Open Christmas day downtown

I'll be be visiting from New Orleans.
Any ideas, please, on what will be open for lunch and dinner on Christmas day downtown?
I'm staying near Ontario and State.
Thank you.

A couple years ago my daughter and I had a lovely meal on Christmas Day at Mercat a la Planxa. I suspect any of the restaurants in hotels are likely to be serving and happily that includes several good ones in Chicago. I'd check on Sable and Atwood Cafe in addition to Mercat personally.

Yelp lists 910 restaurants that are open on Xmas (I don't know how accurate that list is), 177 of them are on the Near Northside. So it looks like you will have a pretty good selection. Maybe you should look around the forum and find something that appeals to you, then call them and see if they are open. It would help if you said what you want to eat, how much you want to spend and how far you are willing to travel.

4 choices in hotels within a mile:

Balsan (dinner fixed menu $75)
C-house (they had a $49 fixed menu last year; not sure what they are doing this year)
Cafe des Architectes
LM (in hotel felix -$39 fixed menu)

I'd happily eat at any of those places.

I am open to anything good.
$50-60 per person, party of 4.
Downtown preferred, but willing to travel if the L's running and will get us close to destination.

I wouldn't trust the Yelp list but Open Table has 86 restaurants with reservations available on Christmas day, 49 of them downtown, west loop or near north. I had a nice meal at Carson's a couple of years ago with some after my mom told me not to drive through the christmas eve snowstorm. I'd concur with the choices that milz50 has made as well.

CTA will be running on a holiday schedule for the 25th. No reason to limit yourself to downtown options.

The Florentine has a $65 dinner menu and availability on OpenTable.

A pretty good option if you want to stay near the area of your hotel (about 1 1/2 miles south), considering how limited the choices are in downtown and near north.

Opentable has a listing of what some restaurants are planning for December 25, here. (I see the Lobby has hit a new high for brunch in Chicago, $144.) Note that it's not a list of all Opentable restaurants open that day; you can go to the regular Opentable listings for that.

Dave148 wrote:CTA will be running on a holiday schedule for the 25th.

Just remember, that means that on the el and bus routes still operating, there will be a much greater interval between arrivals. You'll be able to get around, but it may take you much longer than during the week. Even more so if you need to transfer rather than take a direct route.

Siun wrote:I suspect any of the restaurants in hotels are likely to be serving and happily that includes several good ones in Chicago. I'd check on Sable and Atwood Cafe in addition to Mercat personally.

It's a good thought, as some of the hotel restaurants will be open, but Sable and Atwood Cafe will both be closed that day.

Hope the OP found a good meal!

We had brunch at Merkat a la Planxa today. We've chosen them for holiday meals and special occasions several times previously and found them to be a reliable solid choice. Today was no exception.

The four of us opted for the prix fixe $35 per person brunch served family-style. There were three courses consisting of three tapas per the first 2 courses and 5 for the third course. In addition there was a $4 bloody mary bar, cheese/cured meat bar, and a dessert buffet.

MENU:

First Course:
SERRANO HAM & FIG SALAD - Baby Spinach, Bacon, La Peral, Spiced Almonds & Sherry-Shallot Vinaigrette
I've had versions of this salad here on several occasions and it never disappoints. Well balanced and satisfying.

TRUITA DE PATATA - Spanish-Style Omelette with Potatoes, Spinach & Saffron Aioli
Again, I've had this here before. It's good, a tad on the bland side. The aioli brightens it up.

HUEVOS EN VIZCAINA - Eggs, Vizcaina Sauce & Migas
A new one for me. Poached eggs in a tomato-pepper-garlic sauce.

Second Course:
DATILES CON ALMENDRAS - Bacon-Wrapped Dates stuffed with Marcona Almonds
Hard to go wrong with these.

GAMBAS AL AJILLO - Garlic Shrimp with Guindilla Chilies
Another standard here for good reason. Served with garlic toasts.

MERCAT EGGS BENEDICT - Toasted Brioche, Chorizo, Poached Egg & Truffle Hollandaise
This was a favorite at our table. Individual squares of brioche topped with a thin slice of chorizo, a perfectly poached egg and drizzled with the truffle hollandaise.

Third Course:
RIBEYE - Ribeye with Rosemary Tempranillo Reduction
I did not partake in this but was told it was excellent.

COCHINILLO ASADO - Roasted Suckling Pig with Romesco & Grilled Green Onions
Would have been disappointed if this wasn't on the menu. Was surprised how much I enjoyed the grilled green onions.

SALMON A LA PLANXA - Skuna Bay Salmon Cooked a la Planxa with Lemon, Garlic & Parsley
This was probably my least favorite dish of the day. Nothing wrong with it, just a bit blah, IMHO.

COLES DE BRUSELAS - Warm Brussels Sprout Salad with Sherry, Candied Walnuts, Cranberries & French Feta
I loved this, but I am a freak for brussels sprouts.

REVUELTO DE HONGOS - Soft Scrambled Eggs, Seasonal Mushrooms, Confit Tomato & Manchego
The weakest of the egg dishes, but enjoyable.

Sweets Table had assorted dessert bars, sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, and muffins.

Considering the location, atmosphere, service, and food quality and quantity, I thought $35/person was a huge value. It will continue to be a go-to for us when opting to dine out for a holiday.