5 Restaurants Open on Christmas Eve in San Diego

Spend this holiday season with family and friends savoring a beautiful holiday dinner at some luxurious local restaurants, guaranteed to please with a festive ambiance, delicious cuisine, fine wine and friendly service. Your guide to Christmas Eve Dining in San Diego here. 

1500 OCEAN at The Hotel Del Coronado

1500 Ocean Restaurant inside The Hotel Del Coronado holiday menus for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, Chef de Cuisine Robert Hohmann will offer a three-course prix fixe menu with options for appetizers, entrees, desserts and additional special items for add-ons and side dishes. Highlights include a caramelized Brussels sprouts salad with apple mostarda and candied spiced pecans, roasted pork loin with sautéed kale, and cinnamon-poached plums and pumpkin crème brûlée.

1500 Ocean Restaurant Hotel Del Coronado

"I love roasted meats, especially lamb leg or pork racks," Hohmann said. "My Italian upbringing means that lasagna or some sort of stuffed pasta always tops my list, as well as traditional Mediterranean seafood dishes like Puttanesca sauce."

Growing up, Hohmann remembers prepping with his family during the week building up to the holidays. "We always started making the desserts ahead of time," he recalled, "and some of the dishes would get eaten by the time the big day came around, forcing us to make more." For Reservations call 619-522-8490 - Located on 1500 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA

Addison at The Grand Del Mar

On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, Executive Chef William Bradley of the Addison inside The Grand Del Mar, will feature a specially created seven-course Carte Blanche menu, which includes elegant courses highlighting the very best of the season. The Christmas Eve menu will include sole almandine with Brussels sprouts, black truffles and sauce au vin jaune, and a butter pecan tart with eggnog ice cream for dessert. On New Year’s Eve, two special courses include King Crab with spinach, black truffles and sherry, and loup de mer with a shellfish and shallot cassoulet.

Shown above: The Addison at The Grand, Del Mar

"The holidays are an amazing time of year for families and friends to come together and dine," said Bradley, whose special creation is a Cinnamon Pot de Crème with vanilla and white truffles. "I adore all things roasted, warm, baked and hearty—food that is good for the soul." - For Reservations call 858-314-1900 - Grand Del Mar, 5200 Grand Del Mar Way

Kitchen 1540 in Del Mar

Executive Chef Scott Thomas Dolbee of Kitchen 1540, believes the holidays are a great avenue for the culinary team to introduce new dishes, offering a set three-course menu with a variety of options for each course. Think wild boar with black mole sauce and a lamb curry dish that evokes sophisticated comfort and tradition while expressing cultural diversity. Dolbee has also added some Southern influence, including a hot and smoked steelhead trout with collard greens, black-eyed peas and ham hock.

Shown above: Kitchen 1540 Del Mar

"I like to include a variety of options so that families are able to try many different flavors," Dolbee explained. "I encourage ordering a few extra dishes to share to get the whole experience."

The open kitchen in the restaurant creates a more personal environment to allow the culinary team to watch guests enjoying its creations. "Our culinary philosophy revolves around striving for excellence with relevant cutting-edge cuisine, focusing on building flavor profiles, and creating an experience through the craft with the freshest local, highest quality products and the blending of culture through cuisine," Dolbee said. "We utilize refined, yet modern technique showcasing common favorites in uncommon ways, all driven by thoughts, ideas and feelings, and the freedom to be creative." For Reservations call 858-793-6460 - Located inside L'Auberge Hotel in Del Mar 1540 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 

Nine-Ten in La Jolla 

Located in the Grande Colonial Hotel, Nine-Ten Restaurant on Christmas Eve, Executive Chef Jason Knibb has opted to serve the regular dinner menu so that diners have a better choice of variety. And on Christmas Day, he will offer the regular brunch menu. When it comes to the traditional holidays, Knibb thinks more on the lines of nostalgia and creations reminiscent of classic dishes or childhood favorites.

Shown above: Nine-Ten, La Jolla

"I think that’s what people want to experience during the holidays," he said. "I always think of lamb, whole duck and warm and comforting foods."  Whenever Knibb was in Los Angeles during the holidays with his father, he would always cook a leg of lamb or a standing rib roast.

Shown above: Dinner from Nine-Ten, La Jolla

Shown above: Dinner from Nine-Ten, La Jolla

"That was our tradition and it would always be really casual and fun with family and friends," he explains. "On the other hand, when I was in Jamaica celebrating with my mom and her side of the family, I would take it easy while she cooked some classic Cornish game hens." For Reservations call 858-964-5400 - Located inside the Grande Colonial Hotel at 910 Prospect St, La Jolla.