Special Edition: Holiday Reservations and Pre-Orders
Where to celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day in Charleston. Plus, pre-orders to help get you prepped for the holidays!
For a list of holiday markets and pop-ups, go to my newsletter released earlier this week:
Yes, this is my SECOND special edition holiday round up of the week! J’tired, but it’s worth it, because Charleston restaurants are pulling out all of the stops with special menus this holiday season, and I think getting a reservation might be even harder than usual at some of our favorite spots. If you’re in town for the holidays and want to outsource the cooking on Christmas Eve, or celebrate New Year’s Eve with a raw bars and a midnight Champagne toast, then this special edition round up is for you.
Below is a shortlist of Charleston restaurants that are taking reservations for the Feast of the Seven Fishes, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. I organized the restaurants by occasion, and at the bottom, you’ll find a list of local bakeries, shops, and restaurants doing holiday pre-orders, too!
Feast of the Seven Fishes
Friday, December 20th and Saturday, December 21st: Renzo is preparing their Feast of the Seven Fishes, and menu deets are still TBC, but they say to expect lobster pasta, baked clams, and wood-fired oysters. Book on Resy.
***UPDATE 12/19*** They just released the full menu on their Instagram stories. Pardon the messy-looking screenshot but I wanted to capture all of this deliciousness:
Friday December 20th through Monday December 23th: Chef Nick Dugan’s Feast of the Seven Fishes at Sorelle will be served tasting menu style (alongside Sorelle’s standard a la carte menu). Dishes will include baked clams with Calabrian pepper butter, a Branzino crudo with caper leaf salsa verde, and squid ink spaghetti with local shrimp from Miss Paula’s, among others. Dessert sounds SO good…they’re doing a Ferrero Rocher cheesecake! Book on Sorelle’s website.
Tuesday, December 24th: For the Feast of the Seven Fishes at Frannie & the Fox (say that ten times fast), the menu will include dishes like tuna carpaccio, blue crab fritters, and wood-fired Branzino. See more of the menu and make a reservation on Resy.
Christmas Eve
***NEW*** Kwei Fei’s family-style Christmas Eve feast is kind of a choose-your-own-adventure, as you pick two dishes from each of their three menu sections: loud, hot, and vibes. You can add a la carte items, too, and there are vegan options available! Book on Resy.
Edmund’s Oast Restaurant has a Christmas Eve all-you-can-eat “buffet extravaganza” from 11am-8pm today. Make a reservation by calling the restaurant at (843) 727-1145.
Philosophia in Mount Pleasant is now taking reservations for Christmas Eve. Their three-course dinner includes meze options like avgolemono soup, spanakopita, and kolokithokefetedes (fried zucchini cakes with feta, herbs, and lemon) plus mains like whole Branzino, kakavia, and seared salmon. The full menu is on their site here, and you can book on Resy.
Sorelle’s five-course menu has options like arancini cacio e pepe, zucca parmigiana (sounds like an eggplant parm but with pumpkin…yum!), and Chef Dugan’s ‘pillows of gold’ ricotta tortellini. If you’re feeling fancy, then caviar and truffle supplements are available to add on, too! Check out the full menu and book your table on Sorelle’s website.
Christmas Day
***NEW*** Blind Tiger Pub is having their third free oyster roast of the season today from 3-6pm!
***NEW*** The Post House is doing a special Christmas menu for the day, including a leek and potato soup with crispy shallots, and grilled salmon with a lemon beurre blanc. Plus, they’ve got a cranberry cheesecake tart with a sugar cookie crust (!!!) for dessert! Book on Resy.
New Year’s Eve
***NEW*** Bar Rollins is back and partnering with Sullivan’s Seafood & Bar on an epic NYE party. Get tix on Resy - they come with a complementary welcome cocktail!
***NEW*** Cannon Distillery is having a NYE party with hors d’oeuvres at their new event space, the Rickhouse. The party starts at 9pm, and you can buy tickets here.
***NEW*** Kultura’s NYE dinner includes a five-course Filipino surf & turf feast with Bibingka tres leches for dessert! There are two seatings, 5:30 and 8pm, and you can book on Resy now.
***NEW*** Renzo is taking NYE dinner reservations from 6-9:30pm for their four-course dinner that includes a welcome glass of champagne plus optional add-ons like caviar, truffle, and wine pairings. Book on Resy.
