Jingle all the way

These are the best Austin restaurants open on Christmas Day 2018

Mattie's at Green Pastures Holiday Austin Christmas restaurant

Have an elegant Christmas feast at Mattie's at Green Pastures.

Photo by Julie Whilhite

On Christmas Day, you could whip up a big dinner at home. Of course, that takes being organized enough to buy all the fixings, clean the house, and invite the family. Or you can dine with relatives, assuming they live close by and you are lucky enough to share both culinary tastes and political leanings. The rest of us play it smart by letting Austin’s best restaurants take care of all the work.

Alamo Drafthouse
Okay, this is not technically a restaurant, but all Austin locations serve food, and you get to watch a movie while you eat! Special showings include an Elf movie party at the Ritz on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (the full schedule goes live on December 17). The special holiday menu features Santa’s cookies and candy cane and eggnog adult shakes, along with the regular theater menus.

Bennu Coffee
Known for being open 24/7, the two Austin Bennu locations offer hot drinks, fresh food, and no judgement should you stop by on Christmas Day in pajama pants. Choose from pizza slices, wraps, sandwiches, salads — including vegan and vegetarian options — plus pastries, all fresh and locally sourced. There’s also free wi-fi, offering the perfect escape to any family holiday drama.

Ciclo
The newly redesigned dining venue at the Four Seasons Austin serves a lavish Christmas Day buffet featuring festive decor and a spread of reworked classic holiday dishes like pumpkin seed mole-crusted lamb, Boursin mashed potatoes, build-your-own paella, and chocolate hazelnut crème brûlée. $90 for adults and $40 for children ages 6-11. 11 am-8 pm.

Mattie’s at Green Pastures
This updated Austin icon offers two Christmas Day brunch buffet seatings featuring a raw bar, carving station, traditional brunch items, charcuterie station, and desserts. Guests can also enjoy a complimentary signature drink such as the classic 1965 Milk Punch, Pimm’s-based Bacchus Cup, or an eye-opening Bloody Mary. $85 for adults, $40 children ages 6-12. Seatings at 11 am and 2 pm.

Revue
The Fairmont Hotel’s food hall offers Christmas brunch and dinner, and includes a little something extra to make the holiday bright. Each meal includes a $5 donation to the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. Buffets feature Revue’s raw bar, brioche stuffing, salads, and a selection of main entrees including standing rib roast, classic roasted turkey, and maple-mustard glazed bone-in ham. For those with a sweet tooth, there are also seven kinds of dessert. Brunch: $65 per person, $19 for children under $13. 9 am-2 pm. Dinner: $85 per adult, $19 children under 13. 4-8 pm.

Second Bar + Kitchen
Chow down at the Domain Northside location’s annual Christmas Day buffet, with a menu of starters, family-style plates, and carving stations, including sugar-and-spice candied bacon, pork belly cheddar macaroni and cheese, and slow roasted ribeye loin. Also enjoy a bar buffet and dessert bites including a variety of holiday cookies. $65 per person, $32.50 for children ages 6-12, children under 5 free. 11 am-7 pm.

Threadgill's 
Sadly, Threadgill's World Headquarters on Riverside Drive is now closed, but the original Threadgill’s location is keeping the eatery’s holiday tradition alive. Available all day on Christmas, the menu includes traditional dishes such as turkey and dressing along with comfort food ranging from chicken fried steak and cream gravy to fried catfish. 11 am-9:30 pm.

Trace 
The W Austin’s signature restaurant is the place for those seeking an elegant dining experience. Don your best duds for the four-course dinner, which features a choice of soup or salad, an appetizer, main course, and dessert. Looking for a more casual experience? Visit the hotel’s Secret Bar before December 28. The entire space has been transformed into the Who-Tel Bar, a scene right out of How the Grinch Stole Christmas with themed libations, food, and entertainment. Dinner: $75. 11:30 am-9 pm.

cocktails dinner families drinks holidays brunch

Refill, revere, rejoice

Austin distiller refills Kentucky Bourbon bottles for $1 in UT gameday stunt

Photo courtesy of Still Austin Whiskey Co.

Still Austin is filling up empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles and adding its own label in a display of Texas dominance.

Cheap bourbon isn't usually something people line up for, but in this case they know it's good. Still Austin Whiskey Co., a favorite Austin distiller, is offering $1 refills of its own Cask Strength Bourbon on empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles on November 23.

The promotion celebrates the Texas Longhorns vs. Kentucky Wildcats football match the same day. This is a highly anticipated game because the two teams have only been matched up once, back in 1951. Kentucky coach Mike Stoops reportedly also upped the ante by saying the Longhorns have "no weaknesses."

Essentially, this is a parallel challenge by Still Austin: Replace your Kentucky Bourbon with our Texas spirit and watch the Lone Star State win again.

"Why would I ever taint your bourbon with dried up Kentucky juice[?]" asked a (frankly, terrifying) customer on Instagram.

There is a misconception that bourbon has to be made in Kentucky. The Kentucky Distillers’ Association itself points out that, "According to the 1964 Congressional Resolution, in order to have “Bourbon” on the label it must be made in the United States of America and meet all other federal “standards of identity” for Bourbon."

Still Austin CEO and co-founder Chris Seals is setting the record straight with a little snark, inviting both fans and "skeptics" to stop by to take advantage of the deal.

“We’re deeply grateful to Kentucky for inventing the stuff, but after 200 years of the same old bourbon, people want something new,” said Seals in a press release.“The idea that great bourbon can only come from Kentucky is a myth based on decades of misinformation. We’re inviting everyone still holding onto this old guard notion to ‘Kentucky Fill Up’ to experience the difference for themselves.”

The product he's chosen to represent the brand, the Cask Strength Bourbon, is described as "a deeper more 'metal' version of our beloved straight bourbon." It's 116 proof (58 percent ABV) and has won double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition twice, in 2022 and 2023.

Still Austin will only refill 500 bottles. Here are the rules: The bottles have to be 750 milliliters, clean, intact (with the original cap on hand), and they must have originally contained bourbon from a Kentucky Distillery. There are two time slots for refilling at 9 am and 11:30 am. Patrons can get tickets ahead of time at stillaustin.com.

In addition to the fill-ups, Still Austin will host a watch party starting at 2:30 pm. More Texas-Kentucky crossover will include Frozen Texas Julep cocktails, Texas fried chicken, and an armadillo derby race. There will also be exclusive merch and giveaways. Still Austin is the official corporate partner of Texas Athletics.

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Fans of Austin sports and Austin food and drinks can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm December 12 at Distribution Hall. Find out more about it here.

whiskey university of texas longhorns