The best Christmas bars and restaurants in Boston for the festive season

This pocket-sized "adult snack bar" from celeb chef Tiffani Faison’s Big Heart Hospitality Group is the latest place to get all dolled up for the holiday season. Fool's Errand is always ornamental, with crystal chandeliers and irreverent French wallpaper. But the blue-and-white Fenway jewel box gets a glow-up in December with twinkling lights and snowflakes on the ceiling. Enjoy the atmosphere while sipping on one of the "Foolish Cocktails," like "I Saw Dad Kissing Santa," with vodka, pomegranate, apple, lemon and allspice dram; or Fireside Indulgence, a mug of hot chocolate with bourbon and toasted marshmallow Fluff.

South End tiki bar Shore Leave goes all out for the holidays as an annual host of the acclaimed Sippin’ Santa pop-up bar. The halls of the basement bar are decked out with lights and surf-rock carols pipe through the speakers: Shore Leave transforms into Sippin’ Santa with tons of attention to detail. Along with sushi and drinks-friendly snacks, the menu adds signature Sippin’ Santa cocktails like White Russian Christmas, spiked with ancho chile liqueur; and the namesake Sippin’ Santa of aged rum, amaro, lemon, orange, and gingerbread spices. Plenty of new cocktails come out to play each season, as well as fun vessels—just don’t be a Scrooge and steal the mugs. They are available for sale. Sippin’ Santa at Shore Leave hosts Thursday night live surf rock, Friday karaoke, and other festive events throughout the season.

Fifty-two stories above the city, Stratus—the cocktail bar at View Boston—has views like nowhere else. It serves cocktails, beer, wine and small bites, and while you do have to purchase a ticket to View Boston to visit the bar, it's certainly something to experience. (There's even a ticket option that includes a drink at Stratus.) For the first time this winter and continuing through the end of January, Stratus has become a Winter Oasis, full of sparkling white trees and iridescent decor. On the seasonal menu are specials like baked brie, prosciutto-wrapped scallops and Snow Miser, a cocktail of gin, lemon, blueberry and soda.

Hunter's is a wood-paneled hunting lodge of a restaurant year-round, with rustic wallpaper, buffalo plaid curtains, majestic portraits of bird dogs and a ton of forest green touches. For the holidays, the Southie restaurant gets even cozier with evergreen garlands around the bar, a suspended Christmas treeand more festive touches.

Boston’s first Hanukkah pop-up bar, Maccabee Bar returns to Noir at the Charles Hotel from December 2–January 1. Founded by local bartender Naomi Levy in 2018, this annual tradition celebrates Jewish traditions with inspired cocktails like a Latke Sour (apple brandy, potato, lemon and tobacco bitters), an after-dinner sipper of dark rum, oloroso sherry, cacao and amaro, complete with a chocolate gelt garnish; and the Hebrew Hammer (vodka, "leavened" sugar, lemon and raspberry), which is reminiscent of sufganiyot, the jelly doughnuts customarily enjoyed around Hanukkah. The seasonal snack menu at Noir includes untraditional latke, smoked salmon plate, chicken flatbread and sufganiyot of the day. Maccabee Bar is open Monday–Saturday at 4pm and reservations are available.

An ode to the tiki bars of yore, Wusong Road serves drinks with a dash of kitschy nostalgia. During the holidays, this Harvard Square hotspot becomes Wusong Wonderland, with festive cocktails to warm spirits and immersive decor.

A special-occasion destination for more than four decades, Grill 23 & Bar becomes even more beloved and opulent during the holidays. Both floors of the restaurant are decked out each holiday season with an abundance of artificial garland, wreaths, Christmas trees, holly sprigs, ribbons and cozy string lights. The steakhouse has a cozy fireplace—and it's known for shaking up the best espresso martini in Boston.

The Boston area's only holiday bar where you can bring your dog, Park-9 has turned into Whoville for the season. The indoor dog park and dog-friendly bar in Everett has themed decor—including an Instagrammable sled that your dog can hop on to channel their inner Max—and tons of twinkling lights. Custom Christmas cocktails on the menu (for humans) include the Crumpit Spritz (Short Path Gin, house-made spiced cranberry syrup, lemon and sparkling wine) and Whobilation Negroni (Short Path Gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, clove, cinnamon, orange zest). Events throughout December include pictures with Santa on December 7 and 8, an ugly sweater party on December 14, and a pop-up holiday market on Saturday, Dec. 21. 

Santa's Cantina at Loco Fenway sets the bar high for holiday decor. The gigantic venue just off Lansdowne Street has decked the halls with more than 1,500 sparkling baubles, festive pink and green trees, decorative avocados (look for them!), a fly Santa statue and so many more holiday goodies. To pair with the vibes, a new cocktail menu has launched for the season, including Griswold Family Tree—a blend of blanco tequila, lime, agave, Pama Pomegranate Liqueur and cranberry, served in an ornament you pour yourself—and Glen Cocoa, a frozen treat with Grey Goose, chocolate liqueur. whipped cream and mini marshmallows. Special desserts are on the a la carte menu, including a peppermint-flecked chocolate Swiss roll. Santa’s Cantina supplements the typical Loco Fenway experience and continues through January.

Behold the Liberty Hotel’s stunning holiday installation: the signature upside-down Christmas trees adorned with lights and ornaments, designed by local florist Cityscapes. Back for the season in mid-November, nine-foot inverted Christmas trees hang from the hotel’s soaring rotunda, making the hotel's already beautiful lobby area a sight to behold around the holidays.

Restaurant crews throughout the land bring out their best festive sweaters for Miracle, one of  the first themed holiday bars to really take off. Popping up annually around Boston at the Kimpton Marlowe Hotel, Mystic Station in Malden, Central Tavern in Milford and new this year at The Goat in Newburyport, the festive bar takeover includes decorations (peep the 6-foot santa at the Marlowe!), a catchy holiday soundtrack and original libations. Festive cocktails this year include the Christmapolitan, Snowball Old-Fashioned, Koala La La La and more, as well as a selection of shots. Each venue offers its own complementary food menu. At the Marlowe, there's a special Miracle overnight package available, too.

The Dubliner is even cozier than usual this holiday season, with brassy baubles, festive trees and more decorating the Government Center spot. With awesome brunch and Sunday supper and live music throughout the week, The Dubliner and its celebrated chef Aidan Mc Gee is also serving special "Christmas fries" every weekend, loaded with turkey, ham, stuffing and smothered in gravy.