The holidays are speedily approaching! While you’re likely still reeling from the stress of Thanksgiving festivities, take the upcoming season off from cooking and leave it to San Diego’s numerous luxe restaurants. We’ve rounded up the absolute best restaurants for dining out this Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and will continue to update this list as the holiday approaches.
See Also: 9 Fantastic Wines Fit For Special Holiday Gatherings
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5200 Grand Del Mar Way / Website
Treat your crew to a Christmas Eve tasting menu at three Michelin Star-awarded Addison. The luxe eight-course menu will feature caviar, white truffles, as well as seasonal and local California ingredients. There will also be an optional wine pairing available. The meal is priced at $425 per person. Reservations can be made here.
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1540 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar / Website
Head to Adelaide for a cozy Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day Brunch, both sure to be filled with panoramic coastal views. Reservations can be made here. Brunch tickets are priced at $165 per adult and $80 per child.
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969 Pacific Hwy / Website
Don your finest ‘fit and visit Animae for an elegant Christmas Eve dinner. The Filipino-inspired four-course menu will be served from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and feature ube pan de sal, chicken congee, hamachi crudo, som tom salad, filet, short rib, and Animae’s signature shrimp toast. For dessert, indulge in a Mostra Coffee chocolate mousse bar with taiyaki or a pear and hojicha roll cake. Reservations can be made here.
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500 Hotel Circle N / Website
Head to the ever-popular ARLO for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Special for the holidays, dine on air-dried Christmas goose, spiked brown butter egg nog, and a “snowball fight” dessert, in addition to their usual seasonal menu. Both days will feature live musicians during dinner time. Reservations can be made here.
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1775 East Mission Bay Drive / Website
Visit Covewood for a coastal-inspired dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Enjoy waterfront views and a seasonal menu. For Christmas Day dinner, there will be a handcrafted prix fixe menu from executive chef Roy Hendrickson.
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860 West Washington Street / Website
Head to Farmer’s Bottega for dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Available from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on both days, the special holiday menu will feature burrata, crab cakes, lobster bisque, short rib, braised lamb shank, free-range chicken, and linguine arrabbiata. Reservations can be made here.
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12841 El Camino Real, Suite 203 / Website
Enjoy a luxe dinner from Sky Deck’s Glass Box, available on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. On the menu, find highlights including a nigiri sampler, crab cake salad, miso-glazed Chilean sea bass and Australian Wagyu. For dessert, indulge in winter black forest cake or tiramisu. The menu is priced at $75 per person and reservations can be placed by calling (858)289-4800.
Prefer to eat at home? Order Glassbox’s Christmas takeaway deal, set to serve four to six people. The meal includes an assorted sushi platter, your choice between Peking duck, Mongolian-style lamb chops, or soy sauce chicken legs, two side dishes, and a five-spice pumpkin pie. The meal is priced at $200. Orders can be placed by calling (858)289-4800.
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777 Harrah’s Rincon Way, Funner / Website
Head to Harrah’s to check out its Merry Cafe Christmas, available on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. The a la carte feast will feature salt-encrusted prime rib with chestnut sage dressing and charred bacon Brussels sprouts, among others. Finish off your meal with a sugar plum cocktail, made with Absolut vanilla vodka, plum-infused simple syrup, fresh lemon and a glittery garnish. The feast is priced at $39 per person.
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131 D Street, Encinitas / Website
For a simple, locally-sourced three-course feast, head to Herb & Sea. Find endive salad, steelhead crudo, pistachio-crusted lamb, veggie paella, and family-style sides like Parker House rolls, ratatouille and green beans. Indulge in a chocolate mousse bar or citrus cheesecake to finish it all off. The meal is priced at $87 per adult and $38 per child. Reservations can be made here.
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2210 Kettner Blvd. / Website
Choose from a slew of tasty classics on Herb & Wood’s four-course Christmas Eve menu. Highlights include prime filet, roasted honey nut squash, hamachi, poached persimmon, pork belly, and healthy sides like asparagus and roasted carrots. For dessert, enjoy a lemon tart with toasted meringue and tangerine ice cream, or a chocolatey tiramisu made with mascarpone, espresso and dark chocolate ice cream. The meal is priced at $92 per adult and $37 per child. Reservations can be made here.
