The holiday season is ramping up and Christmas is fast approaching! For folks looking to enjoy a festive dinner at home or and revelers spreading holiday cheer out and about, there are plenty of options for fantastic dine-in and takeaway meal options for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the week leading up to the holiday in and around the Philadelphia region, from top locales such as At The Table, Forsythia, A Mano, Stella of New Hope, Urban Farmer, The Twisted Tail, Square 1682, and Bolo.
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FESTIVE CHRISTMAS DINNERS FOR DINE-IN:
A Mano, the acclaimed seasonal Italian BYOB from the Townsend Wentz Restaurant Group (TWRG), is embracing the holiday through a special Four Course Christmas Eve Dinner on Sunday, December 24, priced at $85 per person. The menu will feature beloved pasta-centric dishes found on the restaurant’s usual menu, along with carefully-curated special additions for guests to enjoy. To enhance the experience, folks are encouraged to bring in their owl bottle of wine to indulge in. Reservations are highly encouraged and can be made via Resy.
Hours of operation are Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 5 – 10pm, Friday and Saturday from 5 – 10:30pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
2244 Fairmount Ave | 215.236.1114 | www.amanophl.com/
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At The Table, Wayne’s venerable and award-winning fine-dining restaurant from chefs Alex Hardy and Tara Buzan-Hardy, is anticipating the holiday with a lavish Christmas Eve Four Course Tasting Menu, boasting a plentiful array of festive fare and top-notch seafood selections. The menu will be exclusively offered on Sunday, December 24, and is priced at $95 per person. Diners can expect dishes including (but not limited to) Acadian Pearl Oysters with lemons, house cocktail sauce, and red verjus vinaigrette, Castelfranco & Citrus Salad adorned with citrus supremes, anchovy dressing, hazelnuts, and shaved parmesan, French Onion Soup with short ribs, Emmentaler Swiss cheese, baguette, and sherry beef jus, House Pappardelle served with wild mushroom ragu, aged white balsamic, and parmesan crema, Grilled Wagyu New York Strip with truffle frites, truffle bordelaise, broccolini, and elephant garlic chips, and Pan Seared Golden Tilefish with aji Amarillo Beurre Blanc, cilantro sticky rice, and marinated shrimp cake. To top it off, guests can treat themselves to the menu’s cheerful dessert options including Gingerbread Cookies with eggnog ice cream, and Flourless Chocolate Torte with fresh berries. Diners can add a personal touch to dinner by bringing in their own bottle of wine, or explore the restaurant’s newly-launched cocktail menu.
Reservations are highly encouraged and can be made here.
Hours of operation: Tuesday through Saturday 5pm – 10pm, Happy Hour Tuesday through Thursday 5pm – 7pm
118 W Lancaster Ave, Wayne, PA • 610.964.9700 • Website • Instagram • Facebook • Twitter
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Forsythia, Chef Christopher Kearse’s contemporary French restaurant and bar in Old City, is celebrating Christmas with a week-long exclusive menu dubbed Bûche de Noël, available from Monday, December 18 through Saturday, December 23. Bûche de Noël, otherwise known as Yule log cake, is a French Christmas tradition and is highlighted in Kearse’s spirited holiday menu as the dessert offering. For $95 per person, this posh holiday celebration boasts four tasting courses, an entree, and a dessert. Outstanding menu highlights including tasting courses of: Oysters with uni mignonette and Osetra caviar, Wagyu Beef Tartare with Jimmy Nardello pepper, beef fat hollandaise, and black truffle, Scallop Crudo with noir cured foie gras, preserved lemon, and hazelnut, and Escargot with chartreuse almond butter, and bergamot croutons; an entrée of Dry Aged Rohan Duck Breast A L’Orange with caramelized endive, satsuma, and pistachio; and a dessert course of Nutella Bûch de Noël.
Reservations for Bûche de Noël are highly encouraged and can be made via Resy.
Hours of operation: Monday through Saturday for dinner service from 5 – 10pm, Sunday from 5 – 9pm, and brunch service on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30am – 2pm, with happy hour available Monday through Friday from 5 – 7pm, and Sunday from 5 – 9pm.
