Where to Order Chinese Food on Christmas Day

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The tradition of Jews spending Christmas Day in Chinese restaurants is an old and honorable one, dating back to the turn of the 20th century. Over the years, a movie was added to the ritual, because there’s only so much sitting around the house one family can do before someone feels the urge to commit a violent act. Other non-Christians — and even some Christians — noticed this tradition and saw that it was good. Traditionally, observers of Chinese-food-and-a-movie chose the restaurant based on proximity to the movie theater, but this year, due to the rise of the extra-contagious omicron variant, many people are electing to do the movie part at home. The silver lining: The food can come from anywhere now. Here’s a list of some of the best Chinese restaurants in Chicago open on Christmas Day, all of which offer pickup or delivery.

As of August 20, the city has mandated that everyone wear facial coverings while indoors. For updated information on coronavirus cases, please visit the city of Chicago’s COVID-19 dashboard. Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission. The latest CDC guidance is here; find a COVID-19 vaccination site here.

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Note: Restaurants on this map are listed geographically.

Shang Noodle’s menu spans all the regions of China from north to south, though the soups and hot-and-dry sizzling pots are especially good for cold weather. There are additional locations in Streeterville and the South Loop (which serves dim sum).

This neighborhood spot in Edgewater serves up delicious versions of all the basics, from sesame chicken to Hunan pork and cashew shrimp. It’s also open Christmas Day, but it’s carryout and delivery only.

The classic Hong Kong-style barbecue joint in Uptown is partnering with Longman & Eagle in Logan Square for a special Christmas meal, including roast duck, but the main restaurant in Uptown will also be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., serving Beijing duck and other specialties.

Northsiders who don’t want to venture south to Chinatown can still get their dim sum fix at Furama in Uptown. The restaurant will be open for its regular hours on Christmas Day, and dim sum will be available for takeout, though carts are not included.

This Albany Park Korean-Chinese restaurant did the world the immeasurable service of creating the lollipop chicken wing and making them available every day of the year, including Christmas Day.

Da Mao Jia specializes in Chengdu-style street food, from snacks to barbecue and noodle dishes to hot pot and dessert. The dishes here are truly nose-to-tail, from pork brains to pigs’ feet. There are two additional locations in Lincoln Park and Bridgeport.

The Logan Square standby serves some of the best egg rolls in the city, and they’ll be available all day on Christmas Day, along with “Barbarian” Steak (the restaurant’s take on Mongolian beef) and other favorites.

In Lincoln Park, the place to go for dim sum is D Cuisine, which will also be serving Cantonese specialties all day long on Christmas Day.

Ryan Hu (whose uncle is restauranteur Tony Hu of Lao Sze Chuan fame) recently opened a second location of Chengdu Impression in Wicker Park, which means there are now two spots in the city for his very hot-and-spicy Sichuan cuisine throughout Christmas Day.

Henry Cai’s virtual restaurant found a permanent home in Humboldt Park in November, and now Cai is ready for his first Christmas as a full-fledged Chinese restaurant. As in the virtual days, pre-order via Instagram.

Qing Xiang Yuan serves up some of the best dumplings in the city, with a lengthy menu of fillings, including seasonal specials, that should satisfy everyone — but if that happens to not be the case, there’s also a selection of barbecue dishes and salads. Frozen dumplings are also available for those who prefer to order in advance.

For those intending to spend Christmas Day in their pajamas but still wishing to be fancy, please be aware that MCCB’s signature dish, a whole-grilled fish bathed in hot chili sauce, is available for takeout and delivery.

Longtime Chinatown standby Phoenix serves up all the Cantonese hits, from noodles and rice to dim sum and Hong Kong barbecue, making Christmas a little brighter year after year.

Tony Hu’s empire has four additional Chicago-area outposts (plus one in Champaign) beyond the original in Chinatown, and while, as its name suggests, it specializes in Sichuan cuisine, it also offers all the American-style Chinese restaurant classics.

MingHin just opened another location in the South Loop, bringing the grand total to six in the Chicago area (including suburban outposts in Naperville and Rolling Meadows). All of them are open on Christmas Day and they all serve the crispy pork belly Macau-style, which is essentially pig candy, a perfect holiday treat.

Moon Palace remains a Chinatown staple for good reason: It prepares beloved dishes, and it prepares them well, year after year, Christmas after Christmas. This year, however, it will only be taking reservations for parties of six or more.

Dolo remains one of the city’s best Chinese restaurants (and one of Eater Chicago’s Essential 38), offering dim sum, lollipop chicken wings, live seafood, bento box meals, and house specials like the fried pork spare ribs with garlic.

