Austin Holiday Dining, Partying Guide 2019

AUSTIN, TX — Not everyone enjoys cooking Christmas Eve dinner, and that's okay because a bevy of top Austin eateries are poised to wait on you like royalty. There are also Christmas and Hanukkah specials to be had, and many options to ring in the New Year in style.

Here are but a few few offerings:

HOLIDAY POP-UP BARS

The Upside at East Austin Hotel | Up On the Rooftop

• ‘Tis the season for Christmas decorations of festive cocktails! Check out East Austin Hotel’s The Upside rooftop bar & lounge, now transformed into the Up On the Rooftop holiday bar. Specialty cocktails include Down the Chimney, a spicy, smoky hot chocolate with Aztec hot cocoa & Vida Mezcal; Sugar Rum Fairy, a hot buttered rum with El Dorado 12 Year Rum, butter, cinnamon, clove & allspice; White Christmas Milk Punch; and Santa Claws, you know, a classic White Claw with a festive straw
  • Dates: Now through Saturday, Dec. 28
  • Hours: Monday-Thursday 4-11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 4 p.m.-1 a.m.
  • Menu

The interior of the The Upside at East Austin Hotel. Courtesy photo.

HANUKKAH SPECIALS

Sixth and Waller at East Austin Hotel | Lots of Latkes special

• Price: $11
• Dish: Latkes Four Ways featuring 1 latke with apple + sour cream, 1 latke with lox, 1 latke with house-made pastrami and 1 latke with crème fraîche + caviar

CHRISTMAS SPECIALS

East Austin Hotel | Christmas Special + Horrible Holidays-themed Movie Nights

• Get in the Christmas spirit with East Austin Hotel! Upside Cinema with Vulcan Video continues every Thursday at 8:30 p.m. at the rooftop bar & lounge with a Horrible Holidays-themed lineup including Night of the Comet, The Silent Partner, Trading Places and Die Hard II. Come back on Christmas Day for a half-price burgers at global diner Sixth and Waller. Sixth and Waller is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Christmas Day.
• Upside Cinema Price: Free and open to the public

Up on the rooftop at the East Austin Hotel. Courtesy photo.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Open on Christmas Eve, celebrate the holidays at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar with an indulgent three course holiday menu starting at $85. The menu features enticing entrées such as Petite Filet Mignon served with Colossal North Atlantic Lobster Tail or Crab-Stuffed Colossal Shrimp, and ends with a sumptuous dessert of Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake. Full dinner menu also available. For those looking to give gift cards this holiday season, guests can purchase $100 in gift cards and enjoy a $20 bonus card to redeem 1/1/20-2/9/20.

For more information, visit https://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/promotions/christmas.

Mattie’s at Green Pastures| Christmas Day Brunch

• Join Mattie’s for their annual Christmas Day brunch buffet. The festive feast features savory appetizers including a Chicken Biscuit Bites and a Raw Bar with oysters, shrimp, crab remoulade and traditional accompaniments; salads & soups; delectable entrées including Eggs Benedict with smoked turkey on Mattie’s Biscuits with cheddar mornay and red pepper relish, and Ratatouille; plus, an assortment of desserts.
  • Price: $85 per person; $40 for children ages 6-12; free for children ages 5 & under
  • Reservations: 512.444.1888
  • Menu |

Mattie's 1965 Milk Punch. Courtesy photo.

Group Therapy at Hotel ZaZa Austin | Christmas Day Dinner

• Make a reservation at Austin’s hottest, new dining destination, Group Therapy. The seventh-floor sky lounge & restaurant within Hotel ZaZa Austin will feature a special Christmas Day menu with options including Brown Sugar Bourbon Glazed Ham or Chili Dusted Lobster Tail for your main course, and a Pistachio & Raspberry Trifle or Chocolate Yule Log for dessert.
  • Price: $75 for full four-course menu; also available a la carte
  • Reservations: (888) 880-3244
  • Menu |

Hotel Zaza Austin, Group Therapy. Courtesy photo.

