If you went all out for your Thanksgiving meal and want to take it easy for Christmas, step back by treating yourself and your family to a special pre-made Christmas meal. There may not be any leftovers to savor, but you’ll be able to spend quality time with the ones you love. Christmas will be here in one week so don’t wait too much longer! Here are a few ideas:
100 Sails Restaurant & Bar at Prince Waikiki
How does a buffet sound? 100 Sails Restaurant & Bar has you covered with their Christmas brunch buffet (9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Dec. 25), Christmas dinner buffet (5-9:30 p.m. Dec. 25-29), New Year brunch buffet (9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Jan. 1) and New Year dinner buffet (5-9:30 p.m. Jan. 1). View the full menu.
Bali Oceanfront at Hilton Hawaiian Village
Their Christmas Eve and Day Special is a four-course prix fixe dinner featuring beets consommé, tataki-style local ahi, surf and turf, and vanilla and chestnuts for dessert, $145/person. Bali also offers a New Year’s Eve Special, a four-course prix fixe dinner featuring salmon ceviche, choice of appetizer, choice of entrée and choice of dessert, $195/person. View the menu.
Black Angus Steakhouse
The Christmas Eve menu features cooked Prime Rib for four ($189.99) and a selection of off-menu dishes such as the seasonal entrée with a grilled 22-ounce porterhouse steak served with choice of two sidekicks; seasonal steakhouse starter of blue crab cake with tartar sauce; seasonal dessert of red velvet cheesecake; and choice of lobster bacon mac, lobster truffle mac or lobster bleu mac. Available 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Dec. 24.
Their New Year’s Eve menu features a surf ‘n’ turf dinner for two ($114) that includes two six-ounce filet mignon, two lobster tails, one steakhouse starter, four classic sidekicks, molasses bread and one choice of dessert. To ring in the new year, Prosecco Splits will be available to all guests at two for $15.
HoMA Café, Honolulu Museum of Art
Surround yourself with the arts while enjoying a three-course prix fixe menu, Dec. 20 and 27. Choose to start with a chilled gazpacho or beet, farro and arugula salad, then move on to the main course of braised beef short ribs and end with ricotta blueberry cake or gelato. Reservations.
Jade Dynasty at Ala Moana Center
Offering a nine-course prix fixe Christmas menu with golden fried shrimp with salty egg yolk and puff rice, crab meat and fish maw soup, Peking duck bun, Dungeness crab fried with roasted garlic, honey garlic rib, crispy lettuce wrap with duck meat, braised black mushroom with bok choy, pan fried crispy noodle with beef and broccoli and mango pudding. The special menu is available from Dec. 20 to Jan. 8, 2025, and requires one-day advance notice. $478 for 10 people, $249 for five.
Legend Seafood Restaurant
Featuring a set menu of scallop soup, lobster, Peking duck, honey garlic pork chop, walnut shrimp, steamed fish, string bean and house noodle, $438 for 10 people or $220 for five to six people. Call for reservations, 808-532-1868. Hours: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. daily.
Mahina & Sun’s at The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club
Enjoy a three-course pre-fixe Festive Feast for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day that begins with kabocha soup or beet salad then moves onto the second course featuring a choice between braised lamb shanks, fried half chicken, seafood stew or miso opah. Lastly, choose between either the local chocolate trio or chef’s gelato selection for dessert. $75/person. Reservations, detailed menu. While there, meet Jack, The Hotel Dog, stepping in as the hotel’s official “Santa Paws.” Snap a photo with Jack and feed him a couple — or more — festive treats. Located at 412 Lewers St. in Waikiki.
MARA Restaurant & Bar at Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa
For a Mediterranean-inspired menu, you might want to look into the holiday dinners being offered at MARA. The family-style Christmas Eve Dinner includes spicy Kauai shrimp, roasted Green lip mussels, linguine frutti de mara; $120/guest, wine pairing $49/guest, 5-9 p.m. Dec. 24. Christmas Day Dinner includes herb roasted prime rib with au jus, spanakopita puree and lemon-roasted Yukon potatoes; $95/guest, wine pairing $42/guest, 5-9 p.m. Dec. 25.
Ring in 2025 with their New Year’s Eve Dinner featuring six indulgent courses paired with a wine including Kaluga caviar, Washugyu filet and a decadent dessert; $150/guest, wine pairing $62/guest, reserve pairing $115/guest, 5-9 p.m. Dec. 31. Full menu, reservations.
Plumeria Beach House at Kahala Resort
Celebrate the holidays and end of the year with an all-you-can-enjoy buffet — Christmas Eve, Christmas Day (brunch or dinner), New Year’s Eve or New Years Day. Menu, reservations.
