Christmas Brunch, Dinner: IE Takeout & Restaurant Specials 2022

INLAND EMPIRE, CA — If you want to eat, drink and be merry over the holidays — without the hassle of cooking — Patch has you covered.

Check out our annual, Christmas dining guide, and scroll through the images above, for some of the best restaurant dine-in and takeout specials, plus sweet treats, offered at eateries near you throughout Inland Empire communities in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The list has something for all tastes and budgets.

Enjoy, and Happy Holidays, from Patch!

Know of other restaurants in your neighborhood with shout-out-worthy holiday dining? Share with readers in the comment section.

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AGUA CALIENTE CASINOS: Leave holiday cooking to casino chefs! Holiday to-go meals offered at Rancho Mirage (orders due Dec. 21) & Cathedral City (orders due Dec. 23). And for on-site dining, options abound & include: The Steakhouse Palm Springs and The Steakhouse Rancho Mirage serving holiday pre-fixe menus; Café One Eleven Cathedral City offers Christmas Day dining with pre-fixe menu or curbside pickup; Waters Café Rancho Mirage features Christmas day feast, $48/person; 360 Sports Palm Springs serving open-faced meatloaf sandwiches for $16; 360 Sports Rancho Mirage offers steak with spicy garlic broccolini & smashed red potatoes on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day for $30. Takeout ordering info here. Casino dining specials here. Locations: 68960 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City; 32-250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 401 E Amado Road, Palm Springs.

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APPLEBEE'S: Be merry with $6 Sleigh Bell Sips — the most festive cocktails of the year. Returning from the North Pole are: "Tipsy Reindeer," holiday punch of Smirnoff Vodka, Ocean Spray Cranberry, passion fruit, premium lemon sour & topped with Santa gummy candy; and "Berry Merry Colada," Pina Colada-inspired with Captain Morgan between layers of strawberry & melon liqueur & Santa gummy. Offered through end of year, so don't miss out. Details. Location finder.

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BASKIN-ROBBINS: Deck your table full-on festive with any one of the holiday ice cream cakes (Brrr the Snowman, the reindeer, Santa, wreath, elf, polar bear, winter wonderland & more) offered for 2022. Customizable by ice cream & cake flavor. See options & order info here.

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BLACK ANGUS STEAKHOUSE: Dine-in, takeout & family-style to-go meals offered for stress-free holiday dining. Among in-house specials planned through Dec. 31 are prime rib & lobster, filet mignon & lobster and deluxe feasts for two to four. To-go, at-home deals include: prime rib family meal (with potatoes or rice, broccoli, molasses bread & eight cookies); and al la carte prime rib that serves six to eight or 12-14. And through Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, kids at the restaurants will receive a Santa Cookie along with a QR code sticker to track Santa’s whereabouts. Find locations here, then click for reservations or menu for ordering details.

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BOSTON MARKET: Heat-and-serve, to-go meals available for Christmas & New Year, serving up to 12 starting at $11.99 per person. Options include turkey, honey-glazed ham or turkey breast & ham combo, plus appetizers, sides, rolls & pies for a complete holiday feast. Individual meals also available. Orders can be picked up through Jan. 1 (excluding Christmas Day). Order details here. Find locales regionwide.

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DEL TACO: Seasonal, fan-favorite tamales are back through Dec. 28! Wrapped in real corn husks with shredded pork, varieties include: Red & Green smothered with zesty red & tangy green sauces, sour cream & cilantro; and Chili Cheese with beef chili, cheddar cheese & sour cream. Available for two ($5) or four pack ($10). Find locations near you.
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DICKEY'S BARBECUE PIT: Ready your holiday orders! Choose from: Dickey’s Complete Feast for 10 to 12, with choice of ham, turkey, Cajun-fried turkey or prime rib, plus cornbread dressing, gravy, baked potato casserole, green beans with bacon & rolls; the Dinner Feast for eight to 10, with ham, turkey, Cajun-fried turkey or prime rib & dressing, gravy & rolls; or ready-to-serve Holiday Big Yellow Box, (feeds up to 12) with four pounds of turkey, large servings of potato casserole, green beans, dressing & rolls. Details. Location finder.
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DUNKIN': Don't let the holidays slip away without stopping by for this limited-time treat: the Peppermint Mocha Signature Latte. A new Cookie Butter Donut is also on menus. And through Dec. 24, Dunkin’ Rewards members can score one free classic donut with any drink purchase — limit one per member per member per day.

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EL TORITO: A Christmas Day all-you-can-eat brunch planned 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 25 with tri-tip, ham & taco stations, apple-jalapeno stuffing, chipotle-honey sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, made-to-order omelets, soups, salads, dessert bar & unlimited Champagne. $36/adults & $12/kids. Regular menu available 2 p.m.-8 p.m. And one dozen holiday tamales ($24), chicken, carnitas, sweet corn or mix & match in increments of six, can be ordered through Jan. 1. online or in restaurants with 24-hour notice. DO NOTE: Brunch offer above will not be at Marina Del Rey; this location offers brunch menu 9 a.m.-3 p.m. & regular menu 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Website. Find locations throughout California.

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EUREKA!: The "Gingerbread Man Old Fashioned" is back for limited time at the scratch kitchen & craft bar. The holiday cocktail features Old Overholt Rye Whiskey, house-made Gingerbread Syrup, Douglas Fir Liqueur, chocolate bitters, herbal bitters & candied ginger. Restaurants statewide. Location finder here.

