By Nicholas Katers
Chicago Restaurants Open on Christmas Day
's streets fill with families, couples and business travelers during the holiday season. These holiday celebrants spend the days before Christmas searching for last-minute gifts and enjoying time with friends and family. As Christmas Eve gives way to Christmas Day, Chicago is home to restaurants of all types offering entrees, drinks and warm dining rooms for Christmas diners.
Amano Italian Trattoria
Amano Italian Trattoria's dinner menu is served daily, including Christmas Day, starting at 5 p.m. The restaurant serves appetizers like the bruschetta trio and the chef's antipasto salad to Christmas diners. Amano also produces house specialties like lobster and scallop ravioli and grilled flat iron steaks as part of its Christmas menu. The dinner menu allows pizza lovers to choose from wood oven pizzas with wild mushrooms and Gorgonzola cheese. Visitors to Amano Italian Trattoria should make online reservations weeks in advance for Christmas Day dinner.
Amano Italian Trattoria
335 N. Dearborn St.
Chicago, Illinois 60654
(312) 629-3500
http://amanochicago.com/index2.php
Aria Chicago
Aria Chicago offers Asian and American entrees from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The dinner menu starts with delicious appetizers like beef tataki and edamame to satisfy hungry guests. Aria Chicago creates seafood dishes like tuna sashimi, unagi maki rolls and Pacific glazed cod throughout the year. The "land" section of the Aria Chicago dinner menu features filet mignon and grilled lamb masala. Christmas visitors to Aria Chicago enjoy desserts like banana bread flats and apple empanadas.
Aria Chicago
200 N. Columbus Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60601
(312) 444-9494
http://www.ariachicago.com
Atwood Cafe
Chicago visitors and residents can enjoy all three meals at the Atwood Cafe on Christmas Day. This restaurant serves barbecue pulled pork sandwiches, stuffed yellow bell peppers and three-cheese omelets at its Christmas Day brunch. The Atwood Cafe offers dinner entrees like roasted duck breast and pan-seared scallops for its Christmas guests. The dessert menu mixes American favorites like peach pie with Italian offerings like gelato and sorbet for an international dining experience.
Atwood Cafe
1 W Washington St.
Chicago, Illinois 60602
(312) 368-1900
http://www.atwoodcafe.com
Viand Chicago
Viand Chicago serves a three-course meal each Christmas Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Diners choose from smoked pork belly with cabbage and seared tuna for their first course. The second course offers grilled sturgeon with mushroom sherry sauce and lamb chops with artichoke and parmesan cheese. The final course provides all diners with caramelized apple tarts with fontina cheese. Guests of Viand Chicago can order the restaurant's signature deconstructed cocktails with Hendricks gin, Ciroc vodka and multiple brands of bourbon.
Viand Chicago
155 E. Ontario St.
Chicago, Illinois 60611
(312) 255-8505
http://www.viandchicago.com
About the Author:
Nicholas Katers has been a freelance writer since 2006. He teaches American history at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wis. His past works include articles for "CCN Magazine," "The History Teacher" and "The Internationalist" magazine. Katers holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in American history from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, respectively.
Photo Credits:
Photo by jordanfischer (Flickr)