Second Bar + Kitchen Domain NORTHSIDE | Christmas Buffet Special

• Get in the holiday spirit with Second Bar + Kitchen Domain NORTHSIDE on Christmas Day for their buffet special. With tasty starters like Jalapeno Corn Fritters with Maple Cream Cheese and Strawberry-Rhubarb Muffins to family-style dishes like Black Pepper + Chive Potato Cakes and Smoked Ham + Cheddar Mac and Cheese, to a carving station with Espresso Crusted Rib Roast; plus a Grilled Vegetable and Hummus Display, Smoked Salmon Display, + an assortment of holiday cookies, bars, bites, & seasonal confections, this festive buffet will have you walking in a Winter wonderland!
  • Price: $65 per person; $37 for children ages 6-12; free for children ages 5 & under
  • Reservations: (737) 300-4800
  • Menu

NEW YEAR’S SPECIALS & EVENTS

Apis Restaurant and Apiary I Celebrate the New Year with Apis on Saturday, December 28

• Cheers to new beginnings at Apis Restaurant and Apiary. Join Apis for traditional New Year menu sides such as black-eyed peas, green beans, caviar, and more.
  • Date available: Saturday, December 28th
  • Reservations: www.apisrestaurant.com/reservations

Hotel ZaZa Austin | New Year’s Eve Prix Fixe Dinner + Soiree on Tuesday, December 31

• Ring in the new year with Hotel ZaZa Austin. The downtown luxury hotel has you covered with a decadent New Year’s Eve dinner at Group Therapy featuring dishes like Crab & Manchego Stuffed Mushrooms, Grilled 16 oz. Prime NY Strip Steak and a Chocolate Bombe. Stay awhile after dinner for Hotel ZaZa Austin’s first annual New Year’s Eve Soiree in the Gold Standard Ballroom complete with passed appetizers, full bar with a specialty cocktail, DJ, dancing, and of course, a countdown to midnight with a champagne toast. Visiting Austin? Book Hotel ZaZa Austin’s NYE 2019 hotel package including two tickets to the Soiree, bubbly turndown, complimentary valet and $50 credit for brunch in Group Therapy on New Year’s Day.
  • Dinner Price: $75 for full four-course menu; also available a la carte
  • Menu
  • Dinner Reservations: (888) 880-3244
  • Event Price: $75 per person
  • Event Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hotel-zaza-austin-nye-2020-tickets-82677698221

The Upside at East Austin Hotel | Golden ‘20s Party on Tuesday, December 31

• 9 p.m. to 1 p.m.
• Complimentary bubbles toast with golden decor + party favors and music by DJ Woke Bloke
• Free and open to the public
• Note: Global Diner Sixth and Waller will be open during normal hours on NYE (6 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and will be serving its full menu.

Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille | Toast to a delicious new decade on Tuesday, December 31

• This New Year's Eve, toast to 2020 with Perry’s 3-course prix fixe dinner — featuring favorites like the 8 oz. Filet Perry or the new, off-the-menu Lobster Truffle Risotto — for just $59.95 for reservations at 5:30 p.m. or earlier and $79.95 for reservations 5:45 p.m. and later. And join Perry’s for a champagne toast in Bar 79 at midnight to ring in the new year! Before the New Year enjoy Perry’s festive Perry Merry Mule for the merry price of $12. The Perry Merry Mule features fresh cut strawberries muddled with lime and cranberry juices shaken with Tito’s Handmade Vodka and served with a splash of ginger in a traditional copper mug.
  • Location: Downtown and at Domain NORTHSIDE
  • Dinner Price:
    • $59.95 for reservations at 5:30 p.m. or earlier
    • $79.95 for reservations at 5:45 p.m. and later
  • Dinner Reservation: https://perryssteakhouse.com/
  • Menu |

Lemon dill grilled salmon is among the culinary offerings at Perry's Steakhouse & Grille. Courtesy photo.

District Kitchen + Cocktails |New Year’s Eve on Tuesday, December 31

• Cheers to 2020. Join the chef-driven New American restaurant for New Year’s Eve dinner at their Slaughter and Anderson Lane locations. The menu features dishes like vichyssoise, wagyu beef tartare, gravlax + caviar, Alaskan halibut, and more. End the night with the rosé cake + strawberries, made from William Chris Vineyards 2018 Pet Nat Sparkling Rosé
  • Price: $70 per person
  • Reservations: https://districtaustin.com/

District NYE cake. Courtesy photo.

Geraldine’s | Ring in 2020 on Tuesday, Dec. 31

• Ring in the New Year with live music and special dinner features from Geraldine’s. In addition to the normal dinner menu, guests can enjoy sausage wrapped rack of lamb, tuna carpaccio, tagliatelle and more. After dinner, stick around for rooftop fireworks, bubbles, and music from Akina Adderley + Lex Land Trio starting at 9 p.m.
  • Reservations: OpenTable.

Sixth and Waller at East Austin Hotel | New Year’s Day Brunch on Wednesday, January 1

• Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Hangover Brunch featuring a black-eyed pea special for good luck and Shrimp and Grits.