Quiora at The Ritz-Carlton Residences
The Christmas Feast offers a curated menu of items presented family style featuring three starter dishes, three main, sides and dessert. Seating 5:30-9 p.m. Dec. 24-25. $120/adult, $60/keiki 12 and under. Quiora’s New Year’s Eve Dinner offers starters, pasta, choice of main entrée and dessert with seatings from 5:30-9 p.m. Dec. 31. $155/guest, +$65 wine pairing.
Waiʻolu Ocean Cuisine at Ka Laʻi Waikīkī Beach
Indulge in a four-course feast featuring foie gras mousse, lobster kataifi roll, prime tenderloin and desserts that include orange lilikoi bread pudding. 5-10 p.m. Dec. 21-25. $145/person.
They’re also offering a New Year’s Eve celebration fare, a five-course meal with Japan A5 Wagyu beef, butter-poached King crab and chocolate roll cake. 5-10 p.m. Dec. 31, Jan. 1. $200/person. Call 808-683-7777 for reservations or reserve online. Located at 223 Saratoga Rd. in Waikiki.
Big City Diner Family Meal Deals to Go
Big City Diner gives you the option of a Holiday Breakfast Family Pack ($94.99) or Holiday Prime Rib Family Pack ($199.99), both serves four to five people. Pickup dates are Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1. View the menu of items for take-out and a selection of Holiday Dine-In Specials available on the same dates (scroll down).
Chef Chai’s Christmas Wiki Wiki Dinner Box
If a charcuterie board for two, braised boneless beef shortribs, miso seabass with miso cream and pineapple Hawaiian sweet bread pudding sound perfect for Christmas dinner, order a dinner for two ($175) or four ($320) from Chai’s. Drive through pickup is 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 24. To order, call 808-585-0011 or order online.
Foodland, all locations statewide
Offering a choice of two dinners: the Prime Rib Dinner that serves four to six people and the Chef-Made Certified Angus Beef Striploin Roast Dinner that serves six to eight. See the menu and place an order.
Legend Seafood Restaurant
Pre-order a menu of 10 items 24 hours in advance for Christmas or New Year that includes char siu pork pastry, pot stickers, shrimp dumpling, pork hash, shrimp with chives, egg custard, fried chicken wings, chiu chow half moon, honey walnut shrimp and chow mein; $118 for five people. There’s also a Dim Sum Platter of shrimp dumpling, char siu pork pastry, BBQ bun, shrimp chive dumpling, potstickers and gon lo mein; $68 for four to six people. Call to order, 808-532-1868. Hours: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. daily.
Safeway Holiday Dinners
Choose from three different meals to-go: Homestyle Turkey Dinner ($79.99, serves six to eight people), Spiral Ham Dinner ($89.99, serves eight to 10) or Prime Rib Dinner ($99.99, serves five to six). Whatever your protein – turkey, spiral ham or prime rib — all come with four varied sides. All dinners are fully cooked; you just need to heat them at home. Note that some stores may not have all three dinners; select the location (then on “Order Christmas 2024 Dinner) to find the one that has the dinner you’re looking for.
Zippy’s Christmas Meals to Go
Zippy’s is offering the Hawaiian Package ($159.95, order by Dec. 18 and save $20), Whole Turkey Package ($194.95), Half Turkey Package ($109.95) and Whole Turkey Only ($92.95). Christmas meals are available for pickup at only two locations, Nimitz Highway and Waiau, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 24.
Dixie Grill Christmas Cocktails
Dixie Grill in Aiea offers up special cocktails for a limited time that include a Gingerbread Old Fashioned made with handcrafted gingerbread simple syrup, orange bitters and Bulliet Bourbon; Holly Jolly that combines vodka, elderflower liquor, ginger beer and orange juice; The Grinch with vodka, melon liquor, sour apple liquor and Sprite; and Merry Mimosa with a merry mix of bubbly brut and cherry juice. Call for reservations, 808-485-2722.
JINYA Ramen Bar, all locations
JINYA brings back a fan favorite for the holidays — The Red Garnet ramen served with their signature thick noodles and crafted with vegetable broth, pork chashu, spinach, green onion, kikurage, white onion, and topped with chili garlic sauce. Add the curry rice croquettes too, lightly fried and seasoned rice balls stuffed with white cheddar cheese. Available through Feb. 28, 2025, at 1118 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu.
Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya, all locations
If simple is the way you prefer it, then Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya is introducing two new seasonal dishes — Tonkotsu Curry Ramen and Ika Katsu — perfect for warming up in Hawaii’s cooler temps. Tonkotsu Curry Ramen ($17.99) is a tonkotsu curry broth served with thick noodles and topped with pork katsu, spinach, green onions and a half-seasoned egg. Ika Katsu ($9.99) features three pieces of Ika Katsu served with housemade tartar sauce. At Ala Moana Center, Kapolei Marketplace, Pearlridge Center and Town Center of Mililani available through the end of February.
Sarah Yamanaka covers news and events for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.