Holiday dining

Best Fort Worth restaurants open for festive feasts on Christmas 2023

Christmas dinner tastes even better when someone else does the cooking.

Getty Images

It’s officially Christmas crunch time, both for shopping and for nailing down dining plans. Fortunately for those who prefer to let someone else do the cooking, more Fort Worth restaurants are open on both Christmas Day and Christmas Eve this year.

This list focuses on the “who, when, and what” of the bigger food-centric day - Christmas Day: who’ll be open, when are they open, and what will they serve - from traditional holiday feasts to some creative new ideas (like sushi).

There are a handful of listings for special offerings on Christmas Eve, too. Hosting at home? We've included a few options for ordering meals for pick-up, too.

Keep checking back as this list will likely grow in the coming days. It's presented in alphabetical order.

Christmas Day dining

97 West Kitchen & Bar
The Hotel Drover's steakhouse 97 West will serve a special prix-fixe brunch and dinner menu on Christmas Day. Brunch (8 am-2 pm) is $65 per person and comes with three courses, including jalapeno crawfish fritters to share and entrée options like steak and eggs or lobster omelet. Dinner (3-9 pm) is $99 per person for four courses, including chicken fried Texas oysters, wild bison tenderloin, and “piecaken” for dessert. Kids 12 and under can dine from the Lil Ropers menu for $25 for brunch and $35 for dinner.

Akarii Revolving Sushi
The popular Left Bank revolving sushi restaurant will be open its normal hours on Christmas Day, from 11 am-9:30 pm. Small plate dishes start at $3.95 each.

Bacchus Kitchen + Bar
Located inside Hotel Vin in downtown Grapevine, the wine-focused restaurant will be open from 5-9 pm serving its regular menu with dishes like truffle ricotta, Hamachi crudo, scallops, and filet.

Day Break Café & Grill
The White Settlement Road breakfast and lunch dive is open from 5 am-4 pm Christmas Day. (There’s a convenient drive-through window for those who don’t feel like getting out of their PJs.)

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
The downtown steakhouse will open for dinner with seating times available from 2-8 pm. Special Christmas features include Wagyu chateaubriand with A5 Kobe beef tallow and caviar butter ($130). Pair it with a Santa’s Sleigh Ride cocktail made with two kinds of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, fresh OJ, and mulled wine.

Emilia’s
The upscale Mediterranean restaurant inside the new Crescent hotel will be open Christmas Day for brunch from 7 am-2 pm and dinner from 5-9 pm with a special holiday menu.

Gemelle
The Euro-American Italian eatery will be open serving its regular menu, in addition to a few chef’s specials, from 4-10 pm on Christmas.

Heaven’s Gate
The North Main Street breakfast and lunch restaurant will open on Christmas, 10:30 am-3 pm, or maybe a little later depending on crowds. There’s typically an a la carte menu here along with breakfast and lunch buffets, but on Christmas, only the “Feast Buffet” will be available.

Il Modo
The Italian restaurant inside The Kimpton Harper Hotel downtown will be open Christmas Day serving its normal brunch and dinner menus.

Japan House
The AYCE Japanese eatery in North Richland Hills will be open from 11 am-9:30 pm serving its normal menu of made-to-order sushi, sashimi, ramen, fried rice, hibachi dishes, soups, salads, and more. The adult price is $33.99 for adults, $15.99 for children 6-10, and $6.99 for children 3-5. (Ask for Bella the robot cat to deliver your dishes.)

Musume
The new upscale Japanese restaurant located below street level in the Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel will open for Christmas Day, serving its normal menu, from 10 am-8 pm.

Old South Pancake House
The longtime breakfast, lunch, and dinner dive on South University Drive will open at 8 am on Christmas Day to resume their normal 24-hour service. Don’t miss the German Dutch babies prepared tableside.

Omni Fort Worth Hotel
The downtown hotel will be open for Christmas Day brunch featuring multiple food displays, including chilled seafood, salads, a sushi bar, Mediterranean mezze, lobster bisque, cheese and charcuteries, breakfast dishes, a pancake station, pasta and risotto station, eggs to order, and much more. Reservations are $76 for adults and $44 for children 6-12. Seating times are every 45 minutes from 11 am-3 pm.