***NEW*** The Establishment’s three-course New Year’s Eve dinner features dishes like bluefin tuna sashimi with Szechuan ponzu, a green salad with greens from local hydroponic farm Ghost Grow, and optional additions like hoppin’ john and gnudi with lump crab. See the whole menu on Instagram and book on their site.
***NEW*** Gin Joint is having a NYE “bubble brunch” from 1-6pm! It’s walk-ins only, and stay tuned for menu deets.
***NEW*** Kwei Fei’s NYE dinner is similar to their Christmas Eve menu, which allows each table to choose their own family-style feast by selecting two dishes from each of their three menu sections: hot, loud, and vibes. Book on Resy between 5-8:45pm.
***NEW*** The Charleston Grill’s Chef de Cuisine Suzy Castelloe is serving a 7-course tasting menu for New Year’s Eve, featuring dishes like celeriac custard, Hoppin John chou farci, ricotta gnudi, and king trumpet mushroom au poivre (yum!) Call (8430 751-4017 to book.
***NEW*** The Thoroughbred Club at the Charleston Place is staying open late to televise the ball drop! No reservations required as its first come first serve, and check out the Charleston Place’s site for cocktail and menu details coming soon.
***NEW*** Holy City Brewing is throwing a no-thrills NYE party starting from 7:30, with live music from the Spare Kings. Find more info and buy tickets here.
Kick off 2025 at 167 Raw’s NYE party! I’m sure the food will be incredible. Book on Resy now.
167 Raw’s sister bar/restaurant, Bar 167, is also hosting a NYE dinner, complete with six courses and optional wine pairings (plus a midnight Champagne toast). Book on Resy.
Costa’s four-course shared tasting menu features dishes like whipped ricotta toast, baked oysters with a garlic miso butter, egg yolk raviolo with brown butter, and optional add-ons like caviar and truffles. Book on Resy.
Honeysuckle Rose has two seatings for their eight-course NYE dinner tonight: 5pm and 9pm. The 9pm seating includes a midnight Champagne toast! Book on Tock.
La Cave and Felix’s joint New Year’s Eve party goes from 10pm-1am and includes passed hors d’oeuvres and four special cocktails, including: “La Séduction”, made with gin, St. Germain, Lillet blanc, and fresh grapefruit juice, and “La Voilà”, made with green tea and cucumber infused vodka, fresh lemon juice, and Peychaud bitters. Book on Resy.
Starting at 9pm, Little Palm will have an open bar, food stations, and live music from a local DJ. Learn more about tickets and VIP options on their site here.
Sorelle has two seatings for their special NYE dinner, early (from 5-7:30pm), or their late seating from 9:30-10pm (peep those menus here). At 10pm, the party really starts on the first floor in their Mercato, wine room, bar and lounge spaces with passed canapes, Neapolitan pizza, a raw bar, imported salumi & Italian cheeses, gelato, and live music (plus drinks of course)! Book either of the dinners or the NYE party on Sorelle’s website here.
Vern’s steakhouse-inspired dinner is now available for booking on Resy, and will include mini martinis, caviar and Champagne.
Wild Common’s five-course prix fixe dinner menu features dishes like fire-roasted chestnut stuffed tortellini and kelp-brined wreckfish. You can add on an optional caviar course or wine pairings, and book here.
New Year’s Day
You’ll find a big ole’ brunch buffet at Edmund’s Oast Restaurant from 11am to 6pm today, to ring in the new year. It doesn’t look like they’re taking reservations on Resy yet, so I would call to reserve a spot.
King BBQ is doing their annual “hangover brunch” again today from 11am-2pm. Menu deets to come.
Holiday Pre-Orders
***NEW*** Hall’s has your holiday and NYE meals covered with their to-go menus available for pick-up from their event space! They’ve got cinnamon rolls and quiche for Christmas morning, a Christmas dinner with classic Lowcountry sides, and a New Year’s Eve menu, too. Reserve by ordering on their site or calling 843-242-3185.
***NEW*** Welton’s Tiny Bakeshop has a whole lot of holiday treats available for pick up from 12/12-12/24, including holiday cookie boxes, their famous honey pie, and boxes of six pistachio croissants. Pre-order now on their site.
