill

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Keiko provides another lavish Christmas Eve option with their $195 prix-fixe menu, featuring the option to pair dinner with a bottle from the owner's private collection of vintage wines.

One of the few non-Chinese restaurants outside of downtown to stay open for Christmas Day, Bisou will offer a $75 four-course prix fixe with truffled scallop carpaccio, Maine lobster, duck breast, and pecan pie as options.

Campton Place

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Enjoy an Indian-influenced Christmas Day meal with options like Maine lobster with spiced carrot pilaf, slow-cooked monkfish tail, and seared beef filet with black truffles. It's $125 per person for four courses.

Ame gets in its Feast of the Seven Fishes just in the first course, with small preparations of seven kinds of seafood. There's also sauteed fluke fillet and herb-roasted venison. Christmas Day dinner is $112/person, with optional $65 wine pairings.

Sutro's at Cliff House

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For a view of the water that will make even a solo Christmas Day special, the Cliff House at sunset makes a pretty great choice. The bistro will offer breakfast and lunch from from 9 am-1 pm and classics like prime rib and pork chops a la carte at dinner, while Sutro's will have tuna tartare, Dungeness crab ravioli, and Christmas goose available a la carte from 11 am-9:30 pm.

Christmas Day at Luce can go one of two ways: there's a $45 brunch buffet with unlimited sparkling wine and mini hot dishes until 2:30 pm, then a more sophisticated $85 prix fixe (wine pairings $45) at night, with dishes like uni and new potato, slow-cooked lamb loin, and roasted squab. More info here.

Bob's Steak & Chop House

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For the Christmas Day diner who'd rather skip the fussy prix fixes and go to town on a giant steak, we offer Bob's. Another option in this genre is Osso Steakhouse, which will also be serving on Christmas.

1300 on Fillmore

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Southern-fried Christmases abound at 1300 on Fillmore, which is offering a whole prime rib this year for their first-ever holiday feast. Tickets are $65 per person and $32 for kids.

New Asia Restaurant

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Care for some comedy with your Chinese food? Kung Pao Kosher Comedy is offering a Christmas Day prix-fixe complete with laughs from an all-Jewish comedic lineup. Options include a seven-course meal for $64, or cocktails and vegetarian dim sum for $44.

San Tung Chinese Restaurant

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It shouldn't surprise anyone that non-celebrants' tastes on Christmas Day run to Chinese restaurants, which are open, open, open. But if it's San Tung's dry-fried chicken wings you crave, get there early: the line gets longer, earlier, with each passing year.

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Locanda

Locanda's Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner ($90 adults, $45 kids) will include gulf shrimp and burrata panzarotti (filled savory pastries) and a charcoal-grilled stuffed whole trout, among other dishes. More info here.

A16

A16's Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes will offer yellowtail crudo and octopus stew at the Marina location ($80, with $65 optional wine pairings), and Dungeness crab and squid ink tonarelli and whole roasted trout with white truffles at the Rockridge location ($75, with optional $60 wine pairings).

Incanto

Christmas Eve at Incanto also means Feast of the Seven Fishes time, with a menu of seafood salad, linguini with clams, roasted fish with olives and kumquats, and tiramisu. Dinner is $65; wine is extra.

Frances

Melissa Perello is offering a $90 four-course prix fixe menu (with optional $40 wine pairings) for Christmas Eve. While specifics aren't available yet, we imagine there will be lumberjack cake involved.

La Folie

For sheer indulgence, it's hard to beat La Folie for Christmas Eve, with wild mushroom risotto, John Dory topped with lobster mousse, and a chestnut-whiskey bombe for dessert. Dinner is $160 with an optional $85 wine pairing; for extra decadence, add on an ounce of Osetra caviar, blinis, and lobster for $120.

Keiko à Nob Hill

Keiko provides another lavish Christmas Eve option with their $195 prix-fixe menu, featuring the option to pair dinner with a bottle from the owner's private collection of vintage wines.

Bisou

One of the few non-Chinese restaurants outside of downtown to stay open for Christmas Day, Bisou will offer a $75 four-course prix fixe with truffled scallop carpaccio, Maine lobster, duck breast, and pecan pie as options.

Campton Place

Enjoy an Indian-influenced Christmas Day meal with options like Maine lobster with spiced carrot pilaf, slow-cooked monkfish tail, and seared beef filet with black truffles. It's $125 per person for four courses.

Ame

Ame gets in its Feast of the Seven Fishes just in the first course, with small preparations of seven kinds of seafood. There's also sauteed fluke fillet and herb-roasted venison. Christmas Day dinner is $112/person, with optional $65 wine pairings.

Sutro's at Cliff House

For a view of the water that will make even a solo Christmas Day special, the Cliff House at sunset makes a pretty great choice. The bistro will offer breakfast and lunch from from 9 am-1 pm and classics like prime rib and pork chops a la carte at dinner, while Sutro's will have tuna tartare, Dungeness crab ravioli, and Christmas goose available a la carte from 11 am-9:30 pm.

Luce

Christmas Day at Luce can go one of two ways: there's a $45 brunch buffet with unlimited sparkling wine and mini hot dishes until 2:30 pm, then a more sophisticated $85 prix fixe (wine pairings $45) at night, with dishes like uni and new potato, slow-cooked lamb loin, and roasted squab. More info here.

Bob's Steak & Chop House

For the Christmas Day diner who'd rather skip the fussy prix fixes and go to town on a giant steak, we offer Bob's. Another option in this genre is Osso Steakhouse, which will also be serving on Christmas.

1300 on Fillmore

Southern-fried Christmases abound at 1300 on Fillmore, which is offering a whole prime rib this year for their first-ever holiday feast. Tickets are $65 per person and $32 for kids.

New Asia Restaurant

Care for some comedy with your Chinese food? Kung Pao Kosher Comedy is offering a Christmas Day prix-fixe complete with laughs from an all-Jewish comedic lineup. Options include a seven-course meal for $64, or cocktails and vegetarian dim sum for $44.

San Tung Chinese Restaurant

It shouldn't surprise anyone that non-celebrants' tastes on Christmas Day run to Chinese restaurants, which are open, open, open. But if it's San Tung's dry-fried chicken wings you crave, get there early: the line gets longer, earlier, with each passing year.

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