Paloma Suerte
Tim’s Love Tex-Mex restaurant in the Fort Worth Stockyards will be open 11 am-10 pm on Christmas, serving its everyday menu of enchiladas, fajitas, birria tacos, pozole, and cocktails.

Takara Japanese Restaurant
What was formerly a revolving sushi restaurant on Basswood Boulevard has morphed into an all-you-can-eat destination for Asian fare. More than 100 made-to-order menu items include poke bowls, hibachi entrees, soups, salads, and sashimi. The per-person price is $30.99 and Christmas hours are 11 am-9:30 pm.

Tannahill’s Tavern
The modern tavern in the Stockyards' Mule Ally will be open Christmas Day from 11 am-10 pm, serving its regular menu of hearty dishes like smoked brisket enchiladas, beef stroganoff, grilled oysters, and blue crab fritters.

Texas de Brazil
The churrascaria and steakhouse will open early on Christmas Day, at 11 am, to serve its all-you-can-eat dinner menu ($54.99 for adults, half-off for kids 6-12, and $5 for kids 3-5) of meats, soups, and salad. Reservations are limited, but walk-ins are welcome. Hours are 11 am-9 pm.

Toro Toro
The Latin steakhouse inside the Worthington Renaissance hotel will serve a special Christmas Day brunch featuring multiple buffet stations including include prime rib carved to order, smoked salmon salad, bison tiradito, and Belgian waffles. Brunch is $95 and seatings are from 10 am-2 pm. Toro Toro will also open for dinner from 5-10 pm, serving its regular menu.

Wicked Butcher
The subterranean steakhouse at the Sinclair Hotel downtown will be open for Christmas dinner, serving an a la carte menu of butcher-cut steaks, soups and salads, main dishes, and shareable sides. Specials include Berkshire pork chop, rack of lamb, and a molten chocolate souffle. Reservations are available from 11 am-9 pm.

Chains to be open on Christmas Day include Applebee’s, Denny’s, Hooters, IHOP, and Waffle House. Open times may vary from normal hours.

Christmas Eve specials

97 West Kitchen & Bar
Hotel Drover’s rustic-luxe restaurant will serve the same prix-fixe brunch and dinner menu on Christmas Eve as it will on Christmas Day. Brunch (8 am-2 pm) is $65 per person and comes with three courses, including jalapeno crawfish fritters to share and entrée options like steak and eggs or lobster omelet. Dinner (3-9 pm) is $99 for four courses, including chicken fried Texas oysters, wild bison tenderloin, and “piecaken” for dessert. Kids 12 and under can dine from the Lil Ropers menu for $25 for brunch and $35 for dinner.

B&B Butchers & Restaurant
Carolers will spread holiday cheer on Christmas Eve at B&B from 6:30-8:30 pm. Dinner service will run from 3-9 pm and brunch will be served from 11 am-3 pm. B&B also has an extensive take-out menu available for pre-ordering.

Bacchus Kitchen + Bar
The fine dining restaurant inside Grapevine’s Hotel Vin will serve a five-course dinner menu from 5-9 pm. Menu items include a salumi tray, frisée and arugula salad, leek and potato cream soup, herb-roasted prime rib, and a chocolate dessert. The menu is $90, and a separate kids menu will also be available.

Blue Mesa Grill
The Southwest restaurant serve a Christmas Eve brunch buffet from 10 am-4 pm, including carved ginger chipotle ham, prime rib, and red chile salmon along with breakfast items, blue corn enchiladas, tacos, bread pudding, and more. The $35 price includes mimosas, coffee, tea, OJ, and soft drinks. Kids ages 6-11 can dine for $10 and those 5 and younger dine free.

il Modo
The annual Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner is back at this downtown Italian restaurant inside The Kimpton Harper hotel. Menu highlights include frito misto, tagliatelle lobster scampi, cioppino with Texas redfish, octopus, clams, and shrimp, and dark chocolate pistachio panna cotta. The dinner is $75 and will be available from 5-9 pm.

