Restaurants That Celebrate The Holidays 2022 With Seasonal Meals

The familiar holiday song "Over the River and Through the Woods" brings to mind home-cooked holiday meals, but sometimes it's better to have someone else do the preparations. The most obvious benefits are not having to cook, bake, and clean, but there's more to it than that. Even if you enjoy being in the kitchen, you can still feel stressed about making the perfect meal. But perhaps best of all, ready-made holiday meals allow you to spend more quality time with family and friends.

Restaurants that celebrate with special holiday menus offer scrumptious dishes to warm up your belly and give you (and grandma) a break from the kitchen. Many local spots spruce up the menus this time of year, as well as some of the better-known chains around the country. Others, like Macaroni Grill, are open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's, but don't show special menus on the websites.

Even if you and your family host or attend a family gathering, a separate holiday restaurant dining experience can be a real treat. Think about cooking Christmas Eve dinner, dining at a restaurant for Christmas Day, or enjoying a holiday meal out one night during Hanukkah. For those who prefer not to eat inside restaurants, there are holiday meals to go — but there will be cleanup involved. Where you choose to dine is up to you, but keep one thing in mind: Book your reservations in advance. Here are some restaurants that feature seasonal meals during the 2022 holidays.

Known for its upscale seafood and waterfront dining, Chart House is owned by Landry's and has 24 locations. On Christmas Day, Chart House's special three-course dinner features delicacies from the land and sea, like peach-bourbon glazed scallops and slow-roasted lamb. The first course is soup or salad, with familiar choices like creamy white New England clam chowder and decadent lobster bisque. The main entrees are scallops, king salmon, macadamia nut-crusted Mahi, and slow-roasted prime rib. You won't want to skip dessert with options like a mini lava cake, drunken cherry cheesecake, and the chef's choice. But remember –- you only get to pick one thing from each category. The side dishes are not described on the main website, but you can ask about those when placing your order.

Chart House's main website doesn't show pricing for its Christmas menu as that varies by location. It specifies that the regular menu is unavailable that day and that the Christmas menu is not offered in its Las Vegas, Nevada, and San Antonio, Texas, restaurants. 

The chain is known for its waterfront locations but if you'd rather order takeout Chart House offers sophisticated to-go meals that can feed up to four people. The main meal pack is meaty, with herb-crusted prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, salad, and molten chocolate cake. You can also order catering trays and menu items through EZ Cater, as long as it's done by December 19.

Some Red Lobster restaurant locations may be open on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, but all are closed on Christmas and New Year's days. Instead, it celebrates the holidays with five to-go platters and feasts that can be ordered ahead of time, and guess what: each one features plenty of delicious lobster. The platters are sized for two to eight people and include everything you need. The smallest is the whole Maine lobster feast, which has two of the big red shellfish, plus four sides, biscuits, and dessert. You can get the same thing for four, six, or eight people. 

Want to include other seafood in your holiday meal? Red Lobster's Bar Harbor lobster bake includes small scallops, mussels, and shrimp, plus small lobster tails. This is also served with linguine and white sauce.

Catering trays are also available for family feasts and parties. You may want to order extra biscuits, though, since people really go nuts for those. They're so good that you might even want to bake some extra Red Lobster Cheddar Bay biscuits at home and see how close they are to the real thing.

Feel like having Italian? Carrabba's is not as upscale as Chart House or as heavy on seafood as Red Lobster, but fans appreciate its Italian-themed, pasta-heavy menu that also features chicken, meats, fish, wine, and cocktails. The restaurant is owned by Bloomin' Brands, which also owns Outback and Fleming's, and the website shows that there are more than 200 locations in the U.S. According to The Holiday Schedule, Carrabba's is open every day of the year except Christmas.

It pays to check Carrabba's website often during the holiday season since specials pop up periodically, like the Feast of the 7 Fishes on December 21. And in addition to that, it has seasonal holiday specials in different categories. First is a fried appetizer special with calamari and stuffed mushrooms, followed by short rib marsala and cheesy rigatoni entrees. To round out your meal, order the super-sweet cannoli cake. You'll also want to sample the famous Merry Berry Martini made with Grey Goose vodka and fresh cranberries. Carrabba's also offers family meals and a catering menu.

There's nothing like a hearty breakfast to rev up your engine during the holidays, especially if you have a long list of holiday chores to complete afterward. If you rarely treat yourself to breakfast out, now is the time to take advantage of some of the year's best holiday food specials at restaurants like IHOP. Mashed rated IHOP's original buttermilk pancakes as some of the best chain restaurant pancakes around, and the chain recently announced a new limited edition pancake-themed cereal, but this year the restaurant is highlighting French toast on its holiday menu. The thick slices are made from artisan bread and are breaded and dipped in a vanilla and cinnamon batter before being loaded with sweet toppings.

The gingersnap apple version has hints of cinnamon and vanilla in the batter and is covered with delicious things like spiced apples and crushed cookies. There are also lemon ricotta and strawberry French toast specials, and you can upgrade any of these to include eggs, hash browns, and bacon or sausage. And if that wasn't enough, IHOP's holiday menu also has a few sweet drinks on offer. You can pair the French toast with a gingersnap hot chocolate, a gingersnap milkshake, or the Red Passion Fruit Splasher.

Even though it has more than 400 locations, McCormick & Schmick's does not feel like a chain restaurant. Each location was chosen carefully and the upscale interior is decorated with a focus on ambiance. The restaurant is known for its world-class dishes and uses fresh and sustainable ingredients. It is on the pricey side when compared to some other chains but If you want to splurge during the holidays, McCormick & Schmick's steak and seafood holiday prix fixe menu will knock your socks off. And you can enjoy it on three days: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve.

This holiday prix fixe menu starts with your choice of three appetizers and is priced at $50 or $60 per person. You can warm up with the bacon-laced New England clam chowder, or keep it cool with a Caesar salad or mixed greens with candied walnuts and blue cheese. The main courses include a lobster tail with shrimp scampi, grilled blue cobia, stuffed salmon, and a juicy center-cut filet mignon. Don't skip dessert, because the menu also features chocolate silk pie topped with berries, cheesecake, and an upside-down candied walnut apple pie with ice cream and caramel sauce. 

McCormick & Schmick's also offers catering platters, such as chilled king crab cocktail, and other to-go items like seafood boil packs. Platters are available for up to 10 people, and three-course meals can be ordered for a minimum of 10 people per order.

Similar to McCormick & Schmick's, Ruth's Chris Steak House is another splurge-worthy, elegant restaurant that's open during the holidays. If you want to feed your inner carnivore, it's an excellent choice. In a survey conducted by Tasting Table, Ruth's Chris ranked as the No. 1 steak chain, with 32% of respondents choosing it as their favorite. 

The first location of this fine dining establishment opened in 1965 in New Orleans by a young single mother named Ruth Fertel. Her namesake restaurants are known for serving steaks on plates heated to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and the menu features beautifully-prepared seafood, hearty side dishes, salads, and lobster bisque.

The Ruth's Chris 2022 holiday menu offers a starter of lobster bisque or one of two salads, a traditional Caesar, or a steakhouse salad. For an entrée, you can choose between traditional surf n' turf with a filet and lobster, or opt for steak and shrimp. The sides include mashed potatoes and creamed spinach, but the dessert is a surprise –- it's the chef's choice. The featured cocktail is a single-barrel sour made with Jack Daniel's, Grand Marnier, and topped with a bit of red wine. But if that sounds too strong, Ruth's Chris has an extensive wine selection and other enticing cocktails like a blackberry sidecar and a NOLA mule. 

The restaurant also offers a takeout holiday feast that features roast beef tenderloin. Be sure to place your order 48 hours ahead of time.

According to Store Holiday Hours, Bob Evans restaurants are closed on Christmas Day and some locations close early on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. While the Bob Evans website isn't showing any special menu items for dine-in, it does have something else –- takeout Holiday Farmhouse Feasts. There are three types of feasts available, including turkey, ham, and pot roast. Or, you can order the Premium Farmhouse Feast, which comes with turkey and ham. These are all packed cold and must be heated after you pick them up. The Premium Farmhouse Feast and pot roast feast both serve 10 people, while the others serve eight.

No one will go hungry with these portable smorgasbords, but what's in these special feasts? Besides the meat, the side dishes include tasty things like stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, mac & cheese, rolls, pumpkin bread, and desserts. What, that isn't enough? No worries, you can add extra sides, gravy, and desserts. 

And if you're worried that ordering takeout for your holiday dinner might seem too casual, find some beautiful holiday plates and serving ware or use your good dishes. And if you want to tell everyone that you cooked everything yourself, we promise not to tell.

If you must have steak and seafood on the holidays but can't manage a high-end steakhouse, Outback Steakhouse can handle those cravings and will not cost you a few hundred dollars. For about $30 you order can order a 6-ounce filet mignon, a 12-ounce ribeye, or a 12-ounce prime rib steak with a potato and a side off the regular menu. 

Outback Steakhouse also highlights some new menu items just in time for the winter holidays. The featured appetizer is the Nashville hot wings — a theme that is far from Australia, but no one seems to mind. Also on hand for the holidays, the delicious smoked porterhouse steak is served tableside. Outback's Kingsland Pasta pairs steak and shrimp beautifully over pasta and is topped with an Alfredo cream sauce. The Sirloin and Tasmanian Shrimp entrée features shrimp that is directly related to the chain's beloved Bloomin' Onion appetizer, a fan-favorite that is as beloved as Red Lobster's cheddar biscuits.

According to Holiday Shopping Hours, Golden Corral is open over the holidays, but as with all of the restaurants on this list, you'll want to call to check first as hours and times can change. In any case, this popular buffet restaurant is advertising the best of both worlds -– a holiday buffet plus a holiday feast that you can pick up and take home. 

Golden Corral's holiday buffet features glazed ham, roasted turkey, and beef roast, along with all the standard and traditional holiday sides, such as mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green beans, rolls, salads, and macaroni and cheese. For dessert, make your own special treat of soft-serve ice cream with various toppings, or opt for chocolate-dipped marshmallow skewers, cupcakes, and cookies. If you luck out, there may just be pumpkin and pecan pies, too. These items may vary by location and, like at any other buffet, you may have to wait for your favorites to be replenished. If you prefer to enjoy your holiday meal at home, take-out options are also available.

Also owned by Bloomin' Brands, Bonefish Grill is an upscale restaurant that specializes in fresh seafood. Store Business Hours shows that the restaurant is closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Bonefish Grill's seasonal special entrée is Baja Scallop and Shrimp Scampi Pasta, priced at around $20. In this entrée, the bay scallops are combined with shrimp and cooked in a garlic scampi sauce. New England Today reports that bay scallops are smaller than diver and day boat scallops, but the taste can be nice and sweet. 

Bonefish's next seasonal special entrée is a cedar-plank roasted salmon that's topped with a honey bourbon glaze. A  cherry and orange zest sauce adds just the right touch of sweetness to take this dish over the top. You'll also like the cute little wooden plank on which the salmon is served. The third fresh fish special is called Rockefeller Butterfish — a fancy name for black cod. Bonefish's chefs top this delicate fish with a mix of jumbo lump crabmeat and creamy spinach. 

Any of these holiday entrees can be preceded by the crispy, spicy Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts seasonal appetizer. And if you're in a celebratory mood, the restaurant has also brought back its popular Winter White Cosmo, a guest favorite with a pretty white color and fresh cranberries on top. And for dessert, Bonefish has a seasonal chocolate lava cake, surrounded by fresh berries.

Applebee's is open during the holiday season, and while there are no special holiday food items shown on its website as of this writing, there are two fun drinks: a Tipsy Reindeer and a Berry Merry Colada, priced at $6 each. But if you want to go all out on December 31, the Applebee's New Year's extravaganza in New York City features a five-star menu, a premium bar, and entertainment.

According to Balldrop, the menu for the extravaganza includes passed appetizers plus a dinner buffet. You can fill up your plate(s) with avocado and shrimp ceviche, pomegranate arugula salad, barbecue riblets, chicken, and top sirloin. There will also be desserts and a midnight champagne toast. The price is high but not surprising considering today's inflation – $599 per person. 

The big appeal here is the location, as the restaurants provide street-level access for the Times Square insanity. You'll be able to see the ball drop in person, as long as it is approved by the NYPD that night. All ages are welcome, and the capacity at each venue is 500.