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GELSON'S MARKETS: Orders are due Dec. 23 by 3:30 p.m. for Christmas dinners for Dec. 21-24 pick-up, and by Dec. 24 for Hanukkah dinners for pick-up by Dec. 26. Holiday options roasted turkey, prime rib, beef brisket, chicken and plant-based celebration & hazelnut cranberry roasts. Such festive sides as mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, latkes, tzimmes, matzo balls, apple noodle kugel, desserts and butter flake dinner rolls also available. See ordering info here. Find stores near you.

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KRISPY KREME: Add sweet touch to your holidays with Santa’s Bake Shop collection, available at participating shops for limited time individually or in Christmas-themed box. New this year: Sugar Cookie Doughnut with sugar cookie icing & sprinkles; Gingerbread Cookie Crumb Doughnut with gingerbread cream cheese & topped with gingerbread cookie crumbs; Red Velvet Cake Doughnut with cream cheese icing & red velvet cake crumbles. Returning fave is Santa Belly Doughnut, decorated like the Big Guy with icing & belt buckle sugar piece. Details here.

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MACARONI GRILL: A "Premium Feast For Five" ($55) is available for takeout or delivery. Included: entree choice; pasta side; Rosa's Signature Caesar salad; two loaves of rosemary peasant bread; & six chocolate chip cookies. Dine-in service offered, too. Website here. Find locations in Corona, Redlands, Temecula.

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MARIE CALLENDER'S: Holiday family feasts & pies can be pre-ordered for pick-up Dec. 22-24. Dinners serve four to six or six to eight. Choose from prime rib, turkey breast, ham or a combo, with such sides as stuffing, cranberry sauce, yams, veggies, cornbread & mashed potatoes. Meals are pre-cooked & require two to three hours to re-heat. Orders accepted only online. Find your location here to order. Restaurant in Riverside.

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MIGUEL'S JR.: Tamales, a seasonal favorite from co-founder & Chief Recipe Officer Mary Vasquez’s secret family recipe, are available through Dec. 31. Order a-la-carte or pre-order online by the dozen, while supplies last. The new, savory chicken or tried-and-true, chile rojo pork varieties can be mixed & matched. Locations in Inland Empire. Website with order links here.
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MORTON'S THE STEAKHOUSE: A three-course "Chateaubriand Holiday Dinner" for two ($179) is offered through Dec. 31. Included: "Winter Green Salad" to share, with goat cheese, candied walnuts & balsamic vinaigrette; chateaubriand sliced tableside; choice of two sides; and one dessert per guest, either sticky toffee bread pudding, Morton's Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake or bruleed cheesecake. For dine-in only. Reservations here. See location in Palm Desert.

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OLIVE GARDEN: Family-style takeout meals could be the holiday way to go. Restaurants will close 8 p.m. Christmas Eve, remain closed Christmas Day & reopen Dec. 26. But before that, orders can be placed for to-go meals to serve four to six or up to 12. See meal deals here. Options include such dishes as ravioli, spaghetti, lasagna, shrimp alfredo, chicken parmigiana, with salads & breadsticks. Order info. Find locations near you.

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ROCK & BREWS: Festive Christmas Eve & Day menus include such dishes as Surfin’ Turfin’ 10-ounce Ribeye, the Jammin’ Jambalaya, Chicken Breast & Parmesan Butter Toast, plus Cinnamon Girl Bread Pudding for dessert at the restaurant brainchild of KISS front men Paul Stanley & Gene Simmons. Also for holiday gift cards: Spend $50 & receive $10 in Rock & Brew Bucks, or spend $100 & receive $25 in Rock & Brew Bucks. Info here. Find location in Corona.
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RUTH'S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE: Prix-fixe menus served in-house Christmas Day, Eve & New Year's Day & Eve, with starter, entree choice of steak & shrimp or surf & turf, plus side & dessert. Or order takeout (serves four) with beef tenderloin, salad, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach & cheesecake. $195, though prices may vary. Booking & ordering details, 48-hour advance notice required for pick-up through Dec. 23. See site in Palm Desert.

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RED LOBSTER: Make it a seafood-forward holiday with new party platters & takeout family meals. Check out catering or "Create Your Own Ultimate Feast" options — starring a new dish, "Cheddar Bay Shrimp," a mash-up of shrimp & the chain's popular Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Plus three, limited-time holiday drinks are on menus, including "Snowglobe Sangria," blend of Barefoot Moscato, St Germain Elderflower liqueur, edible shimmer, white cranberry juice & topped with cranberries. Ordering info. Find sites in Ontario, Palm Desert, Riverside, San Bernardino, Temecula & Victorville

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ALSO SEE

• Hanukkah Fests & Christmas Lights Displays 2022: Inland Empire
• Holiday, Ice Skating Rinks 2022-23 Guide: Inland Empire & SoCal

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FOR HOLIDAY EVENT GUIDES THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA:

• Christmas Events & Hanukkah Fests 2022: Greater Los Angeles
• Christmas Events & Hanukkah Fests 2022: O.C.
• Christmas Events & Hanukkah Fests 2022: San Diego County
• Hanukkah Fests & Christmas Lights Displays 2022: SF Bay Area