Christmas to-go

The Cajun Market at Bourbon Street Bar & Grill
Go Cajun this Christmas with Gulf Coast dishes from The Cajun Market at Bedford’s Bourbon Street Bar & Grill. Items range from seafood gumbo ($25 a quart) and Cajun fried turkey ($85 for 12-15 pounds) to boneless chickens stuffed with choice of boudin, seafood cornbread dressing, or dirty rice ($28). Order by December 22 for pick up on Christmas Eve.

Chef Point Restaurant & Bar
The Colleyville destination for elevated comfort food will be open for brunch and dinner service on Christmas Eve, and for pick up of holiday to-go orders. Options range from lobster mac and cheese to feed a crowd ($84.99, serves 7-8) to a whole prime rib ($500, serves 16).

Righteous Foods
Christmas breakfast boxes are available for pre-order until December 19 and include a dozen breakfast tacos, a dozen free-range chicken tamales, six apple and cajeta empanadas, along with Mexican hot chocolate, citrus juice, and salsa. Boxes are $145 and serve 6-10. Pick up from 11 am-3 pm on Christmas Eve.

Riscky’s Barbeque
The nearly century-old barbecue joint has updated its catering menu for the holiday season. Diners can order a 6-8 pound whole-smoked ham or turkey breast for $69.99 (normally $139.99) seasoned with Riscky Dust that can serve up to 30 people. Riscky’s also offers catering options for as little as 12 people starting at $14 per person.

chefs lists holidays

Closure News

Tropic Lady restaurant-bar on Fort Worth's Race Street says aloha

Tropic Lady

The dip trio at Tropic Lady.

A chill restaurant and bar in Fort Worth's River East district has closed: Tropic Lady, which opened in the former Fuzzy's Taco space at 2719 Race St. in 2023, has closed.

The restaurant, which closed in mid-December, was a sibling to Bearded Lady, the popular gastropub in Near Southside; their last Facebook post was on December 10. Their phone number is not working, and their website is no longer active. Owner Shannon Osbakken was unavailable for comment, but a Bearded Lady employee confirmed the closure.

Tropic Lady was a tropical-themed gastropub opened by a trio of friends: Bearded Lady owner Shannon Osbakken, her business partner Sarah Allen, and general manager Amanda Yunger. It offered a similar menu as Bearded lady but with more tropical-inspired fare, including shrimp tacos, bacon-wrapped grilled pineapple bites, and guacamole dotted with mango.

For a gastropub, they did interesting food with dishes like watermelon salad with feta and cucumber; or their Dip Trio, with mango guacamole, tomatillo salsa, and queso blanco served with house-made tortilla chips. Definitely not run-of-the-mill. They also had great lunch specials like a smashburger with curly fries for $10.

Food did not seem to be the problem.

Decor featured artwork and murals created by local artists. A beautifully landscaped patio wrapped around the building’s facade. So the setting did not seem to be a factor.

It's tempting to point the finger at its location on Race Street, which has witnessed a round of closings in the past two years including buzzy birria taqueria Caliscience, which closed in February 2024; as well as The Post at River East, a restaurant and live music venue that shut down the same month.

In 2023, three other restaurants on Race Street closed: Tributary Cafe, the Bon Appetit-lauded La Onda, and vegan burger spot Zonk Burger. But separate reasons can also be found for each of those closures, whether that be inexperience or lease issues.

For years, the city and neighborhood advocates have been trying to turn Race Street into a trendy hotspot. As part of the city’s Urban Villages program, the city of Fort Worth invested $5.6 million in revitalizing the area, making improvements to traffic flow, sidewalks, landscaping, and outdoor lighting.

When Osbakken opened the bar, she said she loved the area, stating "it reminds me of Magnolia when were first were on it 10 years ago in our old location. It's a great community and the neighbors have been friendly and reaching out."

And there are still restaurants along the street, including a popular Mexican restaurant called Tesoro, the Dough’d Up doughnut shop, and Kingyo Sushi & Ramen House, as well as a coffee shop, Race Street Coffee.

The Bearded Lady continues to flourish. Osbakken originally opened the popular gastropub on Magnolia Avenue in 2013. Six years later, she moved it to the South Main, where it’s still going strong.

closings