***NEW*** Peninsula Grill’s iconic Ultimate Coconut Cake™ is now available for holiday ore-order. For delivery by Christmas, request a delivery date of 12/21 or earlier. For delivery before NYE, choose a requested delivery date on or before 12/31. Order now on their site.
***NEW*** The Harbinger has a bunch of seasonal cakes for pick-up, just be sure to order 48 hours in advance! They’ve got gingerbread cake (a gingerbread flavored cake with molasses buttercream, spiced cranberry compote, and gingerbread cookies on top), or a peppermint patty cake (pictured below, which is a chocolate cake with peppermint buttercream and candy canes).
***NEW*** Petit Merci just opened on Montagu Street downtown, and are cooking up some great dishes for pickup on 12/23, too! Order a full Christmas dinner from them, or snacks and drinks like caramelized onion dip, focaccia, and espresso martini syrup. Check out their whole menu and pre-order here.
***NEW*** Buena Compania Empanadilla has sweet and savory empanadas on their Christmas pre-order menu, among other dishes like sweet plantains and potato salad. Call or email to order, the deets are in the second slide of their Instagram post below!
***NEW*** And Lobster has released their holiday menu, for pickup on the 23rd across four different locations.
***NEW*** One of my fave bakeries Baguette Magic just announced their holiday pre-orders, including pastries like gingerbread cinnamon buns, fresh baguettes, mini panettone, and take & bake meals like quiche and a complete holiday dinner, too! Orders close 12/20 and must be picked up 12/23 or 12/24. Order now on their site.
***NEW*** Minero on Johns Island has a special holiday catering menu available for orders on their site. How good does queso mac n’ cheese sound?
***NEW*** Call or stop by Kudzu Bakery in Mt P to place your order for cakes, pies, and other classic treats like fruitcakes and Stollen!
***NEW*** Wildflour Pastry’s holiday menu includes classics like stollen, gingerbread men cookies, plus innovations like their candy cane lane “twist” on their pluff mud pie. See their full menu here, and order for pickup on 12/23-12/24, but give 48 hours notice!
***NEW*** Goat.Sheep.Cow. on Meeting Street has fondue kits that you can take home to easily make your own fondue! Plus, stop by their Church or Meeting locations for everything you need for the perfect charcuterie board. Get your pre-made board orders in early, as they will likely stop pickup on Christmas Eve once they reach max order volume!
***NEW*** Lewis Barbecue is taking pre-orders from 12/22! We had their Hatch green chile corn pudding for Thanksgiving and it was delicious. Order here.
Bright Light Bakery has plenty of holiday sourdough breads and treats for us! I think the eggnog scones and mint fudge “Grinch” brownies sound particularly delicious. Order on their site for porch pickup on the 23rd.
Indaco is doing their lasagna and tiramisu to-go so you can have them at home for the holidays! Place orders by emailing indaco@theindigoroad.com. The deadline for orders is December 18th, and they’ll be available for pickup on December 23rd and 24th.
Counter Cheesemongers’ 2024 holiday haul has enough cheese and goodies for up to twelve people, including a wheel of Sequatchie Cove Creamery Ebenezer, a Bourbon-soaked chestnut leaf wrapped wheel of Capriole Goat Cheese, a third of a pound of Banner Butter (one of my faves!), house-made spiced Georgia pecans, a bag of focaccia crisps, and a lot more! Check out the full haul list and order here (P.S., they do local pickup and ship!)
Carmella’s has a bunch of new holiday flavors, including eggnog cheesecake, chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies, and a black forest tart. Order for pick up on their website.
Burbage’s Grocery is taking pre-orders for Christmas and New Year’s Day (swipe through the post below for the New Year’s list).
Lil Sprout Vegan Desserts is doing Christmas dessert pre-orders for pickup on the 23rd. Find more pickup details and order on their site here. (Pre-orders close Monday the 16t at 11:59pm!)
Life Raft Treats’ figgy pudding is available for local pickup starting the 19th, but they only have a limited quantity! Snag yours on their website. ***UPDATE*** They also just announced NUGGETS! They come in a party platter of 36, and are lil’ nuggs of cookies n’ cream ice cream covered in white chocolate and cornflakes, plus they come with a strawberry-guava dipping sauce. YUM.
I have gotten my whole family hooked on Annie O Loves’ vegan and gluten free funfetti cookies, and they just released their new holiday menu, available for pickup or shipment.