233 Chestnut St, Philadelphia | 215.644.9395 | Website Instagram Twitter Facebook
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Stella of New Hope, Bucks County’s modern American restaurant overlooking the Delaware River, is offering a Christmas Eve Brunch on Sunday, December 24th from 11 am to 3 pm. Guests can indulge in delicious brunch offerings including the Smoked Salmon Platter ($20) with a toasted everything bagel, caper, cream cheese, heirloom tomato and red onion, and the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes ($14) served with pure maple syrup. Additionally, Stella will be offering a selection of holiday specials in addition to it’s à la carte brunch menu. Guests can pair brunch with a seasonal cocktail such as As it Should be ($17) madewith pomegranate, Prosecco and rosemary or Not for the Faint of Heart ($16) with bourbon, hazelnut and cold brew.
Hours of operation: Tuesday through Thursday 4 pm-9 pm, Friday 4 pm-11 pm, Saturday 11 am – 2 pm, and 4 pm- 11 pm, Sunday 11 am-2 pm, and 4 pm – 9 pm.
50 S Main St, New Hope, PA 18938 | 267.740.2691 | www.stellanewhope.com
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Square 1682, the modern American restaurant and award-winning bar located on 17th and Sansom Streets, is boasting a super-festive à la carte Holiday Menu perfect for those looking for an elevated menu to reflect the joy of the holidays. This thoughtfully-crafted menu caters to all palates and is available exclusively on Christmas Eve (Sunday, December 24) from 5 – 9pm and boasts a vast array of menu selections with starters of: Burrata Flatbread ($15) with heirloom tomato, basil, and bang cauda, Duck Wings ($15) sambal, honey, sesame, and lime, and Brussel Sprouts ($14) topped with smoked bacon and soubise. Entrée offerings include: Seared Farro Island Salmon ($30) served with confit potato and coriander yogurt, Red Curry and Roots ($22) bomba rice and coconut milk, Half Jerk Chicken ($32) topped with roasted cabbage and 1682 hot sauce, and 16oz Ribeye ($52) accompanied by brown butter potatoes and horseradish demi, followed by dessert options of blood orange Cheesecake ($10) and Chocolate Layer Cake ($10) topped with a graham cracker crumble and whipped cream.
On Christmas Day (Monday, December 25), Square 1682 will offer its brunch menu from 8am until 2pm featuring highlights such as Steak & Eggs ($22) with NY strip, sunny-side-up-eggs, and breakfast potatoes, Rittenhouse Omelet ($17) comprised of tomato, spinach, caramelized onions, white cheddar, and served with breakfast potatoes, Duck Wings & Waffles ($18) buttermilk waffle served with fried wings, honey, sambal, lime zest, and maple syrup,and Cobbler French Toast ($16) topped with braised peaches and streusel, along with an extensive selection of brunch-forward cocktails.
Reservations being highly encouraged and can be made via Open Table.
Hours of operation: Breakfast Monday through Friday 7am – 11am; Brunch Saturday 8am – 3pm and Sunday 8am – 2pm; Lunch Monday through Thursday 11:30am – 2pm and Friday 11:30am – 3pm; Dinner Tuesday through Thursday 5 – 10pm and Friday & Saturday 5 – 11pm; Bar Sunday & Monday 9am – 2pm, Tuesday through Thursday 9am – 10pm, Friday & Saturday 9am – 12am
121 S. 17th Street | (215) 563-5008 | Website Instagram Twitter Facebook
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The Twisted Tail, Headhouse Square’s southern-inspired restaurant, bar and live blues joint, will be open for brunch and dinner from 11 am to 9 pm on Christmas Eve with live New Orleans style jazz and piano music by Reverend Chris from 5 pm to 9 pm.
Additionally, for those looking to get in the festive spirit ahead of the holidays, The Twisted Tail is hosting a two-day Holiday Blues Brunch on December 16 and 17 boasting live blues music paired with brunch classics. Reverend Chris will be at The Twisted Tail on Saturday, December 16 from 12 pm to 3 pm playing jazzy holiday tunes on the piano while Grammy nominated Philadelphia Bluesman, Randy Lippincott, will set the mood with festive holiday blues on Sunday, December 17 from 12-3 pm. In addition to The Twisted Tail’s brunch mainstays, such as Chicken & Waffles ($18), Brioche French Toasts ($14) and Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict ($17), guests can sip on a special festive Hot Apple Cider ($12) with winter spiced bourbon, topped with cinnamon whipped cream.