For those that want dim sum at all hours of the day, Triple Crown is the place to go, from early in the morning to the wee, wee hours. The menu is expansive enough to satisfy all appetites, and prices are affordable enough that there’s no reason to skimp.

After the death of owner Eddy Cheung, his daughter Carol moved Jade Court from University Village to Hyde Park with all the Cantonese specialties intact. But chef Guo Dong Mei changes up the menu frequently, so be sure to ask about the specials.

Shang Noodle’s menu spans all the regions of China from north to south, though the soups and hot-and-dry sizzling pots are especially good for cold weather. There are additional locations in Streeterville and the South Loop (which serves dim sum).

This neighborhood spot in Edgewater serves up delicious versions of all the basics, from sesame chicken to Hunan pork and cashew shrimp. It’s also open Christmas Day, but it’s carryout and delivery only.

The classic Hong Kong-style barbecue joint in Uptown is partnering with Longman & Eagle in Logan Square for a special Christmas meal, including roast duck, but the main restaurant in Uptown will also be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., serving Beijing duck and other specialties.

Northsiders who don’t want to venture south to Chinatown can still get their dim sum fix at Furama in Uptown. The restaurant will be open for its regular hours on Christmas Day, and dim sum will be available for takeout, though carts are not included.

This Albany Park Korean-Chinese restaurant did the world the immeasurable service of creating the lollipop chicken wing and making them available every day of the year, including Christmas Day.

Da Mao Jia specializes in Chengdu-style street food, from snacks to barbecue and noodle dishes to hot pot and dessert. The dishes here are truly nose-to-tail, from pork brains to pigs’ feet. There are two additional locations in Lincoln Park and Bridgeport.

The Logan Square standby serves some of the best egg rolls in the city, and they’ll be available all day on Christmas Day, along with “Barbarian” Steak (the restaurant’s take on Mongolian beef) and other favorites.

In Lincoln Park, the place to go for dim sum is D Cuisine, which will also be serving Cantonese specialties all day long on Christmas Day.

Ryan Hu (whose uncle is restauranteur Tony Hu of Lao Sze Chuan fame) recently opened a second location of Chengdu Impression in Wicker Park, which means there are now two spots in the city for his very hot-and-spicy Sichuan cuisine throughout Christmas Day.

Henry Cai’s virtual restaurant found a permanent home in Humboldt Park in November, and now Cai is ready for his first Christmas as a full-fledged Chinese restaurant. As in the virtual days, pre-order via Instagram.

Qing Xiang Yuan serves up some of the best dumplings in the city, with a lengthy menu of fillings, including seasonal specials, that should satisfy everyone — but if that happens to not be the case, there’s also a selection of barbecue dishes and salads. Frozen dumplings are also available for those who prefer to order in advance.

For those intending to spend Christmas Day in their pajamas but still wishing to be fancy, please be aware that MCCB’s signature dish, a whole-grilled fish bathed in hot chili sauce, is available for takeout and delivery.

Longtime Chinatown standby Phoenix serves up all the Cantonese hits, from noodles and rice to dim sum and Hong Kong barbecue, making Christmas a little brighter year after year.

Tony Hu’s empire has four additional Chicago-area outposts (plus one in Champaign) beyond the original in Chinatown, and while, as its name suggests, it specializes in Sichuan cuisine, it also offers all the American-style Chinese restaurant classics.

MingHin just opened another location in the South Loop, bringing the grand total to six in the Chicago area (including suburban outposts in Naperville and Rolling Meadows). All of them are open on Christmas Day and they all serve the crispy pork belly Macau-style, which is essentially pig candy, a perfect holiday treat.

Moon Palace remains a Chinatown staple for good reason: It prepares beloved dishes, and it prepares them well, year after year, Christmas after Christmas. This year, however, it will only be taking reservations for parties of six or more.

Dolo remains one of the city’s best Chinese restaurants (and one of Eater Chicago’s Essential 38), offering dim sum, lollipop chicken wings, live seafood, bento box meals, and house specials like the fried pork spare ribs with garlic.

For those that want dim sum at all hours of the day, Triple Crown is the place to go, from early in the morning to the wee, wee hours. The menu is expansive enough to satisfy all appetites, and prices are affordable enough that there’s no reason to skimp.

After the death of owner Eddy Cheung, his daughter Carol moved Jade Court from University Village to Hyde Park with all the Cantonese specialties intact. But chef Guo Dong Mei changes up the menu frequently, so be sure to ask about the specials.