The Best Restaurants for Christmas Dinner in NYC

Set within the upscale Peninsula Hotel, which will be sufficiently bedecked with holiday decor, the Clement restaurant is offering a three-course, family-friendly Christmas dinner, accompanied by cheerful music and a visit from Santa Claus. There will be a large appetizer and dessert buffet and you will have your choice of entree, which typically includes prime beef tenderloin, turkey, and a glazed turbot fillet.

Spice up Christmas Day dining with some tapas at the Barcelona-inspired Boqueria. The Christmas menu puts a Spanish twist on holiday favorites like Suquet de Mariscos, a seafood medley, and Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos, braised oxtail stuffed with peppers. Topping off the meal is a almond-hazlenut cake that blends Christmas flavors and classic Spanish nougat. There are multiple Boqueria locations in Manhattan, so call ahead to confirm your Christmas Day reservation.

Set on a 35th-floor perch in the swank Mandarin Oriental hotel, Asiate dishes out decadent American dining in a sophisticated setting, with sweeping views over Central Park. On Christmas Day, try a prix-fixe menu which typically features lobster and caviar; scallops with sunchoke; parsley root soup with chestnut, apple, truffle crème; and your choice of entree: heritage turkey, branzino, wagyu beef, or barley risotto.

Michelin-starred Ai Firoi, in the Langham Place, New York Hotel, proposes refined flavors from the French and Italian Riviera this Christmas. While Christmas Eve offers an a la carte menu all day, Christmas Day provides the option of a four or seven-course meal, plus wine pairings.

The hip Refinery Hotel's traditional American restaurant, Parker & Quinn, proposes a reasonably priced Christmas Day prix-fixe menu including an appetizer (chestnut veloute, or artisan greens), an entree (arctic char, roasted pork tenderloin, wild mushroom risotto, or prime rib), and a dessert (black forest charlotte or bread pudding).

Located underneath the famed Red Rooster Harlem restaurant, Ginny's Supper Club delivers an early 20th-century-style blend of soul food, handcrafted cocktails, and lively music. Their Christmas Day buffet includes everything from smoked salmon, duck confit, jambalaya, Swedish meatballs, and more.