Denver Restaurants Serving Takeout Christmas Eve and Christmas Dinners

What do you want for Christmas? If your answer is, “All of 2020 and a good chunk of 2019 back,” we’re with you — even if your sister keeps complaining that that’s not a good gift idea. But as we get closer to welcoming in 2021 (which has to be better, right? Right???), there are still plenty of restaurants around town that we’d be thrilled to unwrap holiday meals from. Here are nearly thirty Denver and Boulder eateries that are offering Christmas Eve and Christmas Day specials. 

Thursday, December 24

Ace Eat Serve
501 East 17th Avenue
303-800-7705
Skip the turkey and opt for Peking duck and a pan-Asian spread instead. Ace is serving a takeout feast for $149 with a whole duck (plus mu shu crepes, scallions, cucumbers, hoisin and apricot chile sauce), fried rice, green bean casserole, saag paneer and matcha tiramisu. Order on Ace’s website (where you can also add on booze, sides and a kit for making duck ramen out of the carcass the next day) by December 16 and pick up your meal on Wednesday, December 23, or Thursday, December 24.

American Elm
4132 West 38th Avenue
720-749-3186
Highland eatery American Elm is not only providing a Christmas Eve meal to go, it’s also donating $10 for every meal sold to the nonprofit Food Bank of the Rockies. Order the $135 dinner for two and choose between main dish entrees of maple and brown sugar ham, turkey breast or prime rib (the beef is an upcharge of $15 per person); you’ll also get smoked mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, Brussels sprouts and Christmas cookies. Order on the restaurant’s online storefront by 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 20, for pick-up between noon and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 23, or Thursday, December 24.

Barolo Grill’s dining room is currently shuttered, but you can still do takeout.

Danielle Lirette

Barolo Grill
3030 East Sixth Avenue
303-393-1040
Order Barolo’s Christmas feast on Tock by Saturday, December 19, for pick-up on Tuesday, December 22, or Wednesday, December 23, between 4 and 8:30 p.m. Each meal kit is $80 per person and includes a braised veal shank (there’s a salmon substitution for pescatarians), lobster salad, roasted tri-color cauliflower with Calabrian chiles, truffled potato gratin, creamed spinach and kale, and a gingerbread spice cake with blood orange compote.

The Bindery
1817 Central Street
303-993-2364
Our favorite Highland brunch spot has put together a quartet of gift baskets perfect for last-minute gift giving (and gift keeping). They range from the expansive Whole Kitchen box (includes the Bindery’s cookbook, a professional chef’s knife, Italian holiday cookies and nougat, coffee, jam, maple syrup and sea salt mix) to a wine and cheese spread (two bottles of wine, eight cheeses, crackers, mostarda and fig jam) to Just the Wine (…just wine). There are also family-style meals to feed two to eight; choose from spinach-stuffed rib eye, salmon en papillote and brown sugar bourbon ham, all with sides. Visit Tock to order these and other holiday packages. The ordering deadline is noon on Sunday, December 20; pick-up is Tuesday, December 22, through Thursday, December 24. 

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This rib rack isn’t standing, but it gives you an idea of the quality of meat you can expect from Blackbelly Butcher.

Rachel Adams

Blackbelly Butcher
1606 Conestoga Street, Boulder
303-247-1000
Blackbelly is selling luxe 35-day dry-aged standing rib roasts for Christmas dinner. The cut-to-order roasts have about two pounds of meat per bone; each bone serves two to four people. The cost ($39.99 per pound) includes chef Hosea Rosenberg’s cooking tips. Preorder by emailing [email protected]; you can pick up the roast until 4 p.m. on Thursday, December 24.

Charcoal Bistro
1028 South Gaylord Street
303-953-8718
The Wash Park bistro is cooking up both carnivorous and vegan spreads for takeout on Wednesday, December 23 (4 to 8 p.m.), and Thursday, December 24 (noon to 4 p.m.). Choose from pot roast or a vegan steak with mushroom gravy, plus regular and plant-based versions of mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, glazed root veggies, dinner rolls and sticky toffee pudding ($50 per person). Visit Charcoal’s website to see the full menu, then call to place your order.

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Chef Zorba’s has a hearty Christmas feast you can order by the plate or for a group.