Hours of operation: Monday – 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 • Website • Instagram • Facebook • Twitter
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Urban Farmer, the modern American steakhouse located in the Logan Hotel, will be open from 4 – 9pm on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, offering a selection of holiday specials from Executive Chef Sonny Ingui in addition to its à la carte menu. Guests can enjoy highlights such as the Pennsylvania Ham ($28) with a maple and stone ground mustard glaze, 1855 Beef Ribeye ($50) with shallot merchant du vin sauce and horseradish creme fraiche, or a slice of Bourbon Pecan Pie ($12) served with cardamom spiced chantilly cream. Reservations can be made here.
Hours of operation: Tuesday through Saturday, 8am – 9pm, and Sunday, 8am – 3pm
1850 Benjamin Franklin Parkway | 215.963.2788 | Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
WHERE TO ORDER CHRISTMAS TAKEAWAY:
Bolo, Chef Yun Fuentes’ Latin American dining room and rum bar nestled in bustling Rittenhouse Square, is fully immersed in the festive spirit of Christmas. As part of the seasonal celebration, Bolo is delighted to offer its first-ever Noche Buena Dinner, available exclusively for takeout on Sunday, December 24.
This enticing to-go order allows Bolo to take the stress out of holiday preparations and includes a quarter of a whole roasted pig (feeds 6 – 10 people) and comes complete with traditional accoutrements, featuring arroz con gandules, sweet plantains, and sour orange mojo, as well as flan for dessert, priced at $150. For those seeking a more intimate celebration, Bolo is also offering a delightful option for smaller parties – a Lechon-Style Roasted Chicken designed to comfortably serve 2 – 4 people. This delectable dish comes with the same traditional accoutrements and dessert, and ispriced at $65. The cutoff for to-go orders is Thursday, December 21 at 12pm, and pickup is Sunday, December 24 from 12 – 4pm. Orders can be made by shooting an e-mail to events@bolophl.com. Bottles of Bolo’s housemade Coquito base will be included in to-go orders (with no additional charge), allowing imbibers to add rum at-home upon their discretion.
Bolo will be open for service on Christmas Eve (Sunday, December 24) and is serving their Sunday Roast Lechon Dinner in-house priced at $45 per person, from 5 – 10pm.
Hours of operation: Monday through Sunday from 5 – 10pm, with late night offered on Saturday from 10pm – 12am, and happy hour available Monday through Friday from 5 – 7pm, and Saturday, 10pm – 2am.
2025 Sansom Street, Philadelphia | 267.639.2741 | www.bolophl.com
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Forsythia, Chef Christopher Kearse’s contemporary French restaurant and bar in Old City, is taking the stress out of holiday prep by offering the 10 Day-Dry Aged Duck For Two, an iconic and fan-favorite menu staple, as a luxury take-away option this Christmas. This thoughtfully-crafted takeout meal is fit for two people and consists of Rohan Duck Breast, confit wings, foie gras-white bean cassoulet, and duck jus, priced at $140.
Online ordering is now live,with last call on Tuesday, December 19. Pickups will take place on Saturday, December 23 from 12 – 5pm.
Hours of operation: Monday through Saturday for dinner service from 5 pm to 10 pm, Sunday from 5 pm to 9 pm, and brunch service on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30am – 2pm, with happy hour available Monday through Friday, from 5 – 7 pm, and Sunday from 5 pm to 9 pm.
233 Chestnut St, Philadelphia | 215.644.9395 | WebsiteInstagramTwitterFacebook
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For those wanting to enjoy a meal at home without having to spend time in the kitchen, Urban Farmer, the modern American steakhouse located in the Logan Hotel, is offering a Christmas at Home Package for $200 that feeds 4 to 6 people. The package includes a choice of Roasted Prime Ribeye or a Maple Mustard Glazed Ham, an array of sides including House-made Cornbread, Brussel Sprouts, Yukon Gold Potato Purée and Roasted Winter Vegetables, and the choice of Bourbon Pecan Pie, Dutch Apples Pie or Sweet Potato Pie. Those interested can call Urban Farmer at 215.963.2788 to reserve a package. Packages must be pre-ordered at least three days before pick up. Pick up time will be on December 24th and 25th from 12 pm to 3 pm.
Hours of operation: Tuesday through Saturday, 8am – 9pm, and Sunday, 8am – 3pm
1850 Benjamin Franklin Parkway | 215.963.2788 | Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
– Nicole Schofield