Great Holiday Lunch Menus Around Town

Holiday shopping marathons. Visiting relatives. Budgets and calendars bursting at the seams. You need a break from the hustle of the holidaze. Gather yourself and a few fellow revelers and pop in for a quick festive bite at one of these downtown Boston restaurants. With all this cheer, you’re guaranteed to survive the season.

No 9 Park (9 Park St., Boston): Perfect for après-Frog Pond skating or after crowded shopping experiences in DTX, the Holiday Lunch at this iconic eatery overlooking Boston Common runs through Friday, December 22. You can look forward to all the classics alongside a few new ones (think Roasted Goose for Two). Choose a la carte from delectables such as Smoked Trout Tartine, Smoked Pork Sugo and Cavatelli or Moules Frites, or let them do the work for you by deciding on a complete tasting menu. Don’t forget to reward yourself with their delicious sweets, including Gingerbread Gâteau with eggnog mousse, Palet d’Or and a selection of festive holiday cookies. There’s even a special cocktail menu and a line-up of guest bartenders to help you ring in the holidays (or get through spending time with your out-of-state siblings). From their location, you can see all the bustle of the holiday season and strolling crowds from the comfort of your quiet table.

Yvonne’s (2 Winter Place, Boston): With four seating times (noon, 12:30pm, 1pm, and 1:30pm) on every Friday leading up to Christmas day, this luxurious lunch brings the ghost of Locke-Ober past into the present with an exclusive lunch menu for the holiday season. The culinary team pays homage to yesteryear and the past incarnation of the space by going back to recipes straight out of the Locke-Ober menu archives, including their famous Lobster a la Stroganoff, Veal Parmesan, and Short Rib & Filet Mignon ‘Turf & Turf’ Rossini. For those in need of a liquid lunch (because honestly, your mom is driving you nuts), there’s plenty of champagne to go around and Beverage Director Nicole Lebedevitch’s all-new Martini Lounge features vodka and gin martinis paired with various vermouths and accoutrements for that instant boost of liquid courage and strength.

Cultivar (1 Court St., Boston): When your restaurant is a five-second walk from the huge Faneuil Hall Marketplace Christmas tree, it only makes sense for you to serve up a holiday lunch feast for a king (or queen). Chef Mary Dumont obliges and is ready to feed the holiday crowds with her festive three-course prix-fixe, complete with optional wine or cocktail pairings. In addition to the restaurant’s regular menu on weekdays, you can also choose courses that include dishes such as the Nantucket Bay Scallop with blood orange, Celery Root Agnolotti with cultured butter and black truffle, Seared Dayboat Scallops with radish and winter citrus beurre blanc, Hudson Valley Duck Confit, and Hudson Valley Foie Gras Mousse. And let’s not forget pastry chef Robert Gonzalez’s Cherrywood Smoked Brownie with gianduja crémeux and graham cracker ice cream, or the Chef’s Holiday Cheesecake with white chocolate crémeux and toasted meringue. Because what are the holidays without a little sweet indulgence.