December 22, 2022 — With 2022 quickly coming to a close, it’s time to plan festive and unforgettable New Year’s Eve (Saturday, December 31) celebrations in Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs. We’ve gathered an in-depth guide highlighting can’t miss holiday happenings spanning extravagant tasting menus at Forsythia, The Dutch, Rex at The Royal, Urban Farmer, and Royal Boucherie, burlesque and blues at The Twisted Tail, a wine enthusiast’s ideal celebration at Jet Wine Bar, and over-the-top, larger-scale parties featuring Xfinity Live!, Stratus Rooftop Lounge, and SNACKTIME.
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Forsythia, Chef Christopher Kearse’s contemporary French restaurant and bar in Old City, has an ultra-elite prix fixe in-store for epicures this New Year’s Eve featuring a five-course tasting menu complete with optional pasta course. For $120/person, courses include Artichoke & Black Truffle Soup fashioned with blue crab, smoked maple cream, and puffed grains, Escargot Braised in Champagne, Duck Fat Roasted Cobia, Rohan Duck Breast à l’orange with caramelized endive, satsuma, and pistachio, and lastly, Baba au Rhum with milk chocolate crémeux, malt, and green cardamom. An optional add-on of Truffled Cavatelli with lamb and bone marrow ragout, caramelized onion, and Comte, will be offered for $25/person.
Forsythia’s New Year’s Eve dinner hours are 5pm – 11pm, while the bar will stay open until 2am. Reservations are highly encouraged and can be placed via Resy.
Regular hours of operation: Wednesday through Sunday, 5pm – 10pm with weekend brunch served Saturday and Sunday, 10:30am – 2pm
233 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA | 215.644.9395 | www.forsythiaphilly.com
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The Dutch, the popular breakfast, lunch and dinner eatery with a focus on reinventing the Pennsylvania Dutch classics, has its first-ever New Year’s Eve soirée planned for Saturday, December 31 featuring an extravagant multi-course dinner and expertly selected wine pairings. For $250/person, the prix fixe offerings helmed by Owner/Chef Lee Styer includes Tuna Crudo, Oysters on the Half Shell, Gnocchi with Duck Confit with pea shoots, black truffle, duck jus, and pomegranate seeds, Sea Scallop with heart of palm, honey nut squash, grapefruit salad, saffron sauce, and pink peppercorn, Surf & Turf composed of filet mignon and jumbo prawns served with truffle lobster sauce, Seared Foie Gras, and Vanilla Rum Custard Cannoli.
Reservations are recommended and can be placed via Tock.
Regular hours of operation: Wednesday through Friday, 8am – 9pm, Saturday and Sunday, 8am – 3pm; 5 – 9pm
1537 S 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA | 215.551.5000 | www.thedutchphilly.com
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Royal Boucherie, Philadelphia’s atmospheric and lively neighborhood restaurant and bar, is ringing in 2023 with three tiers of exquisite events occurring on Saturday, December 31. From 5 – 7:30pm, diners can expect a five-course tasting menu ($90/person) featuring contemporary takes on French fare such as lobster, scallops, filet, and more. Alternatively, those interested in a more expansive experience can partake in the eight-course tasting menu ($125/person) slated for 8 – 10pm. Both options will feature a voluntary complementing wine pairing, in addition to a bevy of festive sippers including Champagne, French wines, and hyper-seasonal craft cocktails.
The third and final tier allows attendees to celebrate New Year’s Eve from 10pm – 1am in the second-floor private dining room as well as the covered winter patio, boasting three-hour open bar complete with spirited tipples and elevated hors d’oeuvres ($125/person). DJ J the Audiophile will be on-site spinning vinyl, and one massive projector will display the ball dropping at midnight.
Reservations for New Year’s Eve celebrations at Royal Boucherie can be made via OpenTable.
