Three Restaurants Open on Christmas Day

Every holiday brings with it the closing of many stores and restaurants. Christmas can be a most vexing day to find a good meal on the town for the family or visiting relatives.

The usual choice for restaurants is often limited to Asian restaurants. In recent years some restaurants offering Mexican dishes have joined the list.
Three North Raleigh restaurants that have open hours this Christmas Day are:

Torero's
4721 Atlantic Ave
Raleigh, NC 27604
Phone (919) 873-9116
Hours:
Christmas evening: Open until 8 PM.
Christmas day: Open from 1 PM to 8 PM

Toreros Restaurant is a popular lunch and dinner place located on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Millbrook Road. Most of the seating is in booths that hold four persons comfortably, but they can also accommodate large groups.

The standard choices are Mexican dishes like fajitas and burritos. They also offer a Mexican tortilla soup that some people find quite satisfying. Each meal is started with a large basket of chips and salsa.

They have a good selection of drinks, including beers, margaritas and sangria.

Toreros can be an inexpensive choice for Christmas dinner.

For lovers of Asian cuisine:

Eastern Buffet
9650-101 Strickland Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27615

Telephone: (919) 848-6670

Hours:
Christmas Eve: 11 AM to 10 PM
Christmas Day: 11 AM to 10 PM

The Eastern Buffet has a large selection of Chinese foods with a limit selection of American dishes like french fries and pizza for the children. They also have a selection of freshly made sushi for those who have acquired a taste.

For those who like fresh soups they have a small bar were you can select your own ingredients for the dish. Their chef then makes a fresh bowl of soup with your ingredients.

This is one of Max wife's favorites because she can find enough variety whether she is being vegetarian or venturing into the wider world with some chicken dishes.

They always have fresh food and delicious deserts. They have hard ice cream as an added bonus.

This is a very inexpensive choice whether you are here for the lunch or dinner.

A third choice for Christmas dinner is:

Neo-China
6602 Glenwood Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27612

Telephone: (919) 783-8383

This restaurant is a real sit down restaurant. The art on the walls was done by the owner and is definitely of museum quality (in Max's artistic opinion).

The food is served from a large menu of traditional Chinese favorites. Max and his wife eat here on special occasions. She likes the eggplant and broccoli dishes while Max prefers the ones with a lot of meat. She likes the brown rice while Max finds the white rice more to his taste.

It is the ability to select from a large variety of choices that makes this restaurant work for a wide variety of people. You will not find American choices on the menu so this might not be the best choice for picky eaters.

This is a little bit upscale from Max's other two suggestions and is only open during dinner hours. Expect to pay a little bit more per person if you chose to eat here. If you like a meal that offers excellent value and service with a very comfortable environment this might be the place for you.

One bonus fourth choice in North Raleigh:

Denny's Restaurant
3215 WAKE FOREST RD
RALEIGH, NC 27609

Telephone: (919) 876-9556

If you just have to eat something or you want a real breakfast, Denny's Restaurant on Wake Forest Road is open 24 hours. That means Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The restaurant is located right beside the on ramp to I-440. (The Beltline)

The restaurant is always clean and the food is served hot. Max likes this as a good inexpensive breakfast choice. They do have menu choices that may satisfy different meals during the day. The pies are always fresh and they usually have a great selection.

This might be an excellent choice if you have small ones (or picky older ones) who prefer American style food selections.

Max's parents-in-law prefer this restaurant for the inexpensive breakfast and dinner selections. The coffee is always hot and fresh here. It can get crowded at times which can result in slower service.

Max has always found the servers friendly and cheerful, even under the crush of the hungry horde.

There are some other restaurants open on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve, Max only recommends restaurants where he has eaten and where the food was hot, service very good and the selection wide enough to give all members of my family choices.

In the past we have had the experience of relatives showing up at the door Christmas Eve and not having sufficient food choices in the house to provide a good holiday meal. Chinese buffets have been our salvation with all the grocery stores closed.

Max O'Well writes articles that he hopes interest the people of Raleigh, NC. He focuses primarily on outdoor activities, particularly related to charities, greenways and gardening. He appreciates comments on his articles.