Restaurants Open on Christmas Day

Traditions change as time ticks on and sometimes the family-style sit down dinner on Christmas Day just isn’t possible. Turkey, dressing and all the sides—didn’t we just have that for Thanksgiving? For those in San Angelo seeking to circumnavigate the stove—and the pile of dishes left in the aftermath—a few local restaurants have decided to keep their doors open this year to accommodate the masses. And they will come.

“It’s probably one of the busiest lunches of the year,” says Simon Rincon, owner of Nacho’s Restaurant in San Angelo. “We serve about 600 people in a span of about three hours.”

Nacho’s is one of five restaurants whose doors will be open and inviting on Dec. 25, a tradition the locale has held for years.

“We started opening four years ago because of our regulars,” Rincon says. “We love it. There’s a lot of people that don’t know how to cook or where to go, or that don’t want the traditional food, and San Angelo doesn’t have that many options.”

As with every year, Nacho’s will be serving a half-half menu: traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, or traditional Mexican for those who want something different.

The restaurant has been decorated in the spirit of the season to offer a holiday atmosphere. “We have a huge old nine foot tree…we have poinsettias and Christmas trees and lights,” Rincon says.

The restaurant suggests only making a reservation for parties of 15 or more.

Other options in San Angelo include your breakfast stops and Chinese. These are also offering a split menu for customers seeking a bit of extra variety.

“We’re open all day,” said Lupe Perez, a cashier at China Garden. “It’s pretty busy all day. We do have decorations and everything and they do have the turkey and gravy and the traditional stuff,” she says. Chinese food will be served as well.

We’ll have turkey and dressing and vegetables, pecan pie and pumpkin pie. We do do a limited menu because it’s the busiest day of the year for us.

Denny’s is looking forward to their busiest day of the year, even if there won’t be any decorations for that added holiday kick.

“We haven’t [decorated] this year, because when we did our remodel, so much of it got destroyed in the remodel,” said Manager Steve Ehling. “We do let the employees wear their antlers and Christmas clothes. It’s a lot more open than the structured corporate holiday stuff.”

Like the others, Denny’s will feature a limited menu with the traditional items as well. Below is a list of all restaurants that have indicated to the Chamber of Commerce that they are open for business on Christmas Day. If your favorite restaurant isn’t on the list, give them a call. It could be that they didn’t inform the Chamber.

China Garden—10:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m., traditional Christmas plus oriental fare

Denny’s—24hours, regular menu with traditional Christmas

IHOP—6:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., traditional Christmas and regular menu

Nacho’s—11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., traditional Christmas and Mexican cuisine

Lin’s Grand Buffet—Christmas Eve only, 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m., traditional Christmas and Chinese food