Denver and Boulder-area restaurants abound with options for Christmas brunch, lunch, and dinner, as well as holiday eve meals. Established hotels from the Boulderado to Brown Palace host traditional dinners, while Mister Tuna starts a new Christmas tradition. Numerous establishments like Mario’s Ocean Club and Coperta embrace Italian custom and offer Feasts of the Seven Fishes. Read on for 17 options.
Read More/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57951571/24059009_1453589158029463_1723494912476994612_n.0.jpg)
17 Places to Eat Around Denver on Christmas Eve or Day
Avoid the stress; dine out this holiday

Hotel Boulderado
A Christmas Day buffet starts at 11 a.m. and extends until 4 p.m. — complete with a 28-foot Christmas tree as the backdrop. The buffet features a garlic and molasses-rubbed prime rib, whole roasted leg of lamb, seared Arctic char, and winter vegetables. Reservations cost $65 per adult and $25 for children ages 4 through 12. Kids 3 and under eat for free.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62579996/22308984_868863679945904_8031457479841971826_n.0.0.jpg)
Also featured in:
The Kitchen
All locations of the community restaurant will offer braised lamb shank and a stout gingerbread cake in addition to regular seasonal menu items from noon to 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Reservations are encouraged.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62665945/TK_Xmas_Eve_Lamb.0.jpg)
Jill's Restaurant
While the Christmas brunch is sold out, seats remain for the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day candlelight dinners. Call the restaurant to reserve.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62579995/24131400_10156483477472788_6173087450585188693_n.0.0.jpg)
Basta
Boulder’s wood-fired Italian restaurant Basta holds its Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, with reservations still available throughout the evening. The dinner costs $75 per person and consists of a tasting menu served family style.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62665946/BastaSevenFishes.0.jpg)
Mister Tuna
Mister Tuna hosts its own Festivus on Christmas Eve. The five-course dinner includes options from the land and sea like a crispy chicken thigh, lobster tagliolini, and Peking-style quail. Reservations, available at $88 per person, are required. To reserve, call the restaurant.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62665947/45462747_703612583343424_3771655604343406592_n.0.jpg)
Also featured in:
Hearth & Dram
The set Christmas Eve menu includes options of appetizers, entrees, and dessert dishes — duck confit rillette, smoked prime rib, Maine diver scallop, a pistachio eclair, and black forest cake. Guest can enjoy the prix fixe menu for $55 per person.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62665948/47688046_1095547437272777_1528172737128824832_n.0.jpg)
Kachina Cantina
The restaurant adds a Southwestern flair to the standard Christmas Day dinner with pulled pork, fry bread, nopales salad, and a Mexican chocolate pecan pie. Call the restaurant to reserve.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62580001/37390781_2103288269914717_2640180817065672704_n.1543526043.jpg)
Urban Farmer Denver
This modern steakhouse hosts family-friendly service throughout the day on Christmas, as well as on Christmas Eve. Festive offerings include French onion soup, pan-seared quail, and a table-side Bananas Foster. Call the restaurant to reserve.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62579997/47683437_1412692122194738_1088685359547547648_n.1543526039.jpg)
Range Restaurant
The restaurant invites diners to a decadent three-course holiday dinner on Christmas Day, available for $55 per person, at the Colorado National Bank building. Courses include smoked prime rib with a black garlic jus, roasted paddy pan squash, and strudel apple pie. Call the restaurant to reserve.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62580004/47444838_2369770739760802_3649807622674055168_n.1543526044.jpg)
Also featured in:
Coperta
The week before Christmas, December 18 to 24, Coperta invites diners to celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes with a special holiday menu, available for $59 per person. The three-course meal will squeeze in seven types of fish; dishes include a pappardelle with monkfish, fregola with mussels, and bacala agnolotti in arrabbiata. Call to reserve.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62665949/26111982_568506613487744_6103626111160017858_n.0.jpg)
The Nickel
The Nickel’s Christmas Day menu includes honey bourbon-glazed ham, prime rib, and vegetarian lasagna, alongside a roundup of traditional sides and desserts. Diners can select from an array of dishes for the first, second, and third courses, and share the sides family-style. Call to reserve; $69 per adult and $25 per child.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62579998/23517881_2187116714647657_4585459306994703425_n.0.0.jpg)
The Corner Office Restaurant + Martini Bar
Diners can head to the Corner Office to enjoy a classic Christmas buffet from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Featured items include potato au gratin, prime rib. gnocchi pomodoro, a porchetta carving station, and gingerbread cheesecake. Reservations start at $14.95 per child and $50 per adult. Call the restaurant to reserve.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62580000/unnamed_CO.1543526043.jpg)
Brown Palace Hotel
The Brown Palace Hotel is a classic Denver destination around the holidays. Annual celebrations include the Christmas brunch and dinner at the Palace Arms. Holiday brunch starts at $70 and can include drink pairings, while the dinner starts at $125 per person for four decadent courses.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62665950/47688407_10157917741773362_7318741396142161920_n.0.jpg)
Corinne
The restaurant at Le Méridien hotel prepares a three-course meal for Christmas Eve and Day, featuring a roasted butternut squash soup, roasted prime rib, and a ginger spice cake for $42 per person.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62580002/Corinne___Prime_Rib_of_Beef.1543526043.jpg)
Beast + Bottle
Couples can explore a ducked-out Christmas Eve menu prepared by chef Paul and including honey-lacquered duck breast and star anise confit leg, for $99. Call the restaurant to reserve.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62665951/45558772_2292300177478938_3329114539374411776_n.0.jpg)
Departure Denver Restaurant + Lounge
On either December 24 or 25, diners can enjoy the final days of Departure’s Peking duck dinner. The whole-roasted duck, presented table-side, comes with duck soup, Mandarin pancakes, and duck fat ice cream. The dinner serves two to four guests and is available for $100.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62665952/48238195_2388190171408636_2194798519561224192_n.0.jpg)
Mario's Ocean Club
This Christmas Eve, the new South Broadway seafood restaurant hosts a seven-course Feast of the Seven Fishes from 3 to 9 p.m. with dishes like anchovy bruschetta, frito misto, and clam chowder. The menu costs $54 per person with the option to add wine pairings. Call the restaurant to reserve.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62665953/48208592_297522264208282_1196846560344801280_n.0.jpg)
Also featured in: