A Very Last-Minute Guide to Holiday Feasts in Philly
Whether you're looking to bring a suckling pig to your in-laws's house or want to join in a Feast of Seven Fishes, this guide has you covered for all your holiday needs.
Bolo’s suckling pig is available on their Noche Buena dinner menu for dine-in and takeout. / Photograph by Gab Bonghi
The holidays are hurtling toward us, and if you audibly gasped when you realized that Christmas is smack dab in the middle of next week, we feel you. We all need at least two more weeks to prepare for the impending chaos of hosting holiday parties and family gatherings. Luckily, you don’t have to prepare the holiday ham or whip up all seven fishes this season. These Philly restaurants have you covered, whether you’re planning to dine in or do takeout.
Where to Dine In for the Holidays
Cantina La Martina’s Feast of Seven Moles, Kensington
There are still a few spots left for what has quickly become one of Philly’s favorite holiday dining events. If you haven’t experienced the glory of Cantina La Martina’s Feast of Seven Moles, it is a seven-course meal put together by seven Philly chefs making seven different moles. As usual, the line-up for this year is wild. You’ve got Jennifer Zavala of Juana Tamale serving a seared scallop with mole blanco, Chance Anis of Tabachoy making a lumpia sariwa with a brown peanut mole, Eric Leveillee of Lacroix bringing a glazed lamb belly with chicatana mole, and more. This dinner is happening tomorrow, and if you don’t have any plans, you do now. Reserve your spot before it’s gone! 2800 D Street.
Bistro Romano, Society Hill
There are two Christmas Eve tasting menus happening at Bistro Romano. The first is your classic, old-school Feast of Seven Fishes featuring options like tuna crudo, calamari, shrimp spaghetti, lobster gnocchi, and monkfish saltimbocca. If you’re not into seafood, they’re also offering a Pasta Turf tasting menu with a steak tartare, beef lasagna, sausage rigatoni, strip steak, and more. Both tasting menus are five courses for $89 per guest.120 Lombard Street.
Square 1682, Center City
Square 1682 is open on Christmas Day. They’ll have a festive menu showcasing small plates like Havarti cheese arancini with sauce arrabiata, Polish pickle soup, and trout caviar-topped deviled eggs. For the main course, you can choose from a duck breast à l’Orange with roasted carrots, Thai fried red snapper, mushroom risotto with winter truffles, or prime rib. Ordering to go? For $80, you can get herb-crusted short rib, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, brown butter delicate squash, baked mac and cheese, sautéed green beans and roasted potatoes with mustard vinaigrette, and a chocolate cake, all portioned perfectly for two. Call 215-563-5008 to place your order. 121 South 17th Street.
Urban Farmer, Center City
Urban Farmer has you covered on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with holiday specials featuring a savory Pennsylvania ham with grain mustard pork jus and a beef ribeye with glaze de viance and horseradish cream. If neither piques your interest (but honestly, how could they not), they’ll have their regular menu available as well. 1850 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Amada, Old City
This is a city that loves its Feast of Seven Fishes, and on Christmas Eve, Amada is partaking in this Italian American tradition with a Spanish twist. For $75 per person, you can get a four-course meal featuring options such as herb-crusted tuna, seared salmon in a saffron emulsion, crab-stuffed peppers, and more for your first and second courses. It all builds up to the third course: a paella loaded with prawns, cockles, mussels, and calamari. Make your reservation today on OpenTable. 217-219 Chestnut Street.
Where to Get Takeout
The beef Wellington at Jansen. / Photograph courtesy of Jansen
Little Walter’s, Kensington
If you missed out on getting tickets to the Wigilia Dinner (those tickets sold out fast), fear not! Little Walter’s has a takeout option that sounds just as tasty as the dine-in offerings. Create your own Polish holiday feast with your choice of house-made kielbasa, pierogi bread, rye focaccia, babka, everything spice sourdough bialy, house-brined pickles, Polish mustard, and, of course, pierogi stuffed with either mushroom and oscypek (a salted and smoked sheep’s milk cheese), smoked chicken wing, cabbage and sweet onions, or the classic potato and farmer cheese. You can order for takeaway or pre-order online here (but note, you can only place your order during operating hours). Pickup for orders is this Sunday, December 22nd from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 2049 East Hagert Street.
Bolo, Rittenhouse
Give your holiday a bit of Puerto Rican flair with Bolo’s Noche Buena Dinner, the star attraction of which is a succulent roasted pig. It comes with classic sides like arroz con gandules, pasteles, plátano maduro, salad, and for dessert, a caramel custard flan. The meal feeds up to 10 people and will cost you $350. You’ve still got a couple of days to place your order (the deadline is December 21st). Dining in? For $45 per person, you can get a taste of that suckling pig with achiote, oregano, and sour orange-marinated lechon, slow-roasted, served with garlic-orange mojo, green salad, rice, beans, maduros, and mofongo. 2025 Sansom Street.
Jansen, Germantown
Anyone who has ever watched Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen knows that Beef Wellington is like Mount Everest for home cooks: It requires immense skill, specialized tools, and impeccable timing; and the rate of failure is pretty high. So if you want an impressive meal without all that work, order Jansen’s take-and-bake beef Wellington, already perfectly cooked and ready for you to heat up. It also comes with some fancy fixings, including prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, gruyere potato cakes, and a natural beef jus to drizzle over that gorgeous beef Wellington. It feeds two and is priced at $150. You can also opt to upgrade your meal with a seafood medley of oysters, shrimp, lobster, and crab for another $120. Reserve yours by emailing jansentakeout@gmail.com. Pickup is Monday, December 23rd, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. 7402 Germantown Avenue.
Zahav by Lilah, Fishtown
Bring Zahav home for the holidays? Yes, please! The Zahav by Lilah Chrismukkah Takeout Package is a Jewish diaspora feast. We’re talking matzoh ball soup and potato kugel, sweetie-spiced challah with spreads (borscht, pickled cabbage, chopped liver with sour cherry, and more), and the pièce de résistance: a coffee-braised brisket with roasted fennel, parsnip, and caramelized onion. It costs $285 and feeds four. You can book your package here on Resy. Pickup is Monday, December 23rd, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Lilah. 1601 North Front Street.