Courtesy of Chef Zorba’s

Chef Zorba’s
2626 East 12th Avenue
303-321-0091
Whether you’re looking to feed just one or a crowd (of people from your own household, that is), this Congress Park diner has you covered. You can order individual dinners for $17.95 apiece, or a feast that serves eight to ten for $129.95. Each includes ham, scalloped potatoes, roasted vegetables, pineapple bread pudding, cranberry, walnut and feta salad and dinner rolls. Zorba’s is also selling whole pies (apple, apple-cranberry or pumpkin) for $19.95 and a dessert tray of baklava, brownies, raspberry bars and wedding cookies ($24.95). You must order on Zorba’s website by Sunday, December 20; collect your meal on Thursday, December 24, from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Fort
19192 Highway 8, Morrison
303-697-4771
Call the Morrison institution to order one of three holiday meals: a bison prime rib half roast with sides (serves four to six, $125); a ham glazed with mustard, brown sugar and sherry with sides (serves six to eight, $145); or
a full bison prime rib roast with fixings (serves twelve to fourteen, $350). Orders must be placed by Friday, December 18, and you can add a pecan pie or chile chocolate bourbon cake to each meal for just $35 (though this bumps up the ordering deadline to Sunday, December 13). Pick up your meal at the Fort between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

Hank’s Texas Barbecue
5410 East Colfax Avenue
720-277-3225
Hank’s is offering barbecue dinners with all the fixings that serve six to eight people and range from $160 to $292 depending on whether you opt for smoked turkey breast, ham, brisket or prime rib; whole smoked meats are also available without the sides. Orders must be placed by Friday, December 18; call or email [email protected] to order. See Hank’s Instagram page for details (and adorable photos of Hank the dachshund himself).

Jax Fish House
1539 17th Street, 202-292-5767
650 Colorado Boulevard, Glendale, 303-756-6449
This year, Jax’s Feast of the Seven Fishes is only available as a takeout, finish-at-home feast. But the six-course meal still includes all seven varieties of seafood, and at $125 for two people, it’s a great deal. Pick up the kit (which includes dishes like clams in bechamel and parmesan, salt-baked Alamosa bass and frutti di mare with squid, shrimp, octopus and scallops) from 2 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 23, or Thursday, December 24, at Jax’s LoDo and Glendale locations; the order deadline is Saturday, December 19, on Tock. 

Jill’s Restaurant
900 Walnut Street, Boulder
720-406-7385
The Boulder spot known for catering to vegans is offering both vegan and non-vegan menus for two on Christmas Eve. Each meal costs $98 and comes with a bottle of wine as well as all the sides (not just two or three — all of them)! Take a look at the full menu, then call Jill’s between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays or visit the restaurant’s website to order no later than Friday, December 18. You’ll be able to pick up your meal between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Thursday, December 24.

Le French
4901 South Newport Street
720-710-8963
Pretend your independently wealthy partner has whisked you off to Paris for Christmas with a four-course takeout menu from this south Denver bakery and restaurant. For $75 per person, diners can choose from options like French onion or pumpkin soup or beet and berry salad; confit duck leg, gniiri (creamed cornmeal with peanuts, black-eyed peas, roasted cremini mushrooms and carrots, fried shallots and basil, pine nuts and truffle oil); and chocolate mousse or crêpes Suzettes. Even more luxe entrees (like filet mignon with foie gras sauce) are available as an upgrade. Call or order online by 2 p.m. on Tuesday, December 22, for Christmas Eve pick-up.

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Get all this good stuff from Lola when you pre-order by December 22.

Lola Coastal Mexican

Lola Coastal Mexican
1575 Boulder Street
720-570-8686
Celebrate in south-of-the-border style by ordering Baja-style paella from Lola; the Christmas Eve kit will run you $55 and includes a pan of saffron rice, mussels, shrimp, crab, chorizo and chicken to finish at home. Order on Tock by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, December 22, and pick up between 3:15 and 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 24. 

Lou’s Italian Specialties
3357 Downing Street
720-287-3642
Order a spread sturdy enough to feed an Italian family of four from Lou’s catering menu no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 17; pick-up will be at the Five Points delicatessen between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Wednesday, December 23, or Thursday, December 24. For $100, you’ll get a cheese-and-meat plate, salad and your choice of entree (chicken, meatball or eggplant parm, vodka penne or veggie or meat lasagna) plus a fresh baguette.

