Christmas Day, December 25, is a public holiday across Canada and most independent restaurants close for it. The places that do open are mostly hotel dining rooms, which sell Christmas Day brunch buffets and set dinners, many Chinese restaurants, and some chain locations where the franchise owner chooses to open. Christmas Eve is a regular working day, but restaurants that open often close early, many between 8 and 10 PM. Boxing Day, December 26, is a public holiday in Ontario and for federally regulated workplaces but not in Quebec, and many restaurants reopen that day with holiday hours.
What restaurants publish for the season: hotel Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners of three to five courses or a buffet with carving stations, priced per person; Christmas Day and Boxing Day brunch buffets; holiday menus at chains that run from November to late December; and turkey or prime rib dinners to take home, ordered days ahead. Published Christmas dinners at hotels and restaurants in large Canadian cities usually cost about $100 to $185 per adult before tax and gratuity, and children's prices are often about half.
Christmas bookings come with stricter terms than a regular night. Hotel menus usually need a credit card or full payment when you book, cancellations close to the date can be non-refundable or carry a per-person fee, and some add an automatic 18 per cent gratuity. Buffets can cost more on December 25 than on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day, alcohol is usually extra, and the best seatings sell out weeks ahead. Weekly deals rarely run over the three days, so this page lists Christmas specials and holiday hours rather than weekday deals.
