If this year you don’t feel like cooking – let alone entertaining a group – at home, consider supporting some of the best local restaurants in Milwaukee by either booking a table on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. In addition to serving a meal, many eateries also offer to-go food for the holiday that you can heat up at home.
Here are the restaurants in the Milwaukee area that are either open on these dates or – better yet – offer a unique, off-menu meal.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
DINE IN
Five O’Clock Steakhouse
2416 W. STATE ST.
This supper club will be open on Christmas Eve (3 p.m. to 8 p.m.) but not Christmas Day, and will be serving its regular dinner menu. Per usual, all dinner entrees – such as steaks, lobster tails, pork chops and shrimp scampi – come with sourdough bread, a garden salad and relish tray. There are plenty of apps for sharing, such as calamari, garlic bread and onion rings.
Book a table through OpenTable.
Milwaukee ChopHouse
633 N. 5TH ST.
This downtown steakhouse’s Christmas Eve three-course dinner menu ($72) features a choice of soup or salad, either sliced tenderloin or roasted chicken as an entrée, and then, for dessert, either chocolate cake or crème brûlée.
Book a table through OpenTable.
Tre Rivali
200 N. BROADWAY
This restaurant inside Kimpton Journeyman Hotel in the Third Ward is celebrating its Mediterranean menu with a Christmas Day brunch buffet ($75 per adult, $30 children 12 years old and under.) between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Both breakfast and lunch items are highlighted, such as a build-your-own toast bar, waffle bar and egg station, as well as prime rib, Sicilian-style roasted pork shoulder, whipped potatoes, salads and winter squash. Desserts are also included, like chocolate truffle torte, white-chocolate cranberry bread pudding and pumpkin-tahini cheesecake bars.
Book a table through OpenTable.
Old Town Serbian Gourmet Restaurant
522 W. LINCOLN AVE.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., the special holiday menu at this Serbian restaurant on the South Side features pork loin stuffed with fresh herbs and served with plum sauce, and Cognac lobster-stuffed phyllo pie. Then, for dessert, it’s dobos torte, a caramel hazelnut chocolate torte.
Book a table by calling 414-672-0206.
Mason Street Grill
425 E. MASON ST.
Located inside The Pfister Hotel, this steakhouse’s holiday dining prix-fixe menu ($81) will be offered on Christmas Eve (4 p.m. to 9 p.m.) and Christmas Day (1 p.m. to 8 p.m.). Spanning three courses, the options to pair with prime rib (served with fingerling potatoes, green beans and Yorkshire pudding) are a choice between two salads and between three desserts (carrot cake, sweet potato pie and flourless chocolate torte)
Book a table through OpenTable.
Movida at Hotel Madrid
600 S. 6TH ST.
Open for dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, this Spanish-style restaurant in Walker’s Point will continue offering its unlimited-tapas special ($49) as well as the regular menu, where you can order tapas, tostadas, paella and noodles like those served in Madrid.
Book a table through OpenTable.
The Studio Kitchen & Cocktails at Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel
139 E. KILBOURN AVE.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, from 4-9 p.m., the Saint Kate’s newest dining destination – replacing the former Aria restaurant – will be serving a special holiday dinner. You’ll find prime rib with au jus, served with bread pudding and horseradish cream sauce, along with double chocolate cake with raspberry sauce for dessert. Reservations are required.
Book a table through OpenTable.
TO GO
Le Rêve Patisserie and Café
7610 HARWOOD AVE., WAUWATOSA
Le Rêve’s Take and Bake options range from quiches to seafood platters and cheese boards – plus, of course, given their bakery roots, pastries such as cinnamon rolls, croissants, croissants, fruit danishes, brioche dinner rolls and French baguettes. There are also more savory selections, like a ready-to-warm glazed ham meal kit, smoked-salmon platter and charcuterie platter. Order by Dec. 13 and pick up on Dec. 23.
Mr. B’s – A Bartolotta Steakhouse – Brookfield
18380 W. CAPITOL DRIVE, BROOKFIELD
A variety of side dishes for the holidays can be ordered and then picked up – all you have to do is reheat at home. The menu includes Yukon Gold potato puree, sweet-potato purée with spiced pecans, green beans with almonds and cranberries, creamed spinach with garlic breadcrumbs, cornbread, baked mac and cheese, demi gravy, cranberry sauce, and desserts (pumpkin pie and apple cobbler). Each dish serves between five and six people. Order through Tock until Dec. 19 and pick up on Dec. 23 between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Parkside 23
2300 PILGRIM SQUARE DR., BROOKFIELD
This farm-to-table restaurant has all the goods you need for Christmas Day dinner on a special holiday take-out menu, starting with the meat entrees: half of an oven-roasted turkey, honey-glazed spiced ham, braised short ribs and roasted beef tenderloin. Each serves between four and five people. Next, tack on the sides, such as creamed corn, caramelized Brussels sprouts, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and cornbread muffins. There are also two desserts: apple cobbler a la mode and cranberry pomegranate with pistachio crumble. Order by Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. by calling 262-784-7275 and pick up on Dec. 23 between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.
DanDan
360 E ERIE ST
If you prefer to go for Asian fare as some traditionally do for the holidays, DanDan has you covered. The restaurant is offering an entire three course Peking Duck dinner to-go for $105, with wonton soup, duck breast with scallion pancakes and hoisin sauce, and duck leg chow fun (a mixture of rice noodles, duck eggs, and veggies). You can reserve a dinner on OpenTable, and pick up on Dec. 23 between 1 p.m and 4 p.m.
EsterEv
2165 SOUTH KINNICKINNIC AVE.
EsterEv is offering not one but two take-home options for the holidays – the first is a caviar plate that comes with Osetra caviar, EsterEv’s tater tots, creme fraiche, chives, capers, and egg salad, which comes to $125. The second is a more traditional Italian-inspired holiday dinner of rigatoni and gravy, which comes with meatballs, short rib, Italian sausage, and tomato sauce, accompanied by a Parmesan Caesar salad and garlic bread, for $100. Both can be reserved online on OpenTable and picked up on Dec. 23 between 12 p.m and 4 p.m.