Oak at Fourteenth
1400 Pearl Street, Boulder
303-444-3622
If you order from Oak’s Christmas Eve menu (which includes king crab legs with tarragon butter, red wine braised lamb shank and mushroom and spinach cannelloni), you can opt to take out your meal to reheat at home, or hot for gobbling right from the to-go containers (make sure you make note of this when you place your order). Order by phone no later than Sunday, December 20, for pick-up on Christmas Eve between 1 and 5:30 p.m. You can see the full menu on Oak’s website.

Rioja
1431 Larimer Street
303-820-2282
Rioja is offering a prix fixe, $53 Christmas Eve meal that includes your choice of app, entree and dessert. Choose from chestnut bisque or pomegranate and fennel salad; truffle braised short ribs, Berkshire ham or mushroom and bean ragout (all with sides of cheesy potato purée and green beans); and gingerbread cake or bourbon pecan pie. Visit Tock to see the full menu with upgrades and cocktails, and place your order either online or by phone. 

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Fried rice, hot-and-sour matzo ball soup and duck lo mein from Rosenberg’s Jewish Christmas.

Ryan Achtman

Rosenberg’s Bagels
2501 Dallas Street, Aurora
303-955-0466
Rosenberg’s famously puts on a “Jewish Christmas” Chinese food spread every Christmas Eve; while the in-person gathering isn’t taking place this year, you can still order the feast of smoked salmon rangoon, Reuben spring rolls, matzo ball hot-and-sour soup, Taylor ham fried rice, kung pao pastrami and more to devour at home. The meal is priced at $100 for two ($160 with beverage pairings). Reserve yours online by 5 p.m. on Thursday December 17 (or until supplies last) for pick-up at the bagelry’s Stanley Market outpost from 5 to 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

Savory Cuisines Catering
5741 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder
303-440-1016
The Boulder-based caterer is launching a holiday meal for two ($70) or four ($120); the menu includes winter or pear salad; your choice of prime rib, roasted leg of lamb or salmon with honey-dijon sauce; and three sides (options include a savory bread pudding, seared risotto cakes, roasted potatoes or root veggies, haricots verts or glazed carrots). Call Savory or email [email protected] no later than noon on Friday, December 18, to place your order, and keep an eye on Savory’s Facebook and Instagram pages for the full menu.

Smok
3300 Brighton Boulevard
720-452-2487
Call to order Smok’s Southern-style spread — five pounds of smoked brisket, truffled potato gratin, glazed carrots and chocolate pudding pie with an Oreo crust for $120 — no later than Sunday, December 20. You can also order anything from the barbecue joint’s regular menu (plus pecan pies!) as an add-on and pick up the whole kit and caboodle on Wednesday, December 23, between 2 and 6 p.m. Visit Smok’s Instagram page for details and mouthwatering pics.

Steuben’s
52 East 17th Avenue, 303-830-1001
7355 Ralston Road, Arvada, 303-830-1001
Steuben’s Arvada has finally reopened — it’s a Christmas miracle! Both locations of the comfort-food eatery are selling seven-course takeout meals for pick-up on Christmas Eve between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The $200 meal serves six hungry holiday diners and includes Tender Belly ham, Parker house rolls, Brussels sprouts, roasted potatoes, creamed greens, candied carrots and sticky toffee pudding with housemade vanilla ice cream. Order on Tock, where you can also nab drinks like boozy apple cider and bottles of the late, great Vesta house red and white wines. The ordering deadline is Thursday, December 17. 

Stoic & Genuine
1701 Wynkoop Street
303-640-3474
Call or visit Tock to order from the seafood house’s Christmas Eve menu, which includes your choice of a starter, entree and dessert with options like crab bisque, “surf in turf” (ahi tuna wrapped in New York strip steak), lobster thermidor, mushroom and celeriac ravioli, chocolate cake (with chocolate frosting, naturally) and a Hoosier sugar cream pie. Depending on entree choice, a meal for one ranges from $49 to $83. You can also snag sides like salmon rillettes, oysters Rockefeller, a whole lobster(!) and more. You’ll be able to schedule pick-up of your food between Tuesday, December 22, and Thursday, December 24.

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If you’ve got $500 burning a hole in your pocket, Tavernetta’s your best bet for Christmas Eve dinner.

