Let’s be honest, a lot of holiday food gets by on nostalgia alone. We compiled a list of places that go above and beyond on eggnog, prime rib, ham, and turkey. They’re dedicated to the craft of holiday cuisine. Some keep it traditional, but others incorporate creative twists.
Eggnog
Trick Dog (San Francisco): This cozy bar is best known for its hot dogs and creative cocktails. Around the holidays, they introduce the Egg Dog — it’s crafted with Appleton Estate Reserve rum, brandy and eggnog.
Smuggler’s Cove (San Francisco): An award-winning tiki bar featuring hundreds of rums. Their holiday drink is the Yuletide Wave. It’s made with eggnog based on the bar owner’s family recipe. You can also add the eggnog to any of their other drinks like the Hot Buttered Rum.
Lucy Restaurant and Bar (Yountville): If you’re heading up to wine country for the holidays, try a unique take on an eggnog drink.This hotel bar is known for their eggnog martini. It’s a limited time drink that only reappears on the menu in December. Make sure to check out the rest of their holiday drinks as well.
Prime Rib
House of Prime Rib (San Francisco): San Francisco’s classic for bone‑in prime rib carved tableside. They’ve been open since 1949 and have kept getting people hooked on their 21-day aged prime rib since.
Brazen Head (San Francisco): At dinner, this restaurant is dimly lit with a red hue. Their 10 oz prime rib is available in limited quantities each night. It’s topped with a sweet, savory caramelized shallot jus. You can get it served with baked potato, mashed potatoes, or rice.
Paper Plane (San Jose): Every Tuesday, this downtown bar has a prime rib special. If you buy a cocktail, you only pay 20 bucks for the prime rib and sides. It’s a solid spot for a mid-week celebration. They even have a cute little patio out back.
Ham
Brenda’s Soul Food (San Francisco): In December, Brenda’s offers a brown sugar-glazed ham along with mustard sauce, sweet potatoes, collard greens, mac & cheese, biscuits, and jam. It’s only available for pick-up a few days before Christmas.
International Smoke (San Francisco): This restaurant is co-founded by Ayesha Curry. Their Thanksgiving menu features honey baked ham. It’s available around Thanksgiving and during their holiday buffet in December. There’s also meal kits available for pick-up.
Hopscotch (Oakland): Hopscotch offers both meal kits and a holiday menu. The menu changes each year — past creations include brined turkeys, porchetta, and smoked ham. They also have a solid section of traditional shareable sides.
Turkey
Tommy’s Joynt (San Francisco): This old-school restaurant specializes in hand-carved meats like ham, roast beef, and pastrami. They’ve been around for 76 years, and it’s still one of the best places to get some sliced turkey. They also serve large turkey legs. On Mondays only, you can get turkey wings with a side of rice.
Reposado Restaurant (Palo Alto): A high-end Mexican restaurant with a four-course Thanksgiving dinner. The star of the show is the cider-brined turkey that’s succulent, sweet, and tender. There’s also a kid’s menu, so you can bring the whole family.
Pies
Tartine Bakery (San Francisco): This famous bakery has a great selection of flaky crust pies with fillings like pumpkin and pecan. Their offerings rotate — this summer, you can get a dutch apple pie topped with walnut oat crumble.
Three Babes Bakeshop (San Francisco): A bakery that specializes in cookies and pies. You can order the pies by the slice or take an entire one home to share. They have fun fruity flavor combinations like nectarine raspberry. Nut lovers should try the salty honey walnut pie or bourbon pecan pie.
Sweetdragon (San Jose): This bakery operates out of a pick-up window in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood. They offer both sweet and savory pies year round. The flavors are matched with the season — the summer brings strawberry cheesecake pies; while the winter brings leek pies.