Regular hours of operation: Monday through Thursday, 4pm – 10pm, Friday and Saturday, 4pm – 11pm, and Sunday, 4pm – 9pm with weekend brunch served Saturday and Sunday, 10am – 2:30pm
52 S Second Street, Philadelphia, PA | 267.606.6316 | www.royalboucherie.com
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Urban Farmer, Logan Square’s rustic chic modern American steakhouse, helmed by Executive Chef Sonny Ingui, is welcoming the year’s end with a very special New Year’s Eve Dinner on Saturday, December 31, for those gearing up to celebrate on a full stomach. Additional to Urban farmer’s robust and delectable dinner menu, the New Year’s Eve à la carte menu centers around the restaurant’s choicest beef cuts and fresh seafood, and includes:
Starters
- Crab Bisque ($19): caviar crema, butter poached king crab
- Foie Gras ($28): carrot brown butter financier, ginger spiced ice cream, glâce de viande
- Diver Scallop Crudo ($19): leche de tigre, pomegranate, volcanic salt, radish
Entrées
- Porcini Rubbed Short Rib ($60): castle valley red grits, burgundy demi
- 60 Day Dry Aged PA Tomahawk Ribeye for Two ($150): 39oz tomahawk from happy valley meat company, tallow popovers, house-made steak sauce
- Opah Filet ($42): maitake strudel, carrot purée, romanesco, saffron butter
For dessert, diners can opt for a delicate Chocolate Almond Nougat Mousse ($14), served with rosé poached pear and red wine lace tuille. Reservations are open for seating between 4 pm and 9 pm, and can be made here.
Urban Farmer will also be open for brunch on Saturday, December 31st, from 8 am to 2 pm.
Regular hours of operation: Tuesday through Saturday, 8 am – 9 pm, and Sunday, 8 am – 3 pm
1850 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy., Philadelphia, PA | 215.963.2788 | www.urbanfarmersteakhouse.com
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Xfinity Live!, the one-of-a-kind dining and entertainment district located in the heart of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, is closing out 2022 with a bang as they host NYE Live!, Philly’s largest New Year’s Eve celebration with five parties under one roof, on Saturday, December 31 starting at 9pm. The large-scale party will feature all-inclusive premium bar packages, food packages from Geno’s Cheesesteaks, Chickie’s & Pete’s and Lorenzo and Sons Pizza, and a bevy of entertainment in all five of Xfinity’s unique venues including live music, midnight toast, DJ sets, silent disco, karaoke, bull riding, confetti canons, and much more.
Xfinity Live! is offering a range of ticket options from single tickets to a private room for 20. Tickets for NYE Live! are available for purchase here.
Regular hours of operation: Monday through Friday, 4 pm–2 am; Sunday and Saturday 12 pm–2 am.
1100 Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148 | (267) 534-4264 | www.xfinitylive.com/
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Rex at The Royal, Philadelphia’s home for elevated Lowcountry fare housed in the historic and newly rejuvenated Royal Theater, is toasting to the New Year with a Royal Reverie beginning at 9pm, where guests can choose between two unique styles of celebration, including a night of decadent bubbles and bites in the upper mezzanine, and a prix fixe in the dining room. For guests looking for a cocktail party, join Rex at The Royal in the private mezzanine area for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve celebration complete with a bottomless punchbowl, a flight of sparkling wine, an all-you-can-eat oyster shucking station, as well as several passed hors d’oeuvres. Those looking for a sit-down dinner can indulge in Rex at The Royal’s robust prix fixe menu featuring classic Lowcountry fare in the sprawling main dining room or at the bar.
Tickets are now available for the Royal Reverie for $195, including tax and tip, and the prix fixe dinner is available for $95 / person. Guests can book a reservation for the prix fixe dinner on Rex at The Royal’s Resy, as well as purchase tickets for the Royal Reverie.
Hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday from 5 – 10 pm, Friday and Saturday from 5 – 11pm, with brunch available on Sunday from 11 am – 2:30 pm, followed by dinner running from 5 – 10 pm
1524 South St. | www.rexphl.com | 267-319-1366
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Jet Wine Bar, Philadelphia’s global vineyard known for its impressive stock of Ancient World wines from every corner of the globe, is celebrating the New Year with the NYE Bash at Jet, showcasing 23 Wines to ring in 2023! From 9 pm — 12 am on New Year’s Eve, wine lovers are invited to enjoy an open bar with a whopping selection of 23 wines available, a specialty champagne cocktail, and more, in addition to caviar, local cheeses, and other bites available for grazing throughout the evening. And, of course, a champagne toast will be celebrated at midnight to ring in a bright and bubbly new year! Tickets are highly limited: Admission is $120/person and includes food, drinks, tax and gratuity.
1525 South St., Philadelphia, PA | 215.735.1116 | www.jetwinebar.com
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SNACKTIME, Philadelphia’s much-loved brass-heavy band rocking funk, punk, jazz, pop and R&B influences and Best of Philly® 2022 Best Band winner, offers music-enthusiasts, foodies, and imbibers alike an explosive New Year’s Eve bash with the inaugural NYE Countdown To Climax, hosted by über-popular Mexican restaurant Mission Taqueria, on Saturday, December 31. Admission includes three drink tickets, a plethora of hors d’oeuvres (think: tacos, tostadas, and caviar), plenty of bubbly, and one sultry burlesque performance from GOLDI FOX. Doors open at 8pm, and show starts at 9pm with SNACKTIME performing crowd-pleasing cover songs and a host of new, all-original music.
Tickets are $150/person (which includes gratuity), and can be purchased by clicking HERE.
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The Twisted Tail, the Southern-inspired restaurant, bar, and live Juke Joint on Headhouse Square known for its extensive array of brown spirits, is ringing in the new year in flair with the return of the highly popular Burlesque & Blues Masquerade Show on New Year’s Eve. The celebration will be part dinner and part show, featuring a robust four-course prix fixe dinner, premium open bar, and more. The Twisted Tail mainstay Mikey Jr and his band will be delivering live tunes at the upstairs Juke Joint starting at 9 pm.
Guests will have the choice between three different packages on NYE, including a show-only ticket for the Burlesque & Blues Masquerade Show, a prix fixe dinner with show admission included, and a VIP option with an open bar, in addition to an early bird dinner seating where guests can select from the à la carte NYE menu between 4pm – 6pm. Spirited offerings available for both à la carte dining and the prix fixe package include Halibut & Cod Ceviche, Jumbo Lumb Crabcake, Double Cut Porkchop, Seared Scallops, Wagyu Beef Strip, and Dark Chocolate Cheesecake.
Attendees for the Burlesque & Blues Masquerade Show are encouraged to dress in masquerade-themed attire, and additional details on tickets and packages can be found via The Twisted Tail’s website.
Regular hours of operation: Monday through Thursday 4 pm–10 pm; Friday 4 pm–12 am; Saturday 11 am–12 am; Sunday 10 am–10 pm
509 S. 2nd St. | 215.558.2471 | www.thetwistedtail.com/
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Stratus Rooftop Lounge, the chic rooftop venue on the 11th floor of the Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Old City, is bringing back its highly successful New Year’s Eve party hosted by DJ Hollywood on Saturday, December 31. Starting at 9pm, guests can bid farewell to 2022 under the stars with top-tier entertainment, celebratory cocktails, premium open bar, delicious hors d’oeuvres, and more.
General Admission Gold ($129/person) includes entry to Stratus Rooftop Lounge and open bar, whereas General Admission Platinum ($159/person) features admission, open bar, reserved pavilion food areas, and secured seating. Must be at least 21 years of age to attend.
For additional information on tickets, pricing, and offerings, click HERE.
Regular hours of operation: Wednesday 4pm – 10pm, Thursday 5pm – 12am, Friday 5pm – 2am, and Saturday 8pm – 2am | Happy hour Wednesday 4 – 7pm and Thursday 5 – 7pm.
433 Chestnut St | 215.925.2889 | www.stratuslounge.com/
-Nicole Schofield