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December 21, 2020
Where to dine out on Christmas Day in Charlotte
Restaurants are offering festive menus
When it comes to the holidays this year, fewer restaurants than usual are open for dinner. More workers in the restaurant industry will get to spend Christmas at home, and there are still plenty of options for those of us who want to dine out, thanks to the ever-growing number of hotel restaurants in town. Here’s where to make a reservation.
Christmas Day
Angeline’s, Uptown
The restaurant inside the Kimpton Hotel will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with Christmas dinner from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Expect a traditional Christmas meal with an Italian twist.
The Asbury, Uptown
Chef Mike Long’s seasonal, local menu is available in its entirety for Christmas dinner. We recommend the sticky biscuits to start, along with smoked duck hearts and the pork cheeks as a main course.
Gallery Restaurant, Ballantyne
Pass through the Ballantyne Hotel’s Gingerbread Lane to admire beautifully decorated gingerbread houses before sitting down for a five-course meal at Gallery Restaurant, including an amuse-bouche to start. Second courses include your choice of lobster bisque, seared tuna, or beef carpaccio, followed by a salad course. The main course options include traditional Christmas offerings like turkey roulade and pistachio-crusted lamb loin, with chocolate soufflé or gingerbread creme brûlée. $95.
MICO, Uptown
Former 5Church executive chef Whitney Thomas now leads the restaurant at The Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mushroom bisque, oysters, roasted pork, and beef Wellington are on the special Christmas dinner menu. $75, $27 for ages 5 through 12.
Red Salt, Metropolitan
This restaurant, a concept by celebrity chef David Burke, replaced Evoke in Le Meridien Hotel’s lobby. A three-course dinner starts off with jumbo shrimp and chestnut risotto, followed by a bone-in prime rib with confit potatoes with yule log or eggnog Bavarian pastry for dessert. $75.
Christmas Eve only
Bonterra, Dilworth
It’s fitting to spend Christmas Eve in this former church that’s now a favorite of old Charlotte for fine dining. Chef Blake Hartwick’s special menu for the evening includes lobster bisque, crab cakes, seared scallops, and lamb shank, with peppermint soufflé among the dessert options.
The Crunkleton, Elizabeth
A three-course meal includes a raw oyster appetizer and a main of wagyu strip loin with foie gras truffle butter, grilled asparagus, wild mushrooms, fingerling potatoes, and duck chicharrones. Dessert is a beignet monkey bread with spiked eggnog anglaise. $125 per person.