The Christmas season is such a special time to visit and dine in Waikiki. Most restaurants are open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Many of them offer special menus to celebrate the holiday.
To help you find where to dine for your Christmas holiday, this page lists the restaurants that are typically open for Christmas Eve and or Christmas Day in and around Waikiki Beach. As the Christmas season approaches, we’ll aim to update this page and link to special menus.
As you check out the websites for these restaurants, if you find one that looks particularly interesting to you, we recommend that you book a reservation with that restaurant as quickly as possible. Many restaurants start to book up by early to mid-December.
Waikiki Special Christmas Breakfasts and/or Brunches
One way to start out the day is with a delicious brunch. We always like the Hawaii-style brunch creations. The following restaurants are open for special Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day Brunches
Breakfast/Brunch Restaurants In Waikiki
- Basalt Waikiki at the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach Hotel has brunch specials along with their standard menu for Christmas 2024.
- MAC 24/7 at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Resort has a Christmas Day Brunch Buffet for 2024
- 100 Sails Restaurant at Prince Waikiki has a special Christmas brunch menu for 2024. This restaurant had ocean/harbor views.
- Orchids at the Halekulani is hosting Christmas Eve brunch and Christmas Day brunch for 2024. This restaurant has lovely ocean views.
Other Waikiki restaurants will be open for breakfast, brunch and lunch. We listed the restaurants above as they’re presenting special brunch menus for Christmas.
Waikiki Restaurants for dinner on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day
The following Waikiki restaurants are typically open for Christmas Eve and or Christmas Day. We will note if a restaurant has an ocean view as it’s always extra nice to have a lovely view with your dinner.
- Basalt Waikiki at the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach Hotel will serve Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Brunch and a Prix-Fixe Dinner on both days. See this link for details.
- Chart House – This restaurant has been undergoing a renovation in 2024 and it’s unclear if the restaurant will be re-opened by Christmas. Our advice would be to have a backup plan should you choose this restaurant. Chart House has harbor/ocean views.
- The Edge of Waikiki restaurant at the Sheraton Waikiki – This restaurant is oceanfront. See this link to their Christmas Dinner for 2024.
- House Without A Key at the Halekulani Hotel has a special menu for Christmas 2024. This restaurant has lovely ocean views. It’s one of our favorite restaurants.
- Orchids at the Halekulani Hotel is one of our favorite upscale restaurants in Waikiki. It has lovely ocean views. For 2024, they have a special Christmas dinner buffet menu.
- The Buffet at Hyatt at Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach has special dinner buffet menu for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for 2024. This restaurant has ocean views.
- 100 Sails Restaurant at Prince Waikiki has special dinner buffet for Christmas 2024. This restaurant has harbor/ocean views.
- Quiora Waikiki at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach – This restaurant has distant ocean views. This restaurant has Christmas 2024 dinner specials.
- Pesca Waikiki Beach at the top of the Ilikai – This restaurant has outstanding views of Waikiki.
- Eating House 1849 By Roy Yamaguchi at the International Market Place has a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menu for 2024. You can find the menu by clicking the “Holiday Menus” option on this link.
- Hideout at the Laylow, Autograph Collection has Christmas a la carte menu specials along with their standard menu for 2024. This restaurant has nice urban outdoor seating.
- Lulu’s Waikiki has excellent beach/ocean views.
- Mahina & Sons at the Surfjack Hotel
- Umi by Vikram Garg at the Halepuna Waikiki
- Monkeypod Kitchen at Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort – This casual restaurant has great oceanfront beach views.
- Hula Grill Waikiki at Outrigger Waikiki Resort usually has a special meal or at least a special entree for holidays. This restaurant is at a great location with oceanfront views. It is one of our favorite restaurants in Waikiki. Hula Grill Waikiki is a good value for Waikiki and will likely fully book before Christmas.
- Duke’s Waikiki at Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort usually either has a special menu or buffet for holidays. This restaurant has a great location and oceanfront setting. Menu prices are also a good value for Waikiki. It will be fully booked before Christmas.
- Tropics Bar & Grill at the Hilton Hawaiian Village is open for Christmas. This casual restaurant is beachfront. See this link to navigate to their specials for Christmas 2024.
- Deck at Queen Kapiolani Waikiki Beach is serving some Christmas special items along with their standard menu. See the 2024 holiday menu here. This restaurant has neat views of Diamond Head.
- Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar Waikiki at the Marriott Waikiki Beach Resort.
- Tiki’s Grill & Bar at the Twin Fin Hotel – This restaurant has ocean views. See this link for more information and booking for 2024.
- Stripsteak Waikiki at the International Market Place is open and has a special menu for 2024.
- Ruth Chris at Waikiki Beach Walk
- Wolfgang’s Steakhouse has an urban tropical setting at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.
Restaurants near Waikiki for Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day Dinner
- Hau Tree Lanai at the Kaimana Beach Hotel – This restaurant is beach front with great ocean views.
- Michel’s at the Colony Surf at the foot of Diamond Head is a top restaurant with great ocean front views.
Luau options for Christmas
Enjoying the food and pageantry of a luau can be a fun way to celebrate the holiday season.
Note that the following luau companies were in operation for Christmas 2023. They will need to be verified for 2024.
Luau options in Waikiki
- On December 24, Queens Waikiki Luau at International Market Place in the heart of Waikiki hosts their luau on Christmas Eve. Pricing starts at $109 for adults for back row seating. (Pricing for children is lower.) They have three seating options – Front Row Seating, Middle Row Seating and Back Row Seating. Our recommendation is to get front or middle row seating for the best view of the hula show.
- Waikiki Starlight Luau at the Hilton Hawaiian Village offers their luau on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Pricing starts at $279 per adult.
Luau options near Waikiki and/or with optional transportation
- Aloha Kai Luau at Sea Life Park presents a Holiday Luau Package . As previously mentioned, this luau is outside of Waikiki. It’s about a 30 – 45 minute drive. If you don’t have a rental car, they offer transportation for an additional fee.
- Ka Moana at the historic Aloha Tower offers their luau on both Christmas Eve only. For convenience, transportation from Waikiki can be provided for an additional fee. For their top-of-the-line experience, check out their Celebrity Seating.
Notes:
- Bear in mind that Christmas is a very busy time in Waikiki. Though a restaurant may have ocean views, not every table will have a direct ocean view. For the best possible view, try to make your reservation for as close to the time that the restaurant opens. Waikiki sunset around the week of Christmas is between 5:55pm and 6:00pm.
- For last minute dinner reservations, check availability with OpenTable. It’s not a comprehensive list of Oahu restaurants, but it can help if you’re trying to find reservations at the last minute.
- Don’t miss our Waikiki Christmas guide to discover all the best things to do and see this Christmas season.