Danielle Lirette

Tavernetta
1889 16th Street
720-605-1889
If you’re looking to flex on your Christmas guests, Tavernetta’s $500 spread is for you. For that price, you get prime rib for six (plus a roasting pan — we hope it’s platinum plated), salad, potatoes gratin, truffle jus, onion agrodolce and a chocolate tart. The meal kit doesn’t include booze, but when you order on Tock you can also add bottles of wine (from $32 to $90) or cocktails ($60 for a 750-mL bottle). The ordering deadline is Friday, December 18; pick-up is Wednesday, December 23, and Thursday, December 24.

TBD Foods 
1410 Gilpin Street
339-368-0173
This caterer’s spreads run $70 per person; choose from six meaty entrees (prime rib, salmon, Colorado lamb, roast chicken, brisket and maple-chile ham) plus a vegan option, more sides than you can shake a stick at and desserts that include salted caramel bread pudding and ginger-carrot-pumpkin cheesecake. Add-ons include additional sides (brie in puff pastry — yes, please!) and, of course, booze from beer to eggnog to cocktails to mulled wine. Order on TBD’s website for pick-up from Tuesday, December 22, through Thursday, December 24.

Ultreia
1701 Wynkoop Street
303-534-1970
Union Station’s Ultreia is turning out a pair of feasts for takeout on Christmas Eve: a tapas feast, which includes chile-butter shrimp, foie gras-stuffed dates, meatballs in black truffle cream sauce, tiramisu, a pintxo (snacks) platter and more; and Jessica’s feast, a bottle of cava paired with three seafood tins, chips, aioli, salt and lemons. Both are $100 for two diners and can be ordered on Tock — along with tasty add-ons like Moorish spiced ribs, jamon croquettes and smoked duck legs — for Christmas Eve pick-up. 

Urban Farmer
1659 Wazee Street
303-262-6070
Urban Farmer is offering four holiday specials: stuffed chicken (feeds four, $90); prime rib (feeds six to eight, $200); porchetta (feeds six to eight, $175); and Peking duck (feeds six to eight, $105). The Peking duck kit is based on the shuttered Departure’s duck recipe and must be ordered at least three days before pick-up to allow for air curing. All options come with sides and can be picked up on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day; visit the Sage Restaurants website for complete menu details and to pre-order.

The Wolf’s Tailor
4058 Tejon Street
720-456-6705
The Sunnyside wood-fired eatery is offering an Italian-American tradition on Christmas Eve: the Feast of the Seven Fishes. While menu details aren’t yet available, we expect more than a few Asian touches (one of Wolf’s Tailor’s themes) to the seafood dishes you’ll be enjoying in the restaurant’s cute and cozy single-group heated tents. Parties of four to six people can reserve a seat now for $150 per person (beverage pairings range from $45 for a mixed pairing to $175 for bottle service) on Tock; seatings are available at 5 and 7:30 p.m. 

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Local Jones is sold out on Christmas Eve, but still has Christmas Day meals available.

Mark Antonation

Friday, December 25

Hickory & Ash
8001 Arista Place, Broomfield
720-390-4400
Take out an oh-so-traditional Christmas meal from Hickory & Ash, which includes prime rib au poivre, potatoes gratin, an autumnal salad with butternut squash and goat cheese, Parker House rolls, sticky toffee pudding and more ($60 per person). Kids’ meals of mac and cheese are also available for $8, along with bottles of wine starting at $20. Visit the eatery’s Instagram page for menu details, then call Hickory & Ash no later than Thursday, December 22, to pick up your order between noon and 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 24. 

Kachina Cantina
1890 Wazee Street
720-460-2728
Kachina is serving its regular all-day menu from noon to 7 p.m. on Christmas Day, but it’s also offering a prime rib special with mushroom demi, Yukon Gold whipped potatoes and sage Brussels sprouts for $25. Pre-order takeout on Tock.

Local Jones
249 Columbine Street
720-772-5022
Local Jones still has a few Christmas Day meals available for takeout (Christmas Eve spreads have already sold out). Visit Resy to order a feast for four ($160) or two ($80) that includes prime rib, mashed potatoes, greens and whoopie pie. You can elect to receive the meal served hot or cold for reheating (instructions will be included).

Do you know of other Christmas deals? Send information to [email protected].