TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — For those who long to enjoy a Christmas dinner this year in Taipei, Taiwan News has created a list of restaurants, bars, and hotels that offer either dine-in opportunities or turkey hampers for carryout in 2020.
Many places require reservations in advance, so one should move quickly before all the spots are gobbled up as Christmas Day nears.
Prices for such meals vary greatly from one establishment to another. In the list of venues below, the approximate cost for a Christmas dinner will be indicated by the number of dollar signs in parenthesis: ($) NT$490-$799; ($$) NT$800-$999; ($$$) NT$1,000-$2,000; ($$$$) NT$2,001+
Restaurants/Bars
Carnegie's ($)
Taipei's famous expat hangout Carnegie's will be offering a Christmas Dinner from Dec. 21 to Dec. 27 that will include spinach soup and English shrimp garden salad for starters as well as a main course composed of a choice between traditional English roast turkey or roast beef. This will be topped off with a dessert selection of either traditional Christmas pudding or gingerbread cheesecake. For reservations, call 02-2325-4433.
Bald Fatty Bistro ($)
The colorfully named Bald Fatty Bistro will have a Christmas dinner from Dec. 21 - 27 that includes cream of wild mushroom soup and Christmas salad with celery seed yogurt dressing, followed by a main course that is a choice between USDA Choice Sirloin Steak or roast turkey. The turkey comes with mashed potatoes, stuffing, candied yams, walnuts, green beans, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Dessert is chocolate banana bread pudding with custard sauce. The beverage served is Christmas fruit tea.
Brass Monkey ($$)
Brass Monkey will have Christmas a dinner menu from Dec. 23 - 25 that will include a welcome glass of sparkling wine, a choice of cream of tomato & basil soup or Caesar salad, traditional roast turkey, roast Chipolata sausages, stuffing, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, peas & carrots, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, and gravy. For dessert, one can choose between Christmas pudding & brandy cream sauce or warm chocolate brownie & vanilla ice cream with strawberries. For reservations, call 02-2547-5050.
On Tap ($$)
On Tap will be offering a Christmas dinner from Dec. 24 - 27 that will include the soup of the day and a roast turkey dinner composed of roast potatoes, pigs in a blanket, stuffing, carrots, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Dessert includes a choice of home-made fruit cake with rum sauce or chocolate brownies with ice cream. There is a choice of a glass of wine or an English ale for the beverage. For reservations, call 02-2741-5365.
O'Steak Taipei ($$$)
O'Steak Taipei French bistro is offering a festive seasonal menu from Dec. 24 - 31, including black truffle mushroom soup, Bordeaux flamed seafood, steak filet, Rossini way or dijon mustard grilled king prawns, and for dessert, chocolate lava cake. The beverage includes a choice of Mulled Wine or Virgin Mary.
Ed's Diner ($$$$)
To celebrate Christmas, Ed's Diner is offering a USA quality 12-14 lb turkey slow-roasted in the BBQ oven and a complimentary cranberry or sweet potato pie. For eat-in or take-away, turkeys must be ordered at least 48 hours in advance.
Hotels
Miramar Garden Hotel ($$$$)
The Miramar Garden Hotel is launching a Thanksgiving/Christmas turkey gift box from Nov. 25 to Dec. 25 that includes roasted turkey, passion fruit jam, cream of mushroom sauce, grapefruit cream sauce, and sauerkraut braised in French red wine. Interested parties can call the order hotline at (02)8772-8800 ext. 2311.
Hotel Royal Nikko Taipei ($$$-$$$$)
Hotel Royal Nikko Taipei is offering a Christmas dinner buffet on Dec. 31 and a turkey hamper until Christmas Day.
Christmas dinner
The hotel's Le Café buffet-style restaurant will feature a special turkey dinner on Christmas Eve that will be complemented with a chef's special appetizer and healthy fruit and vegetable smoothie.
Turkey hamper
The turkey hamper includes a cilantro-roasted turkey, salad with Japanese dressing, the chef's special gravy, cranberry sauce, mixed vegetables, baked potato, French bread, pumpkin pie, and four canelés for dessert.
Photo of Hotel Royal Nikko Taipei Turkey hamper.
Sheraton Grand Hotel ($$$$)
Starting Nov. 1 and running through Christmas Day, the Sheraton Grand Hotel will offer Turkey baskets, featuring roast turkey or roast beef paired with delicious sides. Full payment for preorders made before Nov. 30 will receive a 10 percent discount. Please order three days in advance of the pick-up date.
The Sherwood Taipei ($$$$)
The Sherwood Taipei Italian restaurant TOSCANA is offering a Christmas feast on Dec. 24 and 25 and a gift hamper until Dec. 31 that includes roast turkey, the Chef's special gravy, cranberry sauce, and other fixings.
amba TAIPEI SONGSHAN ($$$$)
From Dec. 19 to Dec. 27, Que restaurant on level 17 of the amba Taipei Songshan will be serving Christmas dinner options. On Dec. 24, there will be a Christmas Eve dinner from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. From Dec. 19 to 23 and Dec. 25 to 27, the restaurant will be serving Christmas dinners for two. From Dec. 1 to Dec. 27, it will be serving Christmas tree cakes (10 inches) for takeout. For reservations, call 2-2653-2899.
Cooking Your Own Turkey
Costco ($$$$) and Thomas Meat ($$$) sell whole turkeys, however, they sell out rapidly as Christmas approaches, so hurry before it's too late!
