Where to eat Thanksgiving dinner in Boston

Situated on Lovejoy Wharf overlooking the Zakim Bridge, Alcove would be a lovely place to spend the holiday. The restaurant is open from noon–8pm with Thanksgiving specials and Alcove favorites, like deviled crab dip, New England oysters, mushroom radiatori, roasted halibut and more. 

Check out the city's most stylish new Italian restaurant on Thanksgiving. La Padrona—located in Boston's luxe new Raffles Hotel—is open 3–8pm on the holiday with a $125 prix-fixe menu. With some additions and classics, the options for three courses highlight La Padrona's authentic, regional Italian cuisine, overseen by two-time James Beard award-winning chef-owner Jody Adams and operator Eric Papachristos.

The year-old iteration of Eastern Standard is open on Thanksgiving from 1–8pm. A three-course prix-fixe menu spans holiday favorites, ES classics and seasonal dishes, with sides and plates for everyone's taste. There's also a kids' menu, plus the full gamut of beverages and wine.

Want to complete your Thanksgiving meal with the people's-choice best espresso martini in Boston? Head to Grill 23 & Bar. The famed Back Bay steakhouse is open on Thanksgiving from 2–8pm, with a la carte options for the holiday meal in addition to the regular menu. The special pumpkin pie dessert with butter pecan ice cream, vanilla bean caramel and a brandy snap sounds like an excellent pairing for the espresso martini.

As befits an institution like the restaurant at Boston's Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel, OAK Long Bar is open regular hours on Thanksgiving. (That's 7am until midnight!) A la carte specials available from 11am–11pm include Amish turkey roulade and sweet potato mousse. The special drink Pie In the Sky, meanwhile, combines vodka, spiced pear lqueur, pumpkin puree, maple syrup and milk and supports Community Servings' Pie In the Sky fundraiser. 

Pretend a Thanksgiving holiday has whisked you off to the Mediterranean with lunch of dinner at Limani. The Seaport restaurants is open from 11am–8:30pm on Thanksgiving with a $75 prix-fixe menu including ladolemono turkey soup, prime rib or turkey, and classic sides like sweet yams, green beans and classic mashed potatoes.

Open noon–8pm on Thanksgiving, Scampo at The Liberty Hotel offers a four-course menu for $120 per person ($50 for children 12 and under). Start with a Boston bibb salad and a choice of dishes such as Nantucket Bay scallops, wild mushroom bisque and pumpkin ravioli for the second course. Main courses could be roasted heritage turkey, crackling pork rack, prime sirloin, halibut or lobster. Save room for a slice of bourbon pecan or Dutch apple cream pie, or chef Lydia Shire’s tiramisu for dessert.

For its first Thanksgiving in Boston, Blue Ribbon Brasserie will be open 2–8pm with its full menu plus holiday specials available a la carte. You can have your turkey, roasted butternut squash soup or pumpkin cheesecake—but don't skip the famed raw bar selection from this NYC export.

See and be seen on ever-chic Newbury Street this Thanksgiving at this crowd-pleasing favorite for tourists and locals alike. Sonsie is serving up a three-course prix-fixe with availabilitity between 11am–7pm. Maplebrook Farms burrata, brick oven-roasted Duxbury oysters, apple cider-brined turkey, butternut squash tortelli, braised short ribs, apple pie and more is on the menu.

Grateful for your luck this year? Why not spend Thanksgiving at Encore Boston Harbor, the ritzy casino-resort that's also home to this classy restaurant. Seamark is open from 11:30am–5pm for the holiday, and chef Michael Schlow is preparing a special menu ($135/person) with homemade focaccia, vegetable crudité, shrimp cocktail, family-style sides, and a choice of entree and dessert. 

Before or after strolling through the Public Garden this Thanksgiving, you can visit this gorgeously appointed restaurant. Bistro du Midi, which overlooks the first public botanical garden in the U.S., is open 11am–8pm with a $90 prix-fixe and a la carte raw bar. With or without a wine pairing ($50 per person), you'll choose among dishes like sweeet corn soup with chantarelle mushrooms, roasted turkey breast with foie gras-mushroom brioche stuffing, and vanilla bean crème brûlée with cinnamon and apple.

A neighborhood eatery for Belmont from chef Dante de Magistris, The Wellington offers an eclectic array of American fare with a big bar selection. The tavern is open on Thanksgiving from noon–7pm with menu additions like free-range heritage turkey with all the fixings.

A Back Bay staple since 1978, Atlantic Fish Company has Thanksgiving on lock. Once again it's open this year with its full menu as well as a festive prix-fixe. The $70 Thanksgivng menu includes parsnip soup, or harvest salad; roasted turkey and sides, or hazelnut-crusted Atlantic halibut; and pumpkin cheesecake. Reservations are available between 11am–9pm.

Whether you’re visiting Cambridge or a local, Bambara Kitchen and Bar at the Kimpton Marlowe Hotel is there for you on Thanksgiving from 3–8pm. For $70, you’ll get a choice of soup or salad to start, then a composed dinner plate where the focus is on the turkey, and a slice of pie with whipped cream and crunchy toppings for dessert.

This sprawling, airy Back Bay brasserie features contemporary French fare in spirited environs. Rochambeau is open on Thanksgiving from noon–8pm with a prix-fixe menu for adults ($85) and children ($40). You'll have three courses from the likes of Brussels sprout salad, boneless beef short rib, desserts and more.

Have Thanksgiving with a harbor view at Joe's on the Waterfront. A three-course Thanksgiving menu ($65) is in the works, offering corn chowder with crispy bacon, roasted turkey with all the sides, prime rib roast, pumpkin cheesecake with vanilla whipped cream and more. Joe's is open between 11am–8pm.