Holiday Restaurants in Ottawa: Christmas Dining Guide

The holiday table you can book in Ottawa right now is a group party, not Christmas dinner.

As of October 12, 2026, almost no Ottawa restaurant had posted its Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or New Year's Eve menu. What is published are party rooms and group menus: Starling and Riviera downtown, NeXT in Stittsville, the Lord Elgin Hotel's 2026 holiday buffet, and Mādahòkì Farm's Christmas lunch and dinner on December 11. This guide lists those with prices and capacities, then the restaurants worth watching for Christmas and New Year's Eve menus in late November, with last year's offers as a guide.

Key Highlights

TL;DR: Book office parties now: Starling hosts groups from 15 to a full buyout, NeXT has private rooms for 25 to 150, and the Lord Elgin's 2026 holiday buffet starts at $65 per person for groups of 20 or more. Christmas Day and New Year's Eve menus were not yet posted in mid-October, so check back in late November.

Holiday Party Rooms and Group Dining

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December evenings for office and family parties go first, and these venues publish their room sizes, so you can match the space to your headcount before you call.

Starling lists its deposits upfront: $2,500 for the main dining room, $1,500 for Starling North or the main Apothecary lounge downstairs, and $200 for the Apothecary's private room. Its holiday-party page also lists a three-course Turkey Dinner (with a vegan main available) at $85 per person, served in December and January only, with tax and gratuity extra; the page shows no year, so confirm the price when you book. Riviera publishes its room sizes but had no holiday menu online in mid-October, so ask when you call. At NeXT, chef Michael Blackie's restaurant in Stittsville, party bookings sit alongside its seasonal take-home dinners (below).

Hotel Holiday Banquets

The Lord Elgin Hotel at 100 Elgin Street has already published its 2026 holiday banquet menu for groups: the Lady Elgin Christmas buffet costs $65 per person at lunch and $78 at dinner, with a minimum of 20 guests, plus 18% service and 13% HST. Canapé platters are priced by the dozen. The hotel's own restaurant is Forty One, named for the hotel's 1941 opening.

At the Fairmont Château Laurier, 1 Rideau Street, the current dining list is Zoe's, Zoe's Lounge, Afternoon Tea in Zoe's (daily 11 am to 3:30 pm), Akira Back Ottawa, Café Laurier and Emilie's Terrace; Wilfrid's no longer appears, so ignore older guides that send you there. For group reservations at Zoe's, call 613-241-1414. The hotel had not posted 2026 holiday menus in mid-October.

Christmas Dinner at a Farm or at Home

If you would rather not cook, two of the best-documented options are a farm dinner and a chef-made meal delivered to your door.

Mādahòkì Farm, at 4420 West Hunt Club Road, holds Christmas Celebrations on Friday, December 11, 2026: a noon lunch with turkey and bannock stuffing ($60 for adults, $40 for children under 12) and a 6 pm dinner that includes admission to its Trail of Lights ($75 and $50), all plus tax, with a maximum of 100 tickets for each sitting. Groups of 25 or more can book a private Christmas lunch or dinner on any open date from November 26 to December 20 at the same per-person prices.

NeXT's Christmas Dinner @ Home was available from December 23 to 26 in 2025, ordered for groups of five at $200 and up, plus tax and a $15 flat delivery fee, with pickup between 3:30 and 4:30 pm. Its 2026 version had not been posted by mid-October. Beckta Dining & Wine, at 150 Elgin Street, says its next fine-dining meal kits and wine packages will be for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve; watch its site for the order window.

New Year's Eve Dinners

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New Year's Eve menus are usually the last to appear, and the best-known ones sold out last year, so use 2025's offers to plan your budget and book as soon as menus go live.

For the rest of the night, from fireworks to the Lansdowne market's New Year's Eve opening, see our New Year's Eve in Ottawa guide.

Neighbourhood Favourites for a Festive Dinner

For a December date night or a dinner after a Christmas market visit, these independent rooms were open in 2026. None had a holiday menu online in mid-October, so ask when you book.

Beckta Dining & Wine, 150 Elgin Street. The Centretown fine-dining room in Grant House posts its hours weekly and is preparing Christmas and New Year's Eve meal kits.

Cocotte Bistro, 123 Metcalfe Street. Inside The Metcalfe Hotel, it serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner and has a kids' menu, which helps for a family outing in December.