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1500 Orange Avenue, Coronado / Website
Embark on a lavish buffet for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day this year at Hotel Del Coronado. Then, explore the hotel’s vibrant holiday decor, sparkling lights, towering Christmas trees, and even beachside igloos. The buffet will be priced at $185 per person and $100 per child. Reservations can be made here for Christmas Eve and here for Christmas Day.
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1 Park Blvd. / Website
Enjoy coastal cuisine with Hudson & Nash’s prix fixe holiday menu. Available on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the menu will be served from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and feature highlights like rib-eye steak, Christmas salad and apple tartar tin with bourbon ice cream. The meal will be priced at $49 per adult with an optional additional wine pairing, and $30 for kids aged six to 10. Reservations can be made here.
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2228 Juniper Blvd. / Website
Head to Juniper & Ivy for a four-course prix fixe dinner on Christmas Eve. Menu highlights include oysters, egg yolk ravioli and maitake mushrooms for dinner, and vanilla bean pavlova and chocolate cake for dessert. Class up your meal with the addition of caviar and sparkling wine. The meal is priced starting at $110 per person. Reservations can be made here.
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1132 Prospect Street, La Jolla / Website
Enjoy views of the Pacific Ocean while you dine on a festive multi-course menu from La Valencia, available on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There will also be kid-approved favorites for kids 12 and under. The multi-course menu is priced at $95 per person, while the kids’ menu starts at $24. Reservations can be made by calling (866) 895-9859.
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435 Fifth Avenue / Website
Visit one of San Diego’s hottest restaurants for Christmas Eve dinner. Special for the holiday, dine on Asahi black braised short rib with smoked whipped potatoes and a chestnut gremolata. For dessert enjoy gingerbread doughnuts with spiked chocolate sauce. The special entree is priced at $55 and dessert is priced at $12. Reservations can be made here.
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6009 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Santa Fe / Website
With special a la carte menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, treat your crew to a meal at this French brasserie. Menu highlights include lobster bisque, Perigord black truffle with housemade linguini and sauteed diver scallops. For dessert, enjoy cinnamon ginger creme brulee, Chino Farm’s ice cream, apple strudel and bûche de noel. Reservations can be made here.
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2550 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor / Website
Treat your crew to stellar skyline views as you enjoy Mister A’s prix fixe Christmas Eve or Christmas Day menus. Find butternut squash soup, roasted rack of lambs, pan-seared Maine scallops, surf and turf, and prime rib on the menu for Christmas Eve. Then, on Christmas Day, enjoy Maine lobster strudel, a half dozen “Blue Pool” Hama Hama oysters, king oyster mushroom bourguignon, prime beef filet, and potato-crusted sea bass. On both nights, the desserts will include a pecan tart, baked Alaska, and buche de noel-moderne. The Christmas Eve meal is priced at $102.50 per person and the Christmas Eve meal is priced at $95 per person. Reservations can be made here.
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105 Mission Avenue, Oceanside / Website
Head to Piper for Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas Day brunch for seasonal menus of organic classics. Dinner will include a four-course menu featuring prime rib and vegetable cassoulet, among others. Brunch will feature apple-stuffed French toast, a hot oatmeal station, and other brunch favorites. Dinner is priced at $95 per person. Brunch is priced at $45 per adult and $28 per child aged five to 12 years old. Reservations can be made here.
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550 J Street / Website
Visit the luxe Pendry San Diego for a three-course Christmas Day dinner at Provisional Kitchen. On the menu, find highlights like Maine lobster bisque, local halibut, prime filet mignon, and ravioli doppio. For dessert, choose from a Christmas log cake, a snow globe tart, or eggnog tiramisu. The meal is priced at $95 per adult and $30 per child aged three to 12 years old. Reservations can be made here.
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5921 Valencia Circle, Rancho Santa Fe / Website
Go all out with holiday celebrations with the help of the Rancho Valencia Resort. On Christmas Day indulge in a truly lavish buffet, complete with a raw bar, cheese and charcuterie spread, carving station, mero sea bass, and housemade rigatoni with mushroom bolognese, to name a few. There will also be a kids' buffet stacked with favorites like mini quesadillas and macaroni and cheese. Then, explore the resort’s live music, horse-drawn carriage rides, cookie decorating and crafts stations. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is priced starting at $195 per adult and $55 per child 11 years old and younger. The menu will also be available to order to-go. Reservations can be made by calling 858-759-6246.
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512 Via De La Valle, Solana Beach / Website
Dine on well-made classics in the comfort of your own home with the help of Ranch 45. The a la carte pick-up menu will feature gluten-free smoked Cornish game hen, smoked turkey legs, herb-crusted prime rib, olive oil smashed potatoes, roasted root veggies, macaroni and cheese, gravy, and green bean almondine. To finish it off, dessert will include pecan pie, assorted cookies, or gluten-free apple crisp and pumpkin cheesecake. Orders must be placed by the end of the day Saturday, Dec. 17 and must be picked up on Christmas Eve. Orders can be placed here.
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1500 Orange Avenue, Coronado / Website
For a sustainable seafood experience this Christmas Eve, reserve your place at Serẽa. The renowned restaurant will offer a three-course prix fixe menu including quality seafood and prime meats, offered from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. The restaurant will also be open and serving its regular menu on Christmas Day. The special three-course prix fixe menu is priced at $155 per person. Reservations can be made here.
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2000 Spindrift Drive, La Jolla / Website
Visit the luxe Marine Room for ocean views and a decadent four-course prix fixe Christmas Day dinner. On the menu, find highlights like mushroom cappuccino shooters, charred broccolini, lobster roulade, gin-cured salmon, Maine lobster bisque, cabrillas sea bass, Sonoma lamb, and Wagyu prime rib, among others. Pile on the lavish additions with caviar service and truffle service. The meal is priced starting at $150 per person. Reservations can be made here.
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8110 Camino Del Oro, La Jolla / Website
Enjoy an oceanfront prix fixe menu for Christmas Eve dinner. The menu will feature Baja mussels, spinach and artichoke dip bruschetta, tequila citrus chicken, chili rubbed ribeye and Valle swordfish. For dessert, indulge in Mexican hot chocolate, churros, coconut flan, coffee mud pie, and ice cream. Dinner is priced at $75 per person. Reservations can be made here.
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901 Bayfront Court / Website
Head to Vistal for dinner on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Nosh on a tasty three-course menu with menu highlights including chestnut and sunchoke bisque, Campbell River salmon with cannellini beans ragu, maitake, arugula, romanesco and peppadew aioli, and Kurobuta pork shank with squash risotto. For dessert, enjoy chocolate mousse cake or white chocolate peppermint creme brulee. Guests can add wine pairings to the meal for $25, or select holiday-inspired cocktails from Vistal’s seasonal menu. The meal is priced at $75 per person. Reservations can be made here.
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467 Fifth Avenue / Website
Treat your crew to dinner with Latin American and Asian influences on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Menu highlights will include aguachile made with shrimp, avocado cream, jalapeño and corn chips, Wagyu maki, salmon with broiled passion fruit glaze and mashed yuca and broccolini, and the Zama crudo. Reservations can be made here.
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5480 Grand Pacific Drive, Carlsbad / Website
Head to this chic grill for dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. For the three-course Christmas Eve dinner, prime ribeye roast, pan-roasted Chilean sea bass, and winter squash wild mushroom quinoa will be on the menu, in addition to a decadent Yule Log dessert, coated in chocolate sauce. For Christmas Day, enjoy prime ribeye roast with potato gratin, green beans and glazed carrots. The Christmas Eve meal is priced at $105 per person while the Christmas Day meal is priced at $75. Reservations can be made here.
Looking for more luxe stops in the city? Check out our 8 Tips To Hone In Your Fine Dining Etiquette.
Photography by: Foxys_forest_manufacture
