If your year has been anything like ours, you’re considering dining out this Christmas. And plenty of places are open, though you should make your reservation ASAP. You’ll find that several of the big steakhouses are open (Morton’s, Del Frisco’s, etc.), but here is a list of the local restaurants we recommend and what they’re planning. We also threw in one Christmas Eve dinner, because it’s one you should know about. Looking for something less traditional? Copper on East Boulevard is open, too. —Kristen Wile

Angeline’s
This Italian restaurant will have its full menu on Christmas Eve and Christmas, but there will also be a menu of festive specials. Enjoy duck cassoulet, for example, or cranberry-walnut bread pudding. There will also be a whole salt-baked cod served tableside.

Aqua e Vino (Christmas Eve)
It’s not Christmas day, but this Christmas Eve dinner is worth noting. This small restaurant in Strawberry Hill does some of the best pasta in Charlotte, with stellar service and an intimate feel. They’re serving a traditional Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner on Christmas Eve, from 7 to 10 p.m. The meal is a four-course dinner, with limited seating. $70 per person.

The Asbury
The lobby of the historic Dunhill Hotel in Uptown is always beautifully decorated, with flowers, lights, and Christmas trees. Its restaurant will serve a festive meal, a three-course dinner with options that include the traditional (prime rib) and the modern (pork cheeks). Seatings are at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. $55 per person.

BLT Steak
Order dishes such as a Peppercorn-crusted strip steak or tomato-caper swordfish a la carte, or enjoy a prix fixe menu with three courses for $65. The restaurant will serve a special blackboard menu on Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

Stoke
Can’t do Christmas without beef tenderloin? Celebrating with a pescatarian? Stoke’s Christmas day meal includes four courses. The first course, sides, and dessert are all served family-style, so you still get that passing-plates-around-the-table feel, but each guest gets to select a salad or soup and their own protein. Seatings at 2:30, 5, and 7:30 p.m. $60 per person.

Need more options? 204 North, The Palm, and Sullivan’s are all open on Christmas, too.

 

 

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