Harmons Steakhouse, 283 Elgin Street. A steakhouse in an 1890s building that once housed the Miss Harmons School for Young Ladies.

The Corner Peach, 802 Somerset Street West. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am to 10 pm; the main room suits up to six, with the semi-private Corner Store next door for six to ten.

Dreamland Pasta Cafe & Bar, 262 Preston Street. A fresh-pasta spot in Little Italy, open Tuesday to Saturday evenings (plus Saturday lunch) and closed Sundays and Mondays.

107 Fourth Avenue Wine Bar & Café, the Glebe. A neighbourhood fixture since 2003, an easy walk from Lansdowne and its weekend Christmas market.

For a drink with decorations rather than a full dinner, Ottawa Tourism notes that Nan's Parlour on Clarence Street in the ByWard Market gets a Christmas makeover each year.

Booking Tips for the Holidays

Read the fine print on group menus before you compare prices. The Lord Elgin's buffet adds 18% service and 13% HST to its per-person price, NeXT added an automatic 18% gratuity to its 2025 New Year's Eve gala, and Starling asks for a deposit to hold a room. A $78 buffet therefore costs roughly $100 per person once service and tax are added.

Ask the questions that change the bill: whether the holiday menu replaces the regular one, whether wine pairing or drinks are included, what the cancellation rule is for the deposit, and whether a minimum headcount applies on weekends. For Christmas Day itself, no Ottawa restaurant had a December 25 menu online in mid-October 2026, so start calling hotel dining rooms such as Zoe's or the Brookstreet's Perspectives in late November, and confirm before you promise anyone a table.

If the restaurant rush is too much, a festive evening outdoors costs nothing: our Christmas markets in Ottawa guide lists the free Lansdowne market weekends and the Winter Lights route.

FAQ

Q: Which Ottawa restaurants are open on Christmas Day 2026?

None had posted a 2026 Christmas Day sit-down menu by October 12, 2026. Check hotel dining rooms such as Zoe's at the Château Laurier, Forty One at the Lord Elgin and the Brookstreet's Perspectives from late November, and call to confirm before you plan around one.

Q: Where can I hold an office Christmas party in Ottawa?

Starling on York Street hosts holiday parties from 15 guests to a full buyout of 101 seated, NeXT in Stittsville has private rooms for 25 to 150, and Riviera on Sparks Street seats 12 in each private room or 60 in a full buyout. The Lord Elgin Hotel offers a 2026 holiday buffet for groups of 20 or more.

Q: How much does a holiday group dinner cost in Ottawa?

As published for 2026, the Lord Elgin's Christmas buffet is $65 per person at lunch and $78 at dinner, plus 18% service and 13% HST. Mādahòkì Farm's December 11 Christmas dinner is $75 for adults and $50 for children under 12, plus tax, and includes its Trail of Lights.

Q: Can I order a Christmas dinner to go in Ottawa?

Yes, watch two chefs. NeXT in Stittsville sold Christmas Dinner @ Home from December 23 to 26 in 2025, at $200 and up for five guests, plus tax and delivery. Beckta says its next meal kits will be for Christmas and New Year's Eve. Neither had posted 2026 prices in mid-October.

Q: What did New Year's Eve dinners cost in Ottawa last year?

In 2025, Zoe's at the Château Laurier started at $140 per person, Restaurant 18's five-course menu started at $145 (its NYE page lists an $85 wine pairing), NeXT's gala was $165 plus 18% gratuity and sold out, and the Brookstreet's Perspectives charged $189. Expect 2026 menus later in the fall.

Final Thoughts

Ottawa's holiday dining calendar runs in two waves. Group party rooms and banquet menus are bookable now, from Starling and NeXT to the Lord Elgin's 2026 buffet and Mādahòkì Farm's December 11 dinner. Christmas Day and New Year's Eve menus arrive later, so set a reminder for late November, check the restaurants above, and book as soon as the menu you want goes live.

Source: Lord Elgin Hotel – 2026 holiday banquet menu

Source: Mādahòkì Farm – Christmas

Source: Starling – Holiday parties and Riviera

Source: NeXT and Restaurant 18 – New Year's Eve

Source: Fairmont Château Laurier – Dining and Ottawa Tourism – New Year's Eve

For more Ottawa dining guides, visit Where to Go or explore Ottawa Events!