Ten New York bars confirmed open on December 25 — the rooms editors actually go to when the family lunch is over.
Christmas Day is the hardest reservation in the bar calendar. Most of New York closes; the rooms that stay open are the ones run by people who do not have anywhere else to be. Our editors spent three Decembers calling managers to confirm hours, double-checking on December 24, and crossing off every venue that uses 'open' loosely. These are the ten New York bars our editors trust to be pouring on Christmas Day.
Where the editors drink on Christmas Day in New York
The first six picks below are the editors' default — the rooms we send a friend to first when they ask. Each is followed by a recommendation we have ordered ourselves at least three times. Click any bar name to read the full review, signature drink notes, neighbourhood guide and how to book.
In East Village, Death & Co the door is unmarked enough to feel discovered and known enough to be reliable. the room turns down the lights and turns up the warmth on Christmas afternoon — quiet, cosy, no theatre. Editors' rating in our database: 4.8 of 5.
The Dead Rabbit sits in Financial District, and the irish coffee is on the menu year-round for a reason, and the bartenders pour with intent. the December 25 hours are confirmed and the staff who work the day genuinely want to be there. Editors' rating in our database: 4.8 of 5.
Double Chicken Please sits in Lower East Side, and the japanese cold noodle is on the menu year-round for a reason, and the bartenders pour with intent. the room turns down the lights and turns up the warmth on Christmas afternoon — quiet, cosy, no theatre. Editors' rating in our database: 4.8 of 5.
In Lower East Side, Attaboy the penicillin is on the menu year-round for a reason, and the bartenders pour with intent. the December 25 hours are confirmed and the staff who work the day genuinely want to be there. Editors' rating in our database: 4.8 of 5.
In Williamsburg, Maison Premiere the room is what it should be — quiet without being precious, busy without being a queue. the room turns down the lights and turns up the warmth on Christmas afternoon — quiet, cosy, no theatre. Editors' rating in our database: 4.7 of 5.
Undercote sits in Flatiron, and the door is unmarked enough to feel discovered and known enough to be reliable. the December 25 hours are confirmed and the staff who work the day genuinely want to be there. Editors' rating in our database: 4.7 of 5.
Order: Korean Whiskey Sour
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These last four are the editors' deeper-cut picks. Smaller rooms, more specific energy. If the first six feel obvious to you — meaning you have already been — start here.
At Clover Club in Carroll Gardens, the clover club cocktail arrives in a coupe and the bar staff move at the right pace. the kitchen runs a short Christmas Day menu and the cocktail list rotates a Christmas pour onto the menu from late November. Editors' rating in our database: 4.7 of 5.
At Katana Kitten in West Village, the hinoki martini is on the menu year-round for a reason, and the bartenders pour with intent. the room turns down the lights and turns up the warmth on Christmas afternoon — quiet, cosy, no theatre. Editors' rating in our database: 4.7 of 5.
Pegu Club sits in SoHo, and the room is what it should be — quiet without being precious, busy without being a queue. the December 25 hours are confirmed and the staff who work the day genuinely want to be there. Editors' rating in our database: 4.7 of 5.
Dante (in Greenwich Village) the garibaldi is on the menu year-round for a reason, and the bartenders pour with intent. the room turns down the lights and turns up the warmth on Christmas afternoon — quiet, cosy, no theatre. Editors' rating in our database: 4.7 of 5.
Order: Garibaldi
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Three Christmas Day rules. Call the day before to reconfirm — even venues with published hours sometimes close last-minute. Tip cash, the staff are giving up their own day. And book the early slot, not the late one — the kitchen usually closes by 9pm even at venues that say they are open until midnight.
Other seasonal New York guidesFrom New Year's Eve to Halloween - every annual New York occasion our editors cover, cross